How to Delete Unallocated Partition or Space in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7?
- What is an unallocated partition?
- What do I do with an unallocated partition?
- 2 Ways to delete unallocated space in Windows 11/10/8/7
- Sum up
- FAQs about deleting unallocated partition
What is an unallocated partition?
The system installation procedure on a newly set-up computer will urge you to create partitions for any unallocated space once you have initialized your hard disk. Unallocated space is the area of a hard disk that has not been assigned a drive letter or made useful for data storage. You won't be able to use this space for storage unless you allocate it.
Furthermore, existing computers may contain unallocated space that may be used. You may simply allow this unallocated space in Windows by utilizing the Disk Management control panel tools.
Any physical space on a hard drive that does not belong to a partition will be displayed as "Unallocated" in Disk Management. Users are not able to see it in Windows File Explorer, which is always one of the most important causes of hard drive not showing full capacity.
What do I do with an unallocated partition?
As described above, the unallocated space cannot be used as other normal partitions to store data. And also, this space is just invisible in File Explorer, it does exist on your disk, you cannot remove or delete your disk space, right? Then, how do you convert unallocated space to free space?
Well, as a space on the disk, an unallocated partition has 2 general purposes:
♦ Create a new data partition
You can create a new data partition on the unallocated space to store files, documents, media, and other data. This allows you to keep your personal files separate from the operating system and installed applications, making it easier to manage and back up your data. Having a dedicated data partition also helps in case you need to reinstall Windows or perform system maintenance, as it reduces the risk of accidentally losing your important files.
♦ Extend an existing partition
If you have a partition with limited space and an adjacent unallocated partition, you can merge or extend the existing partition into the unallocated space. This allows you to increase the size of the existing partition and provide more storage for the files and applications it contains. Extending a partition can be especially useful for the system drive (usually C drive) or partitions used for specific applications that require more space over time.
How to delete unallocated space in Windows 11/10/8/7
To remove unallocated partition on hard drive, you can either create a new partition on this space or merge it into an existing partition. To accomplish those jobs, you can use Disk Management or professional disk manager software.
1. Remove unallocated space via Disk Management
First of all, you need to open Disk Management: Right-click "My Computer/This PC", click "Manage>Storage>Disk Management". Or use "Windows+R" to open Run, type "diskmgmt.msc" in the empty box, and tap "OK".
>>To create a new partition on this unallocated space
Right-click the unallocated space, and select "New Simple Volume", then New Simple Volume Wizard will pop out, follow it to create a new partition.
>>To extend an existing partition with unallocated space
Right-click the left volume that is next to the unallocated space, select "Extend Volume". Then Extend Volume Wizard will appear, just follow its prompts, you can merge the unallocated space to the existing partition successfully.
In those two methods, the unallocated space will disappear and you will get a new partition or enlarge another partition.
However, Disk Management cannot delete unallocated space in the following situations.
1. When you try to repartition removable storage devices or create a new partition on 3TB MBR Hard Drive, the New Simple Volume will be greyed out, because Windows won't let you repartition removable storage devices, MBR disk only supports 2 TB hard disk at most, and you can only create up to 4 primary partitions on MBR disk.
2. When the unallocated space is not right behind the volume you want to extend, Extend Volume greyed out as well in Disk Management.
2. Delete unallocated partition via free partition software
When you cannot create a new partition or extend another partition with the unallocated space in Disk Management, you can turn to the free partition manager: Qiling Disk Master Standard. This freeware allows you to convert MBR to GPT without data loss, then you can create more partitions on a GPT disk, meanwhile, you can use it to repartition removable storage devices.
Moreover, it can merge unallocated space to an existing partition easily even when they are not adjacent. Now you can download the freeware and try to remove the unallocated partition on Windows 11/10/8/7.
>>To create new partition on unallocated space:
Step 1. Install and launch Qiling Disk Master. Right-click the unallocated space and select "Create Partition".
Step 2. In this window, you can specify the size and location of the being created partition.
Step 3. Back to the main interface, click "Apply" to commit the pending operation.
>>To merge unallocated space to another partition:
Step 1. In the main interface of Qiling Disk Master. Right-click the unallocated partition, choose "Advanced" and select "Merge Partition".
Step 2. In the window, the unallocated space is automatically chosen, you just need totick another existing partition.
Step 3. Click "Proceed" to start merging the unallocated space to the target partition.
If there is more than one unallocated space, the "Merge Partitions" can also help merge two or more parts of unallocated space into a partition. All in all, you can successfully delete unallocated space by creating a new partition or merging it to an existing partition via this software. Besides, you can also use it to delete hidden partition.
Sum up
This is how to remove unallocated partition in Windows 10. Apart from deleting partitions, Qiling Disk Master can also help copy/move and wipe partition. For more advanced features such as partition alignment, allocating free space from one partition to another, converting boot disk between MBR and GPT styles and more, you can upgrade to Qiling Disk Master Professional. To delete unallocated space in Windows Server 2012/2016/2019/2022, etc, please try Qiling Disk Master Server instead.
FAQs about deleting unallocated partition
What alternative method can I use to delete unallocated space when Disk Management has limitations?
When Disk Management cannot perform the desired tasks due to limitations, you can use a free partition manager like Qiling Disk Master Standard. This software allows you to convert MBR to GPT without data loss, create partitions on GPT disks, repartition removable storage devices, and merge unallocated space into non-adjacent partitions.
How do I delete or remove an unallocated partition in Windows?
To delete or remove an unallocated partition, you can either create a new partition on the space or merge it with an existing partition.
Can I create a new partition with unallocated space using Disk Management?
Yes, in Disk Management, you can create a new partition on the unallocated space by right-clicking the space, selecting "New Simple Volume," and following the prompts of the New Simple Volume Wizard.
Can I extend an existing partition with unallocated space using Disk Management?
Yes, Disk Management allows you to extend an existing partition with adjacent unallocated space. You can right-click the volume next to the unallocated space, select "Extend Volume," and then follow the Extend Volume Wizard to merge the unallocated space into the existing partition.
Can Qiling Disk Master Professional be used for more advanced partition operations?
Yes, Qiling Disk Master Professional offers additional advanced features, including partition alignment, allocating free space between partitions, converting the boot disk between MBR and GPT styles, and more.
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