Local Disk E: Primary Partition appeared in my file explorer after recent windows 11 update.

Question

Local Disk E: Primary Partition appeared in my file explorer after recent windows 11 update.

bbabushkaa 65

Hi, so i just noticed this today but there's a random primary partition (E) that spawned on my disk, i did not make it, i did the updates like 2 days ago and i assume that's what caused it but i want rid of it and I'm not sure how to go about that.
My main issue is its 847MB and all but 114MB of that is seemingly used up but when trying to view the files taking up that space it just shows as an empty drive.
Its not my restore points as i created a deleted/new one and the used space didn't change, I've done virus scans just in case and that was fine.

Can i get rid of this? How do i view the 700MB with of data supposedly on it? Why is it here in the first place, is it needed?

Any help is appreciated thanks.

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Neil D 34,305 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-07-21T10:41:08.58+00:00

As previously stated it is not supposed to be visible in File Explorer. It is required and will have been there all the time but without a drive letter.

In Disk Management right click the partition and select to Change drive letter then select Remove.

Answer accepted by question author

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Your answer

Neil D 34,305 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-07-21T10:41:08.58+00:00

As previously stated it is not supposed to be visible in File Explorer. It is required and will have been there all the time but without a drive letter.

In Disk Management right click the partition and select to Change drive letter then select Remove.

Answer 1

Manoel Barros 21,905 Independent Advisor

Did you remove the drive letter? You need to remove the drive letter and then restart.

Open Disk Management > Right click (E:) > Select to Change Drive Letter > Remove.

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Answer 2

Volume Z 1,765 Volunteer Moderator

How do i view the 700MB with of data supposedly on it?

The Windows Recovery Environment is not designed to be accessed. The content of the partition is hidden.

Aside from having no drive letter, the partition is supposed to be protected. After removing the drive letter, consider reverting the partition type to Recovery. Run

diskpart
select disk 0
select partition 3
set id=27

Also a Microsoft Reserved partition appears to be missing on disk 1. Run

diskpart
select disk 1
create partition msr

bbabushkaa 65 Reputation points

2026-07-22T00:23:10.1266667+00:00

Thats great, thanks so much for your help, I'll get on and do this as soon as I get the chance and confirm.
bbabushkaa 65 Reputation points

2026-07-22T15:52:24.1033333+00:00

Hiya, im trying to convert it back to the recovery type as you showed however im gettin an error that the device is in use and thus i cannot perform the command, im just nervous about messing up so can i ask what i should do in this case?
Neil D 34,305 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-07-22T19:18:31.9+00:00

Could it be that the drive letter is causing that error?

Remove the drive letter from the partition, restart using Start > Power > Restart then go directly to the DISKPART commands to try again.
bbabushkaa 65 Reputation points

2026-07-22T20:03:43.8+00:00

omg im dumb i didnt even think to restart after removing the letter, that worked like a charm thank you so much <3
the other one worked perfectly first time too tyyy

Answer 3

Manoel Barros 21,905 Independent Advisor

Hi!

Given the situation, I believe this is a WinRE (Windows Recovery Environment) partition. This partition contains tools for repairing Windows.

Windows likely assigned a drive letter to it inadvertently during an update—probably a WinRE update. Open Windows Settings > Windows Update > Update history, expand the sections to see which update was installed, and let me know the KB number (e.g., KB123456).

https://support.microsoft.com/en-US/Windows/Experience/Backup-Recovery/windows-recovery-environment

It is not recommended to make any physical changes to the partition, other than removing the drive letter E so that it remains hidden. However, please send me the KB number of the update so I can check it.

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bbabushkaa 65 Reputation points

2026-07-21T12:26:30.7166667+00:00

Thanks, sorry should have included these in the og post, i have pause updates on so i did a few in one go:
Quality Updates; KB5101650, KB5100998

Definition Updates; KB2267602, KB2267602

Other Updates; KB890830
bbabushkaa 65 Reputation points

2026-07-21T12:27:15.97+00:00

Sorry idk why that went thro twice T^T
Manoel Barros 21,905 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-21T16:14:25.8733333+00:00

I didn't find any information regarding modifications to WinRE, but in any case, as I mentioned, simply hide the partition again by removing the drive letters. You can follow the moderators' instructions.
bbabushkaa 65 Reputation points

2026-07-22T00:21:58.9866667+00:00

Will do, thank you so much
Manoel Barros 21,905 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-07-22T01:59:12.96+00:00

Thanks!

I look forward to your feedback!
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bbabushkaa 65 Reputation points

2026-07-22T20:05:43.08+00:00

Doing both this and following up with the other answer i got everything seems to be sorted out thank you both so much!