3 Easy Methods to Hide a Recovery Partition in Windows 10/11

Why Should You Hide the Recovery Partition

Windows 10/11 PCs usually have two types of recovery partitions: the Windows recovery partition and the OEM recovery partition.

The Windows recovery partition lets you boot into Windows Recovery Environment to repair the OS, while the OEM recovery partition lets you restore the PC to factory settings.

Since the recovery partition is essential, you should protect it. Hiding it prevents accidental formatting or deletion. On most PCs, it is hidden by default and doesn’t appear in File Explorer, but on some computers, it may show up.

So how to hide a recovery partition manually? Just remove its assigned drive letter. Here are 3 ways to do that:

#1: Hide Recovery Partition via MiniTool Partition Wizard

You can easily hide a recovery partition with MiniTool Partition Wizard. Its Hide Partition feature removes the partition from File Explorer without deleting the partition.

After you apply the operation, the recovery partition will no longer appear in File Explorer, but it can still be managed with partition management tools.

If you need to show the recovery partition in File Explorer again, you can use the Unhide Partition feature to assign a drive letter to it.

Now, follow the steps below to hide a recovery partition with MiniTool Partition Wizard.

Step 1: Get MiniTool Partition Wizard installed and then launch the software.

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Step 2: Right-click on the recovery partition and click Hide Partition. Alternatively, click on the target partition and click Hide Partition.

Step 3: Then click Apply to execute the operation.

Step 4: To unhide the recovery partition, click on the partition and hit the Unhide Partition feature in the left panel. In the next window, select a drive letter for the partition and click OK.

Step 5: Tap Apply to carry out the operation.

#2: Hide Recovery Partition via Disk Management

Disk Management is a built-in Windows utility for managing disks and partitions. If the recovery partition has a drive letter, you can hide it from File Explorer by removing that drive letter.

Removing the drive letter hides the partition from File Explorer without deleting the partition.

Here’s how to hide a recovery partition using Disk Management.

Step 1: Open the Run dialog window by pressing the Windows and R keys.

Step 2: Type diskmgmt.msc and hit Enter.

Step 3: Right-click on the recovery partition and click Change Drive Letter and Paths.

Step 4: In the pop-up window, click Remove. If you are prompted with a warning window, click Yes consecutively to confirm the operation.

After the drive letter is removed, the recovery partition will no longer appear in File Explorer.

How to Unhide the Recovery Partition in Disk Management

If you want to show the recovery partition in File Explorer again, right-click the partition in Disk Management and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.

Then click Add, assign an available drive letter to the partition, and click OK to save the changes.

#3: Hide Recovery Partition via Command Prompt

Like Disk Management, Command Prompt is also a utility that comes with Windows computers. It executes various tasks by running corresponding command lines. By using this utility, you can create/format/extend/delete partitions, assign/remove drive letter, perform a SFC scan, etc. Here, you hide recovery partition via Command Prompt with the steps below.

Step 1: Type cmd in the search box and then click Run as administrator under the searched Command Prompt App.

Step 2: In the elevated Command Prompt window, type the commands below and hit Enter after each.

• diskpart
• list volume
• select volume n (replace n with the number that stands for the recovery partition)

Step 3: Remove its drive letter by executing this command: remove letter x (replace x with the actual drive letter of the recovery partition).

How to Unhide the Recovery Partition via Command Prompt

If you want to make the hidden recovery partition visible in File Explorer again, follow the first two steps above to select the recovery partition.

Then run the following command:

assign letter=F

Replace F with an available drive letter that you want to assign to the partition.

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Bottom Line

Now you know how to hide a recovery partition on Windows 10/11 by removing its drive letter. Whether you choose MiniTool Partition Wizard, Disk Management, or Command Prompt, hiding the recovery partition helps prevent accidental deletion or formatting.

If you have other thoughts about the recovery partition, tell us in the following comment area. For any questions related to MiniTool Partition Wizard, contact us by sending an email to [email protected].