How to Delete a Windows Recovery Partition

What to Know

• PowerShell and Command Prompt: Diskpart > List Disk > Select Disk # > List Partition > Select Partition # > Delete Partition Override
• To format a partition, right-click > Partition Management > right click Unallocated> Simple Volume>> and follow the wizard.

This article will show you how to delete a Windows 10 recovery partition. This article also shows how to format and expand a partition to make use of the unallocated space.

How to delete a recovery partition in Windows

Recovery partitions are not able to be deleted, so the steps for removing them will differ from those for normal partitions.

You can create a Windows recovery partition. It’s best to keep it on an external drive just in case anything happens. To free up space, you can delete the recovery drive from your computer after saving it elsewhere.

1. Right-click on the Start menu, and choose Windows PowerShell or Command prompt
   
   You will need to open Command Prompt if you are using Windows 7 or older.
   
   
2. Type diskpart and hit Enter. Next, type list then hit Enter.
   
   
3. Displays a list of disks. Enter and type to select disk (where # refers to the number of the drive with the recovery partition).
   
   You can find the Disk Management Tool if you are unsure.

4. Type list part and hit Enter. Displays a list of partitions. Type Select partition # (where # indicates the number of the recovery part) and hit Enter.
   
   
5. Type delete part, and then press Enter.

You can close the PowerShell/Command Prompt after you have received a confirmation message.

How to format a partition

You can delete a recovery partition to create unallocated space. Format the partition to make use of the unallocated space.

1. Right-click on the Start Menu and choose Disk Administration.
   
   Windows 7 and earlier: Click the Start Menu, then type Disk Management tool in the search box.
   
   
2. You’ll also see the disk number of your hard drive. Additionally, you will see multiple partitions, including one called Unallocated. Right-click on the Unallocated section and choose New Simplicated Volume.
   
   
3. To continue the wizard, select Next.
   
   
4. Then, enter the data that the new partition should use from the space left over. Next, select Next.
   
   
5. Select a letter from drop-down to assign to the partition, then choose Next.
   
   
6. In the Volume Label box, enter a name for the partition and then choose Next.
   
   
   The default file system for NTFS. However, you can modify it to FAT32 and any other file system you prefer.

7. To close the wizard, select .
   

How to expand a partition to use the unallocated space

To expand another partition, you must first make sure that the Disk Management tool shows the unallocated space to the right of the partition. To extend a partition

1. Right-click on the partition that you wish to expand, and choose Expand Volume.

2. To continue the wizard, select Next.
   

3. You can enter the amount of unallocated space that you wish to use and then choose Next.

4. To close the wizard, select Finish. The Windows partition will now be resized to accommodate the extra space.
   
   

FAQ

• Is it safe for Windows to delete a Recovery Partition?
  

  
  Yes. Yes. Removing a Recovery Partition will not impact the Windows operating system.

• How can I recover a Windows recovery partition that was deleted?
  

  
  To recover deleted recovery partitions, reconstruct the Windows Boot Configuration drive or reinstall Windows.

• How can I factory reset Windows with no recovery partition?
  

  
  To restore your Windows PC’s factory settings, useReset this PC. To back up your files in Windows 8, you can use Refresh Your PC.

• How can I make a Windows recovery drive?
  

  
  Search for in Windows 11 and 10. Next, select Next. In Windows 8 , you can create recovery drives.