How do I remove a permanently-assigned drive letter?

I assigned a permanent drive letter K: to a USB drive that I use for backups (the drive letter is hard-coded in the backup script). I bought a new larger-capacity USB drive to replace it. So I need to un-assign K: to the old drive and re-assign to the new drive. I want to be able to continue to use the old drive, but I want Windows to assign it a temporary drive letter whenever I connect it. But in Disk Management, there is no option to convert a permanent drive letter to a floating drive letter. It only gives you the option to assign another permanent letter, or to remove the drive. What's the solution?

I never heard of permanent assigned drive letter how do you manage to do that?

Use Diskpart command to remove the drive letter or use the Device Manager to uninstall the driver for the USB drive.

Remove Drive Letter in Windows 10

FreeBooter said:

I never heard of permanent assigned drive letter how do you manage to do that?

Use Diskpart command to remove the drive letter or use the Device Manager to uninstall the driver for the USB drive.

Remove Drive Letter in Windows 10

I should have said "assigned drive letter." To me it seems "permanent" because every time I connect the drive, Windows assigns the same drive letter.

The tutorial you linked to shows how to remove an assigned drive letter, and I had already read it before posting. But removing the drive letter causes the drive to disappear from Explorer. My only option seems to be to go back to Disk Management and assign another (permanent?) drive letter, which I don't want. I want the drive letter to float.

Drive lettering can be managed with third party software:

https://www.nirsoft.net/utils/drive_letter_view.html

dalchina said:

More: One way is to assign the same drive letter to a different drive.. Windows only remembers one of them.

That would have worked perfectly for me (if had known about it), since I wanted to assign the same drive letter to the new drive. It's amazing that Windows doesn't provide the equivalent of an "undo" for assigned drive letters. For example, in the alphabetic list that drops down, they could provide an option RANDOM LETTER which would allow the drive letter to float again.

dalchina said:

Does the tutorial not address that?

It does not.

Another problem: Disk Management won't let me assign a drive letter K: to a drive that is already automatically mounted with that drive letter. I suppose I could assign a different drive letter, say Z: (freeing up K:) then assign K:.