How To Delete Partitions On SSD?

In the first place, SSDs do not really need partitioning. This is because the integrated circuits that function as storage units already exist as partitions or volumes. However, if you have partitioned it and you need to remerge such, there are safe and unsafe ways to do it. We will sound a note of warning here though that deleting partitions on hard drives may damage your hard drive if done haphazardly. So, if you are unsure of what you are doing, just seek professional help. Let us know ‘How To Delete Partitions On SSD?’.

For whatever reason you have decided to delete the partitions on your Solid-State Drive, the right tool to use is the Disk Management tool preinstalled in Windows OS or using the DISKPART tool using the Windows command prompt. Alternatively, you can use third-party software but that has to be tested and trusted.

For more information on when to use Disk Management or DISKPART tools and the procedure involved, read through the rest of this article.

Situations that could warrant deleting SSD partitions

There are two types of partitions on the computer hard drive – the NTFS and the EFI. Usually, the only partition or partition of the hard drive that you have access to is the NTFS (New Technology File System). The EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) is protected by the Operating System and will usually not be open to partitioning. This is because that partition is necessary to boot your computer. If you delete it by mistake, your system will be unable to boot up.

However, there are ways to delete both the NTFS and EFI partitions so that you can reallocate disk space to them by yourself and it will be discussed later in this article.

The list below shows when you may need to delete partitions on your SSD. If your reason is not listed below, then partitioning your SSD is not the answer to your problem.

1. You need to reallocate disk space to the different partitions.
2. You want to resell your computer and you do not need the partitions anymore.

Delete partitions on SSD using the Disk Management tool

Using the Disk Management tool, you will be able to merge the NTFS partitions on your SSD.

1. Before you go on, back up the data or files in the volume you want to delete because removing partitions will erase all the data in that volume totally.
2. Open the Disk Management app. There are two ways to do this.

• Press Ctrl + R on the keyboard to open the Run tool. Then type in diskmgmt.msc and press enter. That will open the app.
• Press the Windows + X and then click on Disk Management in the popup window.

3. In the Disk Management window, there will be a list of all the partitions on your hard drive, including NTFS and EFI. How you will identify the NTFS drive is that the list shows their information including NTFS designation under the File System label. The EFI partitions will have an empty label under the File System.
4. Right-click on the NTFS volume that you wish to delete and select delete in the dropdown menu. Click Yes next to delete all the data in that volume.
5. Once that is done, that partition will be empty and available to be absorbed by another partition.
6. The next thing to do is to right-click on the volume you want to expand and then select Expand Drive in the dropdown menu. This will automatically reallocate the space from the deleted volume to it.
7. If you did it all correctly, your hard drive should have no more NTFS partitions on it anymore.

Delete partitions on SSD using the DISKPART command

The DISKPART command is also useful if you want to delete the EFI partitions. Although, you will have to remove the hard drive and connect it to another computer entirely. This is because the files located in the EFI volume or disk part are what the operating system uses to run and it will never allow you to delete them. While this is not advisable, you can if you know what you are doing. Note that you can also use the DISKPART method to delete NTFS volumes as well.

To use DISKPART, you need to open the command prompt as administrator. Follow the following steps.

1. Open Cortana on Windows 10 or 11 and type cmd or command prompt.
2. Right-click on the application and select run as administrator.
3. Alternatively, you can right-click on the start button and select Windows PowerShell (admin), Command prompt (Admin), Windows Terminal (Admin), or PowerShell (Admin). While the command prompt has a lower function than the PowerShell, Microsoft is gradually replacing the command prompt with PowerShell because it can perform all the functions of the Command Prompt anyway.
4. Once the PowerShell or Command Prompt app is opened, type in diskpart and press enter on the keyboard. That will display the DISKPART command.
5. Next, type in list disk in front of DISKPART and press enter. This will list out all the different partitions on your hard drive.
6. You should know the volume you want to delete. If you are not sure, use the Disk Management tool to verify.
7. Select the partition you want to delete and type select disk … If the disk was labeled 4, then input it as disk 4. Just make sure that you are not deleting the wrong partition. You can type in the list disk once again to be sure you selected the right partition. The partition you have selected should have an asterisk in front of it.
8. Once you’ve confirmed the selection, type in clean and press enter on the keyboard.
9. In just a few seconds or minutes depending on the speed of your computer, the drive will be empty and ready for reallocation.
10. Exit the PowerShell or Command Prompt interface by typing exit.
11. Go back to Disk Management and reallocate the space to another partition. Once the Disk Management tool is opened, it will automatically alert you to the empty space. 
12. Click on OK in the ensuing window and follow steps 6 and 7 in the last subheading to reallocate the space to another system volume.

Risks involved in deleting hard disk partitions

1. You lose all the data in that partition once it is deleted. So, ensure that they are adequately backed up somewhere before you proceed with partition deletion.
2. You can accidentally delete system-reserved partitions – the EFI partitions – if you do not understand what you are doing. Contact a professional instead.

What to do if you forgot to back up a deleted partition?

Peradventure you forgot to back up the data on the deleted partition, those will still be available on the hard drive, though not accessible to you. Before you overwrite it with something else, you can use a data recovery tool to recover the files. This is because once you start to save something else on the drive, the computer begins to overwrite those files and you will not be able to get them any longer.

Conclusion

Partitioning a hard drive, whether it is HDD or SSD, is risky and should be done with care. The same goes when you want to delete the partitions. Often, you can run into a problem where a partition of the disk is available but inaccessible which thus limits the space on your hard drive. It is therefore of great importance that you delete the partitions with care. Following the steps listed in this article should give you a hitch-free process.

FAQ

1. Can I merge the partitions on my SSD?

Yes. All you need to do is first copy out the data on one of the drives and then delete that drive by utilizing the disk management tool. Once the partition has been successfully deleted, you just need to right-click on the other partition and select expand the drive to absorb the free space to it.

2. Can deleting hard drive partitions damage the hard drive?

No. The worst that can happen is that you erase all your data. The only way problems could arise is if you deleted an EFI partition which will not be possible anyway unless the hard drive was connected to another system. EFI partitions are where the files your system uses to boot up are located and Windows will not allow you to delete them when your system is running, no matter how hard you try

3. Should I delete all the partitions on my SSD?

Hold on! Before you go deleting partitions, ensure that you are not deleting the EFI partitions. Those are what make the system boot. Your only option is to delete the other partitions of the NTFS drives and then merge them into the main partition which is usually labeled Drive C.

4. Is deleting partitions on a hard drive the same as formatting it?

No. Formatting a hard drive simply removes the files in that drive but the partitions are still intact while deleting the partition removes the partitioning completely. Think about formatting as simply removing properties from a house and leaving it empty – the rooms are still there. Deleting partitions on the other hand is like pulling down the walls separating the rooms to that there are no more barriers.