Hiding a partition is very useful when it comes to keeping your data safe and reducing the risk of accidental deletion. But what to do when you are unable to find said hidden partition yourself? Sometimes visible partitions may also become hidden due to some error.
But do not panic, whatever the case be, by following the correct steps you can easily find hidden partitions. let us see what steps you should follow.
Methods to Find Hidden Partitions
Scenario 1: Find Hidden Partitions on Windows
To find Hidden Partitions on Windows follow these following methods.
Method 1: Use Disk Management to Find Hidden Partitions
Even when your partitions are not visible in the File Explorer they might still be visible in Disk Management. Here is how you can access it.
- Press Windows + X and select the option Disk Management.
- If there is a hidden partition, it will show up as a Logical Drive with no Drive Letter assigned to it, may not have any label, and may also appear as unallocated or as Free Volume.
- You can unhide this hidden partition by assigning it a drive letter.
- Right-click on the Volume and select the option Change Drive Letter and Paths….
- Click on Add to continue.
- In the new pop-up Window select the drive letter and click on OK.
You will now be able to access your hidden partition.
Method 2: Use Yodot Hard Drive Recovery to Recover Data from Hidden Partitions
If the partition is unallocated, you cannot access the drive without formatting it first. This will remove all the data on the drive you will need professional software.
I would recommend using the Yodot Hard Drive Recovery tool. It has a powerful scanning algorithm that can locate hidden partitions and recover data from them. It works in read-only mode so it is completely safe. Plus it has a free trial version so you can try and see if it works for you. Download it now.
Steps to Recover Data from Hidden Partition Using Yodot Hard Drive Recovery
- Download and install Yodot Hard Drive Recovery software.
- Run the application. There will be three options: Photo Recovery, File Recovery, and Hard Drive Recovery. Choose the Hard Drive Recovery.
- You will see two options Partition Recovery and Formatted/Reformatted Recovery. Select Partition Recovery.
- Select the Storage Device on which the hidden partition is present and press Next to begin scanning for partitions on the drive.
- All the visible, deleted, and Hidden Partitions will be shown.
- To recover data from the hidden partition select the hidden partition Next.
- You can select the specific file types you want to recover and press Next or press Skip to continue the process.
- The scanning process will start. After completion, all the files found would be organized and listed.
- If some data is still missing, click Smart Scan for a more extensive scan.
- Select the files and folders you want to recover and press Next.
- Select the Output Folder and click on Next.
Your data will be saved in the destination location. Once you recover your data you can easily reformat the partition, and paste the data into the partition.
Scenario 2: Find Hidden Partitions on Mac
If you are a Mac user trying to find hidden partitions on your Mac internal drive or external drive with the file system compatible with macOS, you can follow the methods given below.
Method 1: Use Disk Utility to find Hidden Partitions
- In the Spotlight search, search for Disk Utility and run it.
- In the sidebar list on the left, look for any unidentified entries or disks with generic names. These might indicate hidden partitions.
Note: Unlike in Windows where you can assign a drive letter to the hidden partition with no assigned drive name to unhide it, the same will not work for Mac. This is because, in macOS, hidden partitions have specific attributes set within the file system making them invisible. Assigning a drive letter will not affect these attributes.
Method 2: Use Yodot Mac Data Recovery
So, to access the hidden partitions you would require a specialized software solution. I will recommend using Yodot Mac Data Recovery software. Just like Yodot Hard Drive Recovery, Yodot Mac Data Recovery also runs in read-only mode making it safe. It has a powerful scanning algorithm able to detect hidden partitions or even RAW partitions and recover data from them.
Bonus Tip: Boot into Live Linux as a Last Resort
As a last resort, you can also try to boot into live Linux. When you boot into a different OS, like Linux you are essentially in a different environment and it can bypass the rules of the original OS. In addition, Linux comes with cross-platform file system support so you can access the partition.
IMPORTANT: However, there are concerns about driver compatibility or mounting the hidden partition, which may require additional tools and knowledge. So try it as a last resort only if you are confident.
Conclusion
I hope after reading this article you can find your hidden partitions. Do remember, that many of the hidden partitions are essential for proper working of the system and any problems with them can cause the system to fail.
So always be careful when dealing with hidden partitions. Opt for safer data recovery options rather than attempting to unhide and access hidden partitions.
