What Can I Do To Locate the Hidden Partition on HDD

About a year ago, I helped my wife build a computer. We ended up using an extra 1TB HDD installed in her Dell Optiplex as extra storage on her new computer. Before moving it, I tried to wipe the hard drive for a fresh start, and I guess I accidentally hid some of the partitions.

Looking for a complete tutorial to find hidden partitions and unhide them? Then, read this page and learn how to do so. However, before viewing the workable methods, you should understand why hidden partitions exist on our hard drives. Several causes might lead to it:

  • The computer manufacturer will hide partitions like OEM partitions, recovery partitions, and Microsoft reserved partitions to keep them safe from third-party access. 
  • A third-party program hides partitions.
  • The users deliberately or accidentally set the partition as hidden, which would be invisible to other users.

Now, let me provide two simple and accessible ways to help you see the hidden drive partitions and unhide them, ranging from easy to complex. 

Method 1. Use a third-party tool

EaseUS Partition Master will be your great choice for checking the hidden partitions on your HDD since it can offer many professional-level partition management tools, enabling you to make the hidden partitions visible and take good care of your hard drive partitions.

Download EaseUS Partition Master Free and locate the hidden partitions on HDD:

Step 1. Right-click the target partition, select "Advanced," and choose "Unhide" from the drop-down menu.

Step 2. Click "Yes" and tap "Execute xx Task."

Step 3. Select "Apply" to unhide the partition after checking the pending operations.

Method 2. Partition with Command Prompt

The second way is to use Windows built-in tool to see the hidden partitions, which is slightly leveled up and more suitable for experienced users. Click the link below to learn related information:

Related Reading: Show Hidden Partition Using Command Prompt

In summary, hiding the partitions can protect critical data or files from being lost, deleted, and formatted, but it could be irritating when you want to store data on them. With the master of the two methods, you can easily cope with being unable to see hidden partitions.