Once the main menu appears, it will show us the hard drives that we have installed. From here right-click on the second hard drive or SSD partition and select “Delete Volume”. It is important to emphasize not to select the main hard drive where the operating system is installed. If, for whatever reason, we select it, when we find ourselves using it with Windows, we will never be able to delete the partition or format the unit.
We can repeat these steps until all partitions on our computer’s hard drive have been removed. Once deleted, all the hard drive space will be unallocated space, so we can create new partitions again, which will be assigned new drives. If we want to delete all the partitions on the computer, it is advisable to format Windows and, from the installation options, delete all the partitions and create a single one where we are going to install both the operating system and all the data we want to store.
It is important to know that, even if we create different partitions to separate the information, it is the same hard drive, so if it stops working, we will lose both the operating system and the data stored in the different partitions that we have created. If we really want to store the data on a different hard drive, it will be necessary to install a new drive that works independently of the main one. In this way, if the main hard drive stops working overnight, we will not lose all the data stored on it.
From the Command Prompt
Another possibility to be able to delete partitions is to do it through the command line, by using the Command Prompt tool.
Next, we will talk about a powerful tool integrated into the Microsoft operating system called DISKPART that, in addition to removing or deleting partitions, will help us with other uses. It must be taken into account that some of these commands that we will show you require that you specify the units or sizes to carry out the modifications. Likewise, as is usual in most of the commands that Windows provides us, through the Help parameter it will help you when it comes to knowing its functions. These commands that we are going to show you below are to delete the partitions, which is what we need in these lines.
To do this, the first thing will be to use the Start menu search engine to write cmd and run Command Prompt with administrator rights.
Once in the Command Prompt, we type the following command and press Enter:
diskpart
Next, we write the following command to show us a list of installed hard drives and press Enter again:
listdisk
Now we are going to type this command to select the corresponding hard drive and press Enter to confirm:
select disk 2
We can change 2 for the number that we have assigned to the HDD or SSD.
Next we are going to clean the unit, so we will write the following command and press Enter.
clean
Once this action is done, all the hard drive partitions will be deleted, so we can re-partition it by creating new partitions with the unallocated space.
Using Windows PowerShell
If we prefer, we can also use Windows PowerShell to be able to delete partitions from our hard drive in both Windows 10 and Windows 11. To do this, we are going to use the Start menu search box to type powershell and run it with administrator rights.
Once PowerShell is open, we write the following command to display a list with all volumes or partitions, pressing Enter to confirm:
Get-Volume
Once this is done, we will execute the following command:
Remove-Partition-DriveLetter
Here, we must replace DriveLetter with the letter of the drive that we want to delete.
Finally, all that remains is to accept the confirmation window and the selected drive will automatically be removed so that we have its storage space.
Through a partition manager
As an alternative to the different elements and tools that we can find integrated into Windows to carry out this task, it is also possible to use certain third-party tools specially designed to carry out this task in a more comfortable and visually attractive way. .
MiniTool Partition Wizard
We are talking about a partition manager, through which we will be able to create and delete all kinds of partitions on our hard drives, being compatible with a wide variety of file systems so that we can give our units different formats as we wish. It has a large number of functions to recover damaged disks and partitions. We can even choose the possibility of deleting a partition by overwriting the data so that no one can recover its content.
MiniTool Partition Wizard has a free version that we can download from the . Once downloaded and installed, we run it so that its main menu appears, where we can see a list of hard drives and the partitions made on each one. It would simply be enough to right-click on the partition that we want to delete and a drop-down menu will appear where we only have to click on “Delete Partition”. As we can see, the number of options is very similar to that offered by the Windows Disk Manager application, but in a much cleaner and more intuitive way.
The best
By means of the free version of this powerful application for managing partitions, we will have the possibility of carrying out multiple tasks related to these elements of the disk. Thanks to its user interface, which is quite intuitive, we won’t have any problems when it comes to carrying out basic tasks with these elements.
Worst
There are other similar applications in this same software sector that offer us much more advanced functions and that could be considered as important for expert users in this type of work with discs.
Paragon Partition Manager
It is a program to manage partitions. Among the different functions that it has, we will be able to create and delete partitions, which will allow us to format our HDD, SSD, USB, memory card, SD card or delete a partition so that it is available for reuse. This Paragon software has a free version, with limited functions, but it will help us to delete partitions. We can .
Once we run the application, its main menu appears with an intuitive interface, although completely in English. It is divided into two columns. In the one on the left we find the different functions, of which we will have access to the “Disk & Volumes” in this free version. On the right side of the interface we find the different storage units that we have on our computer.
We only have to select the desired partition and in the left column we will see the different functions that we can carry out. Since what we want is to be able to delete the partition, it will be enough to click on the section “Delete partition”. Once we have eliminated the partition, we can create a new one or unify the available content with the main one in order to have only one unit.
Well
The design of the user interface that we find in this program makes it accessible to inexperienced users. In addition, many of the tasks that we can carry out from here are automated and we can carry them out with the push of a button.
Not so good
Those who want to have greater control over the different processes that can be carried out with the partitions of a disk drive, may have to opt for other more advanced and professional software solutions.
AOMEI Partition Assistant
Another of the programs that we can use to delete a partition from our hard drive safely and without complications is AOMEI Partition Assistant. This partition manager, which we can download and install for free, has everything we need to allow us to properly manage our hard drive. Among others, its main functions allow us to create partitions, move or change the size of existing ones, delete them, and even clone a hard drive or help us migrate our Windows from a normal HDD to an SSD.
As for its operation, it is very simple. The first thing we must do is locate the partition that we want to delete from the list that appears in the main window of the program. Once selected, the next step will be to click on the “Delete partition” option that appears in the tools menu on the left, and that’s it. We simply confirm the deletion and follow the steps that the program will indicate to us to complete the deletion of it and convert its space into an “unpartitioned space”. The interface of this application is simple, but since it offers so many functions, it can become somewhat complex, especially for users who are not familiar with these terms.
Pros
In addition to being a totally free application for managing disk drive partitions, it is worth noting that we have the most common basic functions. In addition, the operation of the entire set is quite simple.
Cons
Compared to other programs in the same sector, but more professional, here we are going to miss some advanced functions that allow us to have greater control over the processes.
disk genius
One of the oldest applications in computing in general for working with storage units, of whatever type they are, is DiskGeinus, an application that allows us to create partitions and format units according to our needs, however strange they may seem at first. In addition, it includes a hexadecimal editor that can be very helpful on certain occasions when we need to access the inside of the file.
This application is designed to work with both Windows and Linux, since it allows us to create and manage partitions and complete drives with the FAT32, exFAT, NTFS and ext4 file systems. As if the options that it offers us were few, if we are not very clear and this is the application that we are looking for, it is interesting to know that it also includes data recovery software, which will allow us to recover data deleted from partitions as long as we do not we have low-level formatted.
This application is priced at $69 for the Standard version. If this falls short, something unlikely if it is for domestic use, we can opt for the Pro version, whose price reaches 99 dollars.
Hiren’s Boot CD
If the problem with the partition is in the main drive of our computer, and we can’t get it to boot, the solution is to use…