How to View Partitions in Windows 10

To view partitions in Windows 10, right-click Start and select Disk Management. The bottom half shows each disk as a bar, split into its partitions. This includes hidden partitions that don’t appear in File Explorer. Seeing a disk marked Unknown and Not Initialized with only unallocated space means it’s new and empty, and this guide to initializing a hard drive gets it ready for files.

Applies to: Windows 10. Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025, and only PCs enrolled in Extended Security Updates still get security fixes, through October 12, 2027.

View partitions in Disk Management

1. Right-click Start and select Disk Management. There are other ways to open Disk Management too.
2. Look at the bottom half. Each disk (Disk 0, Disk 1 and so on) has a row, and each box in the row is a partition.
3. The top half lists the same partitions with their size, free space and file system.

Just looking doesn’t change anything. Don’t select options like Delete Volume or Format unless you mean to, because they erase data.

What the partitions are

• EFI System Partition: About 100 MB. It holds the files that start Windows.
• Windows (C:): Where Windows, your apps and your files are.
• Recovery Partition: Holds the tools Windows uses to repair itself.
• Unallocated: Space that isn’t part of any partition yet.

Windows also makes a small reserved partition of about 16 MB. Disk Management doesn’t show it, but the tools below do.

View partitions with PowerShell

1. Right-click Start and select Windows PowerShell (Admin).
2. Run:

Get-Partition

It lists every partition on every disk, with its drive letter, size and type. Drives you combine with Storage Spaces in RAID 0 appear as a single disk.

View partitions with DiskPart

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
2. Type diskpart and press Enter.
3. Type list disk and press Enter to see your disks.
4. Type select disk 0 and press Enter. Use the number of the disk you want.
5. Type list partition and press Enter.
6. Type exit to close DiskPart.

These commands only show information. Other DiskPart commands, like clean, erase disks without asking, so only use the ones above.

See free space on each partition

In PowerShell, run Get-Volume. It lists every volume with its drive letter, file system, total size and remaining space, including partitions that have no letter. This is quicker than opening each drive in File Explorer.

Check whether the disk is GPT or MBR

In Disk Management, right-click the disk name on the left, such as Disk 0, select Properties, and open the Volumes tab. Partition style shows GPT or MBR. Windows 11 needs a GPT system disk, so this is worth knowing before an upgrade.

Troubleshooting

• A disk shows “Unknown, Not Initialized”. It’s a new drive with no partitions yet. Right-click it and select Initialize Disk, choosing GPT, then create a volume.
• A partition shows as RAW. Windows can’t read its file system. Don’t format it if it holds files you need. Try recovering the files first, then format.
• You see an “OEM Partition” or extra recovery partitions. These come from your PC maker or older Windows versions. Leave them alone unless you have recovery media and know what they’re for.
• The sizes don’t match the drive label. Windows counts 1 GB as 1,073,741,824 bytes while makers use 1,000,000,000, so a “1 TB” drive shows about 931 GB.

Frequently asked questions

Why can’t I see a partition in File Explorer?

File Explorer only shows partitions with a drive letter. You can add or change a drive letter in Disk Management.

How do I make a new partition?

Creating one is covered in partitioning a hard drive in Windows 10.

Can I join two partitions into one?

Yes, you can merge partitions in Windows 10.

Is it safe to delete the recovery partition?

Only if you have another way to repair or reinstall Windows, such as a recovery USB drive. Without it, you lose the built-in repair tools. The space gained is usually under 1 GB. If you still want it gone, read about deleting a recovery partition.

How many partitions should my disk have?

A typical Windows 10 system disk has four: the EFI System Partition, a small reserved partition, the Windows partition and a recovery partition. You don’t need more unless you want to separate your files.

A partition you no longer need can be removed by deleting it in Windows 10.

Both tools are documented in Overview of Disk Management and Get-Partition.