In Windows Server 2022, recovery partition might occupy much space on the disk. You can delete recovery partition to extend your C drive.
First, the answer to this problem is “Yes, you can”. Second, let’s find out what a recovery partition is to help you decide whether you need to delete it or not.
There are two types of recovery partition in Windows: one is a Windows recovery partition, and the other is a computer manufacturer recovery partition, also called an OEM recovery partition.
The Windows recovery partition usually needs 100-450MB on the disk, and it’s used to assist users to enter Windows RE (Windows recovery environment) to repair the computer issues. While OEM recovery partition is built by your computer manufacturers, and it will take up to 7-20GB on your disk to store default information and programs. You can utilize this partition if your computer has a system failure, especially when you don't have any installation tool or recovery disk.
Thus, if you decide to delete the recovery partition, you’ll lose all data on it, which means you’re not allowed to use Windows RE and default data anymore.
However, if you need more capacity on your C drive, deleting the recovery partition could be a choice. You can delete the recovery partition via Diskpart in Windows Server 2022, and after you delete the target partition in Diskpart, you can use the unallocated space to enlarge your C drive if other conditions are also meted.
Before we use Diskpart, you can open Disk Management to check which partitions are recovery partitions. In the following example, the computer has two recovery partitions that devour more than 200GB of space on the disk.
You can recognize these partitions via size. So now, let’s see how to delete the recovery partition in Server 2022.
Type “CMD” in the search box and press “Enter” to open it. Then type “diskpart” and hit “Enter”.
Type “list disk” to show all your disks. Since the recovery partition is on Disk 0, so we type “select disk 0” and hit “Enter” to choose it. You need to change the disk number to your target disk.
Type “list partition” to show all partitions on the selected disk, and type “select partition x” (x is the number of the recovery partition you wish to delete) to choose the recovery partition. Then type “delete partition override”.
Then in the new partition list, you can see the second partition has been removed. If you wish to delete both recovery partitions, please repeat the operation as the picture shows.
Then you can close Diskpart, and open Disk Management. The recovery partition has become an unallocated space adjacent to the C drive, so you can extend your C drive with this space now.
Diskpart can help you easily delete recovery partition in Windows Server 2022 or 2025, but the recovery partition is useful when your computer has some glitches. And if the unallocated space created by deleting the recovery partition is not right behind the low-storage C drive, you also cannot use it to extend the C drive.
There are other methods to extend the C drive, if the other partitions on your disk still have sufficient free space, you could keep the recovery partition, because AOMEI Partition Assistant Server can help you. If the D drive has much free space, the “Allocate Free Space” function of this powerful tool can help you share the space from the D drive to the C drive without deleting anything, all data is safe.
Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Server, and you’ll see all the detailed information on the partition and disk in the main interface. Right-click the D drive and select “Allocate Free Space”.
In the pop window, type the free space value you plan to move into C drive, and select C: partition from the drop-down menu. Click “OK”.
Back to the main interface, you can see partition C has been extended with the free disk space. Then click “Apply” to commit the pending operation.
Then your C drive will have more capacity.
If your disk has unallocated space but it’s not adjacent to the C drive, you can choose “Advanced” and select “Merge Partition”.
If you don’t want to give the recovery partition up, but the capacity of your current disk cannot hold it, then why not move the recovery partition to another location? AOMEI Partition Assistant can clone the selected partition to a new place. After you safely clone the recovery partition, you can delete it on your computer to release more space without losing anything.
Step 1. Right-click the target partition in the main windows, and select “Clone Partition”.
Step 2. Select a suitable cloning method based on your needs and situation.
Step 3. Choose the source partition from the list.
Step 4. Select unallocated space on another disk and click “Next”.
Step 5. Click “Apply” to commit the pending operation.
After the clone, you can delete the recovery partition on the original disk. AOMEI Partition Assistant also supports disk clones in Windows Server.
Delete recovery partition in Windows Server 2022 can free some capacity on the crowded disk, but you might need it someday in the future, thus, it’s safer to choose AOMEI Partition Assistant to extend the C drive. And if you wish to delete it, you can at least store it in another location in the future.
Can I move the recovery partition to another drive? While it's possible to move partitions using third-party tools, it is not recommended to move or tamper with the recovery partition. The recovery environment relies on its specific location for proper functioning.
Is it safe to delete recovery partition Windows Server? Deleting the recovery partition on a Windows Server should be approached with caution. While it might free up some disk space, it comes with potential risks and drawbacks. Before deleting the recovery partition, ensure that you have a recent backup of your server. This ensures you can restore the system if any issues arise after removing the recovery partition.
What are the potential risks of deleting the recovery partition? Deleting the recovery partition may leave the system without a quick and convenient recovery option. If the system encounters issues, you may need alternative recovery methods, such as installation media or a backup.
How can I restore the recovery partition if needed? If you have a backup of your server, you can restore the recovery partition using system restoration tools. Additionally, reinstalling or repairing the operating system may recreate the recovery partition. Always refer to official Microsoft documentation for accurate and safe procedures.