Dealing with Windows quirks isn’t new, but when your recovery partition suddenly shows up with its own drive letter or is writable in File Explorer, it’s pretty unsettling. It kind of defeats the purpose of hiding that drive in the first place, right? Usually, Windows keeps that partition hidden and separate, but sometimes an update or disk clone messes with the metadata, making it visible and writable. That’s a potential disaster if you accidentally overwrite or delete recovery data. So, this guide walks through how to fix it—restore it to its proper stealthy, unmounted, and read-only state.
How to Fix or Hide the Recovery Partition in Windows 11
Remove the Drive Letter with Command Prompt
First off, if your recovery partition is showing in File Explorer, it probably just has a drive letter assigned. Removing that letter makes it invisible again, and more importantly, unmounts it from your normal file system. This helps prevent accidental overwrites and keeps your tools safe. Basically, we’re telling Windows ‘Hey, this is a system partition, don’t show it in regular browsing.’
- Open Run dialog (Win + R) and type
cmd. Hit Ctrl + Shift + Enter to run as administrator. Yeah, you’ll get that UAC prompt. Click Yes. Because of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary. - Check where your recovery environment is located: type
reagentc /infoand press Enter. Look for Windows RE Location. If it shows a drive letter, that’s your culprit. - Type
diskpartand hit Enter. DiskPart is like a really dangerous hammer — make sure you’re targeting the right drive. - Type
list volumeto see all partitions and find your recovery partition. It should say “Recovery” under the Label or Type columns. - Once you identify it, type
select volume [number]. Replace [number] with the actual volume number. For example,select volume 3. - If that recovery volume has a drive letter assigned, type
remove letter [letter]. For example,remove letter R.
Not all recovery partitions show here, sometimes you’ll have to go deeper, which is next.
Hide the Recovery Partition Properly
If you’re sick of that drive popping back into Explorer, hiding it with diskpart’s settings is a good move. This isn’t just about removing the letter; it’s about telling Windows ‘Don’t mess with me, I’m a partition meant to stay hidden and safe.’ This uses partition IDs and attributes to make sure it stays out of sight.
- Back into
diskpart, typelist diskand pick the correct disk, e.g.,select disk 0. - List all partitions with
list partition. - Find the recovery partition—usually Type “Recovery” or matching size—and select it:
select partition [number]. - To fix hidden status, run
set id=de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac override. This resets the partition’s ID to a Microsoft-recognized recovery one. - Then, set the attributes to hide the partition from Explorer with:
gpt attributes=0x8000000000000001. You’ll probably see some warnings, but that’s normal. - Close DiskPart (
exit) once done. The partition should now be hidden and read-only, not showing up when browsing your files.
Unmount the Recovery Drive
Another clean option is simply unmounting that partition. It’s a quick way to make Windows ignore it, as if it’s not there. Use this if you’re sure you don’t need quick access—because once unmounted, it’s easy to forget about unless you go back in and remount it.
- Open Command Prompt as administrator.
- Type
mountvol [driveletter]: /d. For example,mountvol R: /d. Replace [driveletter] with the actual letter assigned to the recovery partition, if any. - Hit Enter, and if successful, that drive letter will disappear from Explorer.
- Confirm in File Explorer that it’s gone. If it’s still there, you might need to repeat or check your disk setup.
Keep in mind, sometimes Windows acts weird with these partitions, so you might need to try a different approach or reboot to see the changes take effect. Also, messing with recovery partitions can be risky — make sure you don’t delete or format it unless you’re super sure you know what you’re doing.
Summary
- Removing drive letters can hide the recovery partition from File Explorer.
- Using DiskPart’s set ID and attributes makes the partition hidden and read-only.
- Unmounting the drive offsets Windows from mounting it again automatically.
- Always double-check which disk and partition you’re working on — a careless move can cause headaches.
Wrap-up
Hiding or fixing the recovery partition isn’t overly complex, but it does require some command-line work. Be cautious with the commands, especially with DiskPart, since messing up could disable your recovery options altogether. Usually, one of these methods clears out the drive letter and stops it from appearing unexpectedly, letting Windows keep your recovery data safe behind the scenes. Fingers crossed this helps someone keep that partition just how it’s supposed to be—quiet, hidden, and out of sight. Good luck, and hopefully, this shaves off a few hours trying to figure out what’s going wrong.