How to Delete Recovery Partition on Windows 11 - Full Guide

Updated by

Sherly 

Updated on Jan 09, 2025

Recovery partition is in the way and blocking the disk expansion? 2 or more recovery partitions? Is the recovery partition too large? Whatever the reason is, EaseUS Software will guide you on how to delete the recovery partition on Windows 11.

Overview of Recovery Partition

First of all, let's understand what a Windows recovery partition is. A recovery partition is a dedicated area on your hard disk that allows Windows to restore to factory settings in the event of a serious system failure without reinstalling the entire operating system. Before learning to delete a Windows 11 recovery partition, check the following questions about the Windows recovery partition deletion:

🚩1. Is it safe to delete the recovery partition on Windows 11?

Deleting the recovery partition may cause problems if you need to use the system recovery option because the system cannot find the recovery environment. But if you are sure that you don't need the recovery partition or have already backed up the Windows 11 recovery partition on external storage, then you can safely delete the recovery partition without any impact on the present system operation.

Disk Management doesn't support deleting the recovery partition on Windows 11/10. Download this tool and follow the instructions on how to delete the Windows 11 recovery partition on Windows 11.

🚩2. Why are there two recovery partitions? Which one should I delete?

There might be two recovery partitions after a system upgrade or repair. When upgrading Windows, the system checks if there is enough space on the existing recovery partition. If the original partition does not have enough space for the new system files, Windows creates an additional recovery partition. To check which recovery partition you should delete, follow these steps:

Step 1. Type cmd in the Windows 11 search box and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter to launch Command Prompt as administrator.

Step 2. Then enter the command in the cmd window and press Enter: reagentc /info

You can check which recovery partition to delete. Do not forget to share this post and let more people know about the recovery partition.

🚩3. Is the OEM Reserved Partition the same as the recovery partition?

The OEM reserved partition is related to the recovery partition but for different purposes. The OEM is mainly used for system recovery, allowing users to restore PCs to a pristine state if needed. It is usually hidden in Disk Management. The recovery partition, on the other hand, allows users to access the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) for troubleshooting and system recovery, such as resetting or refreshing a Windows installation. It is usually hidden in Disk Management.

🚩4. Why does Disk Management not allow me to delete the recovery partition?

Recovery partitions are usually protected by Windows, especially those containing the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE). However, you can delete the Windows 11 recovery partition via specialized partition management software as well as the command line.

How to Delete Recovery Partition in Windows 11

The recovery partition may take up a lot of space, and many users want to delete it, but Disk Management does not support deleting Windows recovery partitions. But don't worry; in this section, you will learn two ways to safely delete the Windows 11 recovery partition.

Method 1. Use EaseUS Partition Master

As a professional Windows partition manager, EaseUS Partition Master allows you to delete the recovery partition on Windows 11/10/8/7. Without typing any command lines, you can use EaseUS Partition Master to remove the recovery partition from Windows 11. It's an easy task with a clear interface.

Here is how to delete the recovery partition on Windows 11:

Step 1. Open EaseUS Partition Master, click "Partition Manager". Right-click on the recovery partition and choose "Delete".

Step 2. Click "Yes" to confirm the message "Do you want to delete the selected partition?".

Step 3. Click "Execute Task" and then click "Apply" in the new window to completely remove the recovery partition.

For beginners, it's the easiest method to delete the recovery partition. EaseUS Partition Master can manage the recovery partition, such as deleting or moving the recovery partition to the end of the disk.

Method 2. Use Diskpart Commands

For experienced users, Command Prompt is the other solution for multiple recovery partitions, recovery partitions blocking the way, or recovery partitions taking up too much disk space error. Be careful when you type the following command lines in case of any data loss.

Step 1. Type "diskpart" in the search box, and in the results listed, right-click Diskpart and select Run as administrator.

Step 2. In the Diskpart window, type "list disk" to display all the disks. Windows 11 will list each disk and its number.

Step 3. Select the disk containing the recovery partition by typing "select disk 0", where "0" should be replaced with the number of the previously listed disk.

Step 4. Type "list volume" to list all partitions on the selected disk and all their labels so you can determine which recovery partition you want to delete.

Step 5. Enter select volume 3. Replace the "3" with the correct number. Then, type "delete volume" to confirm the deletion.

If you receive any errors like "Cannot delete a protected partition without the force protected parameter set," run "delete partition override".

Using the command line can be complicated for the uninitiated. If there is no clear interface with detailed information about each partition, you may delete other partitions and lose data. Therefore, for beginners, the best option for deleting recovery partitions is to use EaseUS Partition Master.

Conclusion

Windows Recovery Partition allows you to boot into the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) to recover your computer in case of problems, but it can often take up some disk space or prevent you from expanding the C partition. Therefore, you can delete the Windows 11 Recovery Partition after making a good backup. The safest way is to use three-party disk management software because Diskpart can easily delete the wrong partition if you are not familiar with the command line.

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