Hard disk drive platter

[[Image:Innansicht Festplatte 512 MB von Quantum.jpg|thumb|Inside view of a hard disk]]

A hard disk drive platter or hard disk is the circular magnetic disk on which digital data is stored in a hard disk drive. The rigid nature of the platters is what gives them their name (as opposed to the flexible materials which are used to make floppy disks). Hard drives typically have several platters which are mounted on the same spindle. A platter can store information on both sides, typically requiring two recording heads per platter, one per surface.