How to Merge Partitions in Windows (Non-adjacent Volume)

Updated by

Roxanne 

Written by

Daisy 

Updated on Aug 26, 2024

Merging partitions is a process of combining two or more separate partitions on a hard drive into a single, larger partition. This allows users to consolidate their disk space and optimize storage management. By merging partitions, users can streamline their storage setup, potentially improving both disk space utilization and overall system performance.

No matter what your problem is, if you want to merge partitions, this page from EaseUS offers Windows users a practical method to merge two partitions on Windows 11/10/8/7.

Preparation of Merging Partitions

Before performing the partition merging, you should first take care of some necessary precautions to ensure 100% success and data safety.

• ✅Backup Your Data: It is highly recommended to create a backup for your important data in case unexpected issues occurs.
• ✅Check Disk Health: Before merging partitions, you should check the health status of the disk to decrease the risk of data loss. You can use utilities like CHKDSK or third-party disk health test software.
• ✅Tools for Merging Partitions: To successfully combine partitions into one, you'll need Windows built-in Disk Management or a reliable disk partition manager - EaseUS Partition Master Professional. It allows you to merge partitions even if they are not adjacent to each other.

Merge Two Partitions with Disk Management

Windows built-in utility - Disk Management doesn't offer the specific Merge option. But you can do it by deleting one partition and adding the unallocated space to the other one. However, this means you'll have to lose everything on the deleted partition. If you don't have any data on that volume, check the steps below.

Step 1. Right-click on the Start menu icon and open Disk Management.

Step 2. Right-click on the one on the right of the target partitions. (They should be adjacent to each other.)

Step 3. Select "Delete Volume," and then it'll become an unallocated space.

Step 4. Right-click on the partition on the left side and select "Extend Volume."

Then, these two partitions will be combined into one large partition. If you encounter the options greyed out issue, the following pages can help you troubleshoot.

Merge Partitions Without Losing Data (Non-adjacent Volumes Supported)

In order to merge partitions without data loss, you'll need a reliable third-party tool - EaseUS Partition Master Professional. It allows you to keep all data during the merging process. In addition, you can merge two non-adjacent partitions without deleting the volume in the middle.

This is an example of merging partitions, please follow the steps below:

Step 1: Select the target partition

Right-click on the partition which you want to add space to and keep, and select "Merge".

Step 2: Select a neighbor partition to merge

Select one partition next to the former selected partition to merge.

And click "OK" to continue.

Step 3: Execute operation to merge partitions

1. Click the "Execute Task" button at the top and then click "Apply".
2. The program will merge space and add files from the second partition to the first partition.

If this tool helped you merge partitions with ease, don't forget to share it with others.

Why Do You Need to Merge Partitions Into One

Some users find multiple partitions help better data organization while the other half prefer to keep all data in one single partition. Each has its advantages. Here are some of the reasons why you want to merge partitions into one:

• Improved Disk Space Management: Eliminates fragmented free space and allows for more flexible storage use.
• Simplified File Organization: Makes it easier to manage and locate files in a single, larger space.
• Potential Performance Improvements: Reduces the number of partitions the system needs to manage, which can enhance performance and file access speeds.
• Streamlined Backups: Simplifies the backup process by consolidating all data into one partition.
• Easier System Upgrades: Makes future upgrades or migrations simpler by reducing complexity.

Conclusion

Merging multiple partitions into one is a process that can help users make full use of the free space on the disk. Before proceeding with partition merging, it's crucial to take certain precautions, such as backing up important data, verifying SSD compatibility, and ensuring sufficient disk capacity. Using reliable EaseUS Partition Master and following a step-by-step guide can help ensure a smooth and successful merging process.