A hard drive partition divides the hard drive into separate, independent sections or volumes. Each partition acts as a separate drive that can have its own operating system, files and applications installed. There are a few reasons why someone may want to remove a partition on their hard drive:
To consolidate free space – Removing unused or unnecessary partitions frees up space to expand existing partitions and store more files. This helps optimize disk space usage.
To simplify drive organization – Having fewer partitions makes it easier to navigate and manage files on the hard drive.
To erase data – Deleting a partition thoroughly erases all data stored on that section of the disk.
Before removing a partition, it’s crucial to back up any important data first. This article provides step-by-step instructions to safely delete a hard drive partition without losing data.
Back Up Your Data
Before making any changes to your disk partitions, it is absolutely crucial that you back up your data first. As explained in Why you should backup your data?, creating backups ensures data preservation and protection in case anything goes wrong during the partitioning process. Backups guard against catastrophic data loss if the partitioning fails or data gets corrupted.
There are different types of backups to consider (System backup, Disk Backup, Partition backup differences):
- System backup: Backs up the entire system including installed programs and operating system.
- Disk backup: Copies entire physical disks or volumes.
- Partition backup: Backs up selected partitions only.
For partitioning, a full disk or partition backup would be recommended. This comprehensively saves all your data and provides maximum protection. Store the backup externally on another drive or in the cloud. Test restoring from the backup first to ensure it works.
With a complete, recent backup in place, you can proceed to repartition your drive with greatly minimized risk of data loss. The backup acts as a safety net if anything goes wrong.
Check the Partition Layout
The first step is to view the current partition layout on your hard drive to understand how it is configured. To do this on Windows 10 or 11:
1. Open File Explorer by clicking the folder icon in the taskbar or pressing Win + E.
2. Right click on This PC and choose Manage.
3. In the Computer Management window, click Disk Management on the left side.
4. The main Disk Management window will show all connected disks and their partitions.
Here you can view the drive letter, format, size, and contents of each partition. Any unallocated space will also be shown.
This gives you an overview of the full partition structure so you can plan the changes needed to remove a partition without data loss. Pay attention to space requirements and where your important data is stored across partitions.
For a quicker view from File Explorer, you can right click on the drive and choose Properties, then click the Volumes tab. This shows basic partition info.
You can also view partitions from the command line with the diskpart tool and list volume command.
Shrink the Partition
To shrink the partition you want to remove, use the Disk Management utility in Windows. Right click on the partition and select “Shrink Volume”. Enter the amount to shrink the partition by. It’s best to be conservative and shrink in increments rather than all at once. Shrinking too much at once can disrupt the filesystem. According to Microsoft Support, “Begin -> Right click Computer -> Manage. Right click the partition you want to cut, and choose Shrink Volume. Tune a size on the right of Enter the amount of space to shrink in MB”.1
Disk Management has some limitations on how much you can shrink certain partitions, especially the system partition. Running the defragmentation utility first can help maximize the amount you are able to shrink. As noted on Superuser, “Usually Disk management inside Windows won’t allow re-sizing the partition because of unmovable system files. But if you try to defrag your system partition first, you will most likely be able to shrink your partition even further.”2
Move the Data
Once you have shrunk the partition you want to delete, the next step is to move the data off of it into the unallocated space on the hard drive. This can be done using a partition management software tool. The process will involve selecting the partition you want to move the data from, and specifying the unallocated space as the destination.
The partition tool will then copy all the data from the partition into the unallocated space sector-by-sector. This is generally a safe process that will not result in data loss if done properly. However, it’s crucial to make sure you have a complete backup before attempting it, just in case anything goes wrong.
According to this Oracle documentation, moving data between partitions like this should be done slowly and carefully to avoid performance issues or corruption. Do not cancel the operation mid-process. Let the partition tool completely finish moving all the data before proceeding to the next step.
Delete the Partition
Once all the data has been moved off the partition you want to delete, you can go ahead and delete it. Here are the steps to delete a partition in Windows 10 and 11:
- Open Disk Management. You can search for it or right-click the Start menu and select Disk Management.
- Right-click on the partition you want to delete and select “Delete Volume.” https://www.windowscentral.com/how-delete-drive-partition-windows-10
- Disk Management will warn you that all data on the partition will be lost. Click “Yes” to confirm deleting the partition.
- The partition will now be unallocated space on the drive.
With the partition deleted, you now have unallocated space to expand into or create new partitions. Just be absolutely sure you have moved all data off the partition before deleting it, as the process is irreversible.
Expand Another Partition
Once you have deleted the partition, the freed up space will become unallocated on the disk. You can then expand an existing partition to make use of this space.
To expand a partition without losing data, use the following steps:
- Open Disk Management again.
- Right-click on the partition you want to expand and select “Extend Volume”.
- The wizard will open. Click “Next”.
- Select the amount of space from the unallocated space you want to add to the partition and click “Next”.
- Click “Finish” to expand the partition.
The partition will now absorb the previously unallocated space. After expanding the partition, you should check for any errors and verify you can access the data.
For more details, refer to the Microsoft article: How to re-partition without destroying the data?
Check for Errors
It is crucial to thoroughly check for any errors after resizing or deleting a partition to verify no data was corrupted or lost in the process. First, reboot your computer and verify the partition layout is as intended using the disk management utility. Next, open File Explorer and confirm all files and folders are present on each partition.
Run CHKDSK on each partition to scan for file system errors or bad sectors. On Windows, open an elevated command prompt and type “chkdsk C: /f” to run a scan on drive C, replacing other drive letters as needed. On Linux, use fsck -f /dev/sdX to scan partition X. Resolve any errors found.
Finally, spot check files, especially larger ones like videos, zip archives, or databases. Open and verify they are intact and not corrupted. Additionally, check that applications still function properly and can access their data files on each partition. Taking these steps to thoroughly validate your partitions helps ensure data integrity was maintained during the partitioning process. If any errors or data loss are found, stop using the drive and consult a data recovery service [1].
Recover Lost Data
If there were any errors during the partition resize or delete process, you may find that some data is unreachable or seems to be lost. Don’t panic, as it’s often possible to recover this data.
First, stop using the drive and don’t save anything new to it. Any new data could overwrite your lost files.
Next, try using data recovery software like AnyRecover or Wise Lost Partition Recovery to scan the drive and find any recoverable files. These tools can restore data even from formatted or deleted partitions.
Recovery software looks for file signatures and patterns to reconstruct original files. The sooner you run it after data loss, the better the chances of getting files back intact. Deep scanning will take more time but may find more data.
If the partition was accidentally reformatted, recovery should be possible unless new data has overwritten the original files. But if the partition was fully deleted, it may only find remnants.
For best results, recover data to another drive rather than the original, to avoid overwriting files. Pieces can potentially be reassembled from multiple recovery attempts.
While no method is foolproof, data recovery tools offer your best shot at getting lost files back after a partition error. Having backups is the only surefire way to avoid permanent data loss.
Conclusion
In summary, the process of removing a hard drive partition without losing data involves several key steps. First, you must back up all the data on the partition you want to delete. Then, check the partition layout and use disk management tools to shrink the target partition. The next step is to move the data off the partition and onto another partition or external drive. Once the partition you want to remove is empty, you can go ahead and delete it. Then expand the remaining partition to reclaim the newly freed up space. Finally, check for any errors and be prepared to use backup data to recover anything lost in the process.
By carefully following this process, you can successfully remove a partition from your hard drive without permanently losing the data stored on it. The key is taking the time to fully back up the partition first, then moving the data to safety before deletion. As long as you have a current backup, you can delete a partition while being confident you won’t lose valuable files or data in the process.