Free Merge Partitions without Losing Data in Windows 11/10/8/7
Why merge partitions without losing data?
A hard drive has to be initialized and partitioned before it can be used. You may want to merge two partitions in Windows 10 for the following reasons.
♦The HDD or SSD isn't partitioned reasonably. For example, C drive for the operating system is not big enough yet the D drive used for data storing somehow has redundant space. You can move free space form C drive to D drive, or just merge D drive to C drive to get a bigger partition.
♦The hard drive is MBR partition style. On an MBR disk, the maximum primary partitions number is 4. If you want to create a primary partition when there are already 4, you have to either merge partitions to reduce the partition number or convert MBR to GPT without losing data to break the limit.
There are definitely applications or data on one of the partitions. To save the time and effort of reinstalling, it is a wise move to merge partition without data loss.
How to free merge partitions without losing data in Windows 7/8/10/11?
How to merge two partitions without formatting or losing any data? Today, we will introduce two free ways for your reference. Keep reading and then choose a proper one for your situation.
Method 1. Free merge partitions via Qiling Disk Master (No Data Loss)
Qiling Disk Master Standard, a free partition manager for all Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 users, comes with a feature named "Merge Partitions", allowing users to directly combine two adjacent partitions into one without damaging any data. No need to delete any partition or any data in advance.
With the help of its user-friendly interface, even a computer novice can does a great job. Free download to have a try. Below part will take how to merge C and D drive without losing data for example.
- ★Tips:
- You can only merge two adjacent partitions of the same physical hard drive. If the two partitions are not contiguous, you can resize one of the partitions a little to generate a small part of unallocated space. And then, use Move Partition to adjust their location.
- You can merge all unallocated space in the same way. No restrict on unallocated space.
- Qiling Disk Master Professional allows you to allocate free space from one drive to another directly.
Method 2. Free merge partitions via Disk Management (Partition Deletion Required)
Apart from using third-party software to merge two partitions in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, you can also try the Windows built-in tool:Disk Management. However, this tool cannot directly combine two partitions into one; you have to delete one of them to make it unallocated space, and then add the unallocated space into the target partition.
Therefore, to merge partition Windows 10 without losing data via this method, you need to perform a partition volume backup or file backup before taking further steps. Here come the detailed steps of merging C and D drive as well.
1. Backup or copy files on the D drive to a safe place.
2. Press Win + R to start Run. Type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter to open Disk Management.
3. Right click D drive and select Delete Volume. All data on the partition will be wiped. Click Yes to continue.
4. You’ll get an unallocated space. Right click C drive and select Extend Volume. Follow the wizard to complete extending.
5. The partition is extended. Now, you can restore the files to the C drive.
- ★Notes:
- You can only merge two adjacent partitions on the same physical hard drive.
- C drive cannot be merged to D drive since it contains operating system.
That is a little roundabout but still helpful. The C drive is enlarged finally and the data on D drive does not lose. The extend operation can also be completed with Diskpart. Click to learn how to extend partition in Diskpart.
Conclusion
Two ways are available when you want to free merge partitions without losing data in Windows 7/8/10/11. As a matter of fact, you can resize partition flexibly in Qiling Disk Master. As a qualified partition manager, it also provides many other advanced functions: migrate OS to SSD, convert MBR and GPT without deleting partitions, clone partition, clone disk, move applications to another drive, etc.
Related Articles
- [Full Guide] How to Partition SSD for Windows 10 Install
How to partition SSD for Windows 10 install? This tutorial will provide 2 different ways and offer a step-by-step guide. - How to Fix M.2 SSD Not Detected in Windows 10 - 11 Ways
How to solve the problem of M.2 SSD not detected in Windows 10? Learn more about the causes of this problem and the 11 ways to fix it, as well as an easy way to migrate your system to an M.2 SSD. - How to Make Hard Drive/USB Drive Bootable in Windows 10, 11
Whether you want to make drive bootable in Windows 10, fix cloned drive won't boot issue, or create a bootable USB, you can refer to this article. - Error: Windows 10 Inaccessible Boot Device After Clone [Solved]
This article provides 5 solutions for the error of Windows 10 Inaccessible Boot Device after clone. It also introduces a better intelligent cloning software.