How to merge partitions in Windows

Creating partitions can be useful for many reasons. They help organize specific files, such as movies and music, or be used to create a backup copy of Windows in case you need to reformat your computer. However, partitions can also split your drive into sections that are too small for your needs. To learn how to merge partitions in Windows, follow the steps below.

How to merge partitions in Windows

This section shows the complete process for removing a formatted partition, and then extending another. If you are expanding a partition into an unallocated space, skip to step 7.

1. Right-click the Start menu icon to open the Power User Tasks Menu. Or, press Win+X (hold down the Windows key and press X).
2. Select Disk Management.

3. In the Disk Management window, you will see a list of available hard drives. Hard disk space that is not yet partitioned is labeled as unallocated. If hard disk space has a drive letter associated with it, that space was partitioned.

4. Locate the partition you want to delete. In this example, we'll be removing Extra Volume (E:).

5. Right-click the partition and select Delete Volume from the drop-down menu.

6. A pop-up message appears to confirm that you want to delete the partition. Click Yes.

7. When the partition is deleted, it is listed as Unallocated space.

8. Locate the existing partition that you'd like to extend, and right-click it. In this example, we are extending Example Volume (D:).

9. Select Extend Volume from the drop-down menu.

10. The Extend Volume Wizard will launch. Click the Next button.
11. Select how much of the unallocated space you want to extend the partition by (A), and click the Next button (B).

12. Click the Finish button.
13. Your partition is extended and displayed in the Disk Management window with its new size.

14. Close the Disk Management window by clicking in the upper-right corner.