Delete a Partition on a USB Drive in Windows 11/10
| Workable Solutions | Step-by-step Troubleshooting |
|---|---|
| Unpartition a USB Drive/Delete Partition on USB Drive |
#1. (Recommend) Qiling Partition Master...Full steps #2. Use Diskpart...Full steps |
| Merge Partition on USB Drive |
Step 1: Select the target partition, right-click on the partition...Full steps |
USB Has Two Partitions Issue
"I have a 16GB Kingston flash drive that has been accidentally partitioned. The USB drive split into two parts, and now my USB has 2 partitions, with 7.3GB each. I've tried to delete one partition or combine the two partitions into one with Disk Management, but all failed. How can I work out the problem?"
You may have noticed that when you plug a USB drive with multiple gigabytes of storage into your computer, Windows File Explorer shows two or more partitions. You might wonder if a USB drive can have multiple partitions, and the answer is yes - as long as you meet certain conditions, you can create two or more partitions on a USB drive.
1. Ensure your computer runs Windows 8.1 or later, which supports multiple USB flash drive partitions recognition.
2. The USB is created by a specific vendor and allows for the creation of multiple partitions.
Dealing with multiple partitions on a single USB drive can be frustrating due to unnecessary memory consumption and inconvenience. To resolve this issue, you have two options: deleting partitions on the USB drive or merging them. However, simply reformatting the drive won't work as it only allows reformatting individual partitions, not the entire disk drive. You can use easy partition management software or Diskpart to delete the partitions and free up space.
Use an Easier Partition Manager to Delete a Partition on a USB Drive
If you're not confident in using the Command Prompt or are intimidated by the complexity of the diskpart utility, you may avoid using it to manage your USB drives or SD cards. However, encountering an error like "diskpart cannot delete a partition on removable media" can be frustrating, making you want to give up. To make things easier, consider using a user-friendly partition management software as a workaround to remove all partitions from a USB drive or SD card. This can help you avoid potential issues and damage to your data.
Qiling Partition Master is a powerful tool that surpasses Diskpart and Disk Management in Windows 11/10, offering a wide range of disk organization functions. It enables users to delete, format, hide, and wipe partitions, as well as clone/copy, combine/merge partitions with ease. This tool is fully compatible with Windows 11/10 and features advanced partition management capabilities, such as migrating the OS to a new HDD or SSD, making it a more comprehensive solution than the built-in disk utilities.
To remove partitions from the USB drive without effort, download a partition manager and use it to delete the partitions. This will allow you to start fresh and use the drive as needed.
Step 1. To delete a partition, first, ensure your external device is properly connected to your computer. This may involve plugging it into a USB port, using an adapter, or installing drivers if necessary. Once connected, navigate to the disk management utility in your computer's operating system.
Open Qiling Partition Master. Right-click on the desired partition and choose "Delete".
Step 2. Confirm the message "Are you sure you want to delete the selected partition?" and click "OK".
If you delete one or more partitions and keep the one with data, you can extend the partition with space left after deletion. If you delete all the partitions, you can directly create a partition on your USB drive.
How to Unpartition a USB Drive in Windows 11/10 with Diskpart
The "Delete Volume" option in Windows 11/10 Disk Management may grey out, preventing users from deleting partitions. However, the Diskpart utility can be used to delete partitions, resulting in a single partition on the USB flash drive.
Note: To avoid data loss, it's essential to back up your important files before deleting any partitions. This precautionary measure ensures that your files are safe even if you accidentally delete a partition where they're stored.
Step 1. To open the Command Prompt with administrator privileges, press the Windows key + R simultaneously, type "cmd" and click "OK".
Step 2. Type diskpart and hit enter.
Step 3. Type list disk. Soon diskpart will list all the hard drives on your computer, including your USB flash drive that is connecting with the computer. Assuming that your USB flash drive is drive G:.
Step 4. Type select disk G and hit enter.
Step 5. If there are multiple partitions on the flash drive and you want to delete some of them, type "list partition" and press enter. This will display a list of all partitions, numbered as 0, 1, 2, etc.
Step 6. Type select partition 0 and hit enter.
Step 7. Type delete partition and hit enter.
Step 8. Repeat step 6 and step 7 to delete partition 1 or 2...
Step 9. After deleting all the target partitions, type `create partition primary` and hit enter.
Step 10. You can exit the command prompt and then go back to the computer to follow the wizard to format the partition.
How to Merge Partitions on USB Flash Drive in Windows 11/10
- Notice:
- This method is only applicable when you have successfully created several partitions on your USB drive. To be exact, all the partitions should have drive letters and are normally accessible. If your USB drive shows only one partition in the File Explorer, you can just choose to delete the partitions instead of merging them.
If you have data on every partition, it's recommended to merge them instead of deleting for data security. You can use Qiling Partition Master to merge USB partitions in Windows 11/10 without deleting, as it allows combining two adjacent partitions with ease.
Step 1: Select the target partition to backup
To create a file backup, select "File backup" and choose the partition you want to backup. Then, click "Proceed" to initiate the backup process.
Step 2: Select the target partition to delete
Select target partition and click "Delete" to delete this partition.
Step 3: Select a neighbor partition to merge
Select one partition next to the former selected partition and click "Move/resize" to continue.
To merge a partition, drag the end of the partition to the right or left towards the unallocated space, and then click "Proceed" to complete the merge.
Step 3: Restore backup files to merge partitions
To merge a partition, select the backup image of the target partition, then click "Recovery". Next, select "Merge partition" as the destination and click "Proceed". The program will then merge the space and add files from the second partition to the first partition.
Conclusions
When you have a USB drive with multiple partitions and want to keep only one, you can use Qiling Partition Master to selectively delete or merge partitions, making it easy to manage your USB drive. This tool is highly recommended due to its user-friendly interface and comprehensive features, allowing you to easily manage your USB drive without any hassle.
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