How To Fix Can't Delete Partition on USB Drive / HDD / SSD

Encountering a "Can't Delete Partition" error while managing your USB drive, HDD, or SSD can be frustrating. Here are two effective methods to resolve this issue and get your storage device back in working order.

Method 1: Delete All Data & Partitions Using Diskpart

• Open the Start menu or search bar, type cmd, and right-click the Command Prompt to choose 'Run as administrator'.
• Type diskpart and hit enter.
• Type list disk and hit enter. Identify the disk you want to clean.
• Type select disk [disk number] and hit enter. Ensure you choose the correct disk number.
• Type clean and hit enter. This will delete all data and partitions on the selected disk.
• Type exit and hit enter.
• Open Disk Management from the Start menu or search bar.
• Identify the cleaned disk (shown as unallocated), right-click on it, and choose 'New Simple Volume'.
• Click 'Next' four times, and finally 'Finish'. You can change the volume label, letter, and file system if desired.

Method 2: Delete Specific Partition

If you've installed Ventoy on a drive and want to delete only specific partitions (such as the V-TOY EFI Partition and the Ventoy Partition) while keeping the preserved partition:

• Open the Start menu or search bar, type cmd, and right-click the Command Prompt to choose 'Run as administrator'.
• Type diskpart and hit enter.
• Type list disk and hit enter. Identify the disk you want to clean.
• Type select disk [disk number] and hit enter. Ensure you choose the correct disk number.
• Type list partition and hit enter. Identify the partitions you want to delete.
• Type select partition [partition number] and hit enter.
• Type delete partition and hit enter. Repeat for each partition you want to delete.
• If you receive a 'Can’t Delete a Protected Partition' error, type delete partition override and hit enter.
• Type exit and hit enter.
• Open Disk Management from the Start menu or search bar.
• Identify the disk with the deleted partition (shown as unallocated), right-click on it, and choose 'New Simple Volume'.
• Click 'Next' four times, and finally 'Finish'. You can change the volume label, letter, and file system if desired.

By following these steps, you can effectively resolve the "Can't Delete Partition" issue on your USB drive, HDD, or SSD.