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14 June 2023  Amanda J. Brook  Senior Product Manager
Last update by William Davis at 8 April 2024

Summary
Discover the steps to restore a deleted partition on your Windows 10 hard disk, and effectively retrieve your data with the actionable techniques outlined in our detailed guide.



Table of contents

table iconI. About hard disk partition
table iconII. How to recover partitions on Windows 10?
How to recover deleted partition on Windows 10

I. About hard disk partition

1. What is a hard disk partition?

A hard disk partition functions as a container for file storage. Without partitions, a hard disk cannot store data, rendering it inaccessible in Windows 10 File Explorer. Partition style, such as MBR (Master Boot Record), limits a hard disk to four primary partitions. In contrast, GPT (GUID Partition Table) allows for an unlimited number of primary partitions. Commonly referred to C and D drives are examples of such partitions.
After determining the partition style of the hard disk, open Windows 10 Disk Management to initiate the creation of a new simple volume. This process allows you to assign a drive letter, set the partition size, and select a file system like NTFS, exFAT, or FAT32. You’ll also be able to specify other partition configurations.

2. Common reasons for hard disk partition loss

Partition loss can manifest in various ways. An accidentally deleted partition appears as “unallocated” in Disk Management. When Windows 10 cannot recognize a partition’s file system, it shows as RAW; formatting is required to resolve this, but ensure data is backed up beforehand. Additionally, a partition without an assigned drive letter by Windows 10 will not be visible in File Explorer.
The reasons for the loss of hard disk partitions may be as follows:
● When cleaning a specific partition, other partitions are deleted by mistake.
● A power failure may render the partition inaccessible.
● Use some diskpart command, causing all partitions and volumes to be erased.
● The partition table is damaged due to data corruption on the hard disk, resulting in the disappearance of partitions.
● If there are bad sectors in the hard disk partition, the system may not be able to recognize the hard disk partition. You can try using chkdsk command repair hard disk.

II. How to recover partitions on Windows 10?

To recover crucial data from a lost partition, avoid any unnecessary disk read/write operations, formatting, or partition table modifications to prevent data overwriting. Instead, promptly use data recovery software to scan the missing partition. Renee Undeleter is recommended for its extensive features, capable of retrieving data even from partitions labeled as “unallocated” or with RAW file systems. Detailed functions and recovery instructions are provided.

1. Use Renee Undeleter to restore partition data

Renee Undeleter is a specialized software designed to recover a wide range of data files. It comes in handy when you inadvertently delete crucial files, clear the recycle bin, or format your disk, memory card, USB drive, or external hard drive. The software offers four key features: file recovery, format recovery, partition recovery, and image creation, providing a comprehensive solution to various data loss scenarios.
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Step 1: Download, install and run Renee Undeleter on the computer, and select the (Whole Disk Scan) option on the main interface.
Note: Do not install Renee Undeleter in the disk where data is lost to avoid data overwriting.
select whole disk scan to scan disk in renee undeleter
Data Recovery Features:

  • Fast Partition Scan: Recovers files lost from accidental deletion or recycle bin clearance.
  • Whole Partition Scan: Restores files from inaccessible or formatted partitions.
  • Whole Disk Scan: Analyzes partition information for a comprehensive scan of the entire disk.
  • Image Creation: Generates a partition mirror image for backup purposes.
Step 2: Next, you can select the corresponding disk (that is, the disk where the partition is lost) according to the disk capacity. After the selection is complete, click (Next).
select a disk to recover in renee undeleter
Step 3: Wait for the scan to complete. It will detect all previous partitions on the disk. When the “Select the partition you need to scan” window appears, choose the lost partition for scanning. If no partition is selected, the scan will include all partitions, taking more time but potentially recovering more data.
recover partition on SD card with Renee Undeleter
Step 4: Preview files within the partition during the scan process. When you’ve identified all required files, select them and click the Recover button to restore the data to a different disk.
preview before recovery
recover files with Renee Undeleter

2. Create a new simple volume in Disk Management

If a partition appears as “unallocated” in Disk Management, first recover any crucial data, then use the “Create Simple Volume” function to re-establish the partition for regular data storage.
Step 1: Press the (Windows+X) keys on the keyboard at the same time. Then in the pop-up list, select the (Disk Management) option.
windows disk management right click start
Step 2: Then right-click on the unallocated space on the disk and select the (New Simple Volume) option.
create new volume
Step 3: Customize the partition size, drive letter, and file system (NTFS, exFAT, FAT32). Review the features and differences of each file system to select the most suitable one. Once configured, click Finish to finalize the partition creation. You can then access and use the new partition in File Explorer and restore any previously backed-up data.
format the volume with the settings

3. Add a drive letter to the partition

If the partition lacks a drive letter or has an incompatible one, it won’t show up in File Explorer. To resolve this, assign a drive letter to the partition using one of two methods.
① Add a drive letter through Disk Management
Disk Management enables you to create a new simple volume and assign a drive letter. To assign a letter to a partition that currently lacks one, adhere to the following procedure within Disk Management.
Step 1: Press the Windows icon + X key at the same time, select (Disk Management) in the menu, right-click the partition without a drive letter, and select (Change drive letter and path).
disk Management Change Driver Letter
Step 2: Click (Add) to assign a drive letter to this partition, select (Assign the following drive letter) and select a letter, and click (OK).
assign a new drive letter for the disk
Step 3: Then open “My Computer/This Computer” on the desktop, and you can see the hard disk partition that was not displayed before, which means that the partition has been restored to normal.
File Explorer showing partitions
② Use CMD to add the drive letter
cmd.exe is the command prompt, through which we can add a drive letter to the partition.
Step 1: Start the computer, enter (cmd) in the search box, right-click (Command Prompt), and select (Run as administrator).
run as administrator
Step 2: Please enter the following commands in sequence, and press the (Enter) key once for each line of command input:

diskpart

list volume

 (will list all volumes/partitions in the computer)

select volume 7

 (7 means the partition number that needs to add a drive letter, which can be judged according to the capacity and modified accordingly)

assign letter=M

 (add drive letter M, M can be replaced by other unused English letters)

exit

Diskpart assigns a drive letter