What Is EFI System Partition and How To Create/Delete It?

Part 1. What is EFI System Partition?

First thing first, let's define what an EFI system partition is. When you successfully install Windows OS on a GPT disk in your computer, an automatic EFI partition, also referred to as an EFI System Partition (abbreviated as ESP), is created. Without a drive letter, it takes approximately 100 MB or 200 MB. On Windows 10, you may typically see more EFI system partitions than its older versions.

EFI, which stands for Extensible Firmware Interface, is a partition on a device such as a hard disk. The ESP is used by computers that follow the UEFI standard. UEFI firmware loads files from the ESP to start the installed operating system and various utilities. This streamlines the process since it can only be limited to a specific drive instead of scanning the entire system every time.

EFI consists of 4 major components:

Part 2. What Is EFI System Partition Used for?

The EFI partition is one of the most critical storage volumes of the system. Windows automatically creates this partition for startup purposes without asking the user. It is how the computer system makes a table for storing data and smoothening all disk functions, including boot and startup.

EFI is used for different purposes on various operating systems. This table below will help to know the roles respectively:

Part 3. How To Check if the Computer Has EFI System Partition?

Before you start monitoring your system, it is essential to understand how EFI is related to GPT. Since most recent computers use GUID-type partitions, EFI is part of the system by default. However, in computers using the MBR partition style, EFI is not present. An excellent way to detect this is to check the storage of the reserved system partition. If it's less than 100MB, your computer does not have an EFI partition.

If you have an EFI partition, you can use tools like DiskPart or Disk Management to check it through the procedure mentioned below.

Step 1. Open system information by writing it in the search box. Alternatively, you can also write ‘msconfig’ to open the System Information menu.

Step 2. The system summary icon heading will be highlighted. Now, look for BIOS at the bottom right of the screen.

Step 3. You can check whether you are running a legacy-style partition disk or a UEFI/EFI partition-style volume. Note that UEFI BIOS means your system contains an EFI partition.

Part 4. How To Create EFI System Partition (in Windows)?

By default, a computer running on Windows 10 or 11 and supporting clean installation will create an EFI partition automatically. If you want to create this partition, you need to give some essential commands during the PC booting process. Here’s how:

Step 1. Boot your PC with any type of Windows installation media available. As soon as you encounter the first screen, press Shift + 10. It will launch a bootup command prompt before your computer gets to the desktop.

Step 2. Run the command syntax as given below. Press the Enter key after each command.

Diskpart

List disk

Select disk

List partition

Create partition efi

Format quick fs=fat32

List partition

List volume (i.e., the volume letter where the Windows OS is installed)

Exit

bcdboot X:/windows (Replace "X" with the Volume letter of the Windows OS partition).

Step 3. Press Enter to initiate an EFI partition. You can now remove the Windows installation media.

Part 5. How To Delete EFI System Partition (ESP) in Windows?

Windows doesn't display the content of the EFI system partition. However, one can still delete it using Command Prompt and other core technicalities of the operating system. Before doing that, you must ensure that it is a function you wish to execute.

Is It Safe to Delete the EFI System Partition?

It can be hazardous to delete an EFI partition. It is a core boot protocol for the Windows OS since it facilitates access to essential files. Without the EFI partition, your machine won't be able to start up Windows. However, bear the following in mind if you insist on removing the EFI partition:

How To Delete EFI System Partition?

To delete the EFI system partition, these are the steps that will help you out:

Step 1. First, press the Windows key + R to access the Run command window.

Step 2. Enter the text diskmgmt.msc in the dialog box and click OK.

Step 3. Locate and note the EFI system partition in Disk Management, then shut down Disk Management. Afterward, use the DISKPART tool to remove the EFI partition.

Step 4. Launch Command Prompt by either typing cmd in the toolbar's search box or right-clicking the start menu icon and then choosing Command Prompt. Ensure that you run it as an Administrator.

Step 5. Type the commands as follows, with the Enter key for every arrow:

diskpart > list disk > select disk number (Select the disk you have noted in Step 3) > clean.

Step 6. Windows will take a few seconds to complete the cleaning process. This means that DiskPart has successfully cleaned the EFI disk partition. You can then exit the DiskPart tool by typing exit and pressing Enter.

Part 6. How To Recover Accidentally Deleted EFI System Partition?

When dealing with important stuff like the EFI partition, you may accidentally delete the entire system partition, resulting in your computer being unbootable. The EFI system can also be deleted if you remove any startup files or other data. It can lead to severe data loss.

However, you can recover all your data using the Wondershare Recoverit partition recovery program. It comes with plenty of features to boot, as you can observe below.

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You can use the following procedure to retrieve the desired data after the computer becomes unbootable due to the accidental deletion of the EFI system partition.

Step 1. Preparations

Step 2. Choose System Crashed Computer Recovery

Connect the blank USB to the computer and make sure the computer can detect it. Then, launch Wondershare Recoverit after installation and choose the System Crashed Computer option from the left navigation panel.

Step 3. Create a Bootable USB Drive

Select the inserted USB drive in the following screen to create a bootable media drive.

The data recovery software will let you format the USB drive first. Ensure you have backed up all critical files in the USB before clicking on the Format button.

After that, Recoverit will start creating the bootable USB media automatically.

Step 4. Recover Data From Unbootable Computer

After creating the bootable USB, connect it to the unbootable computer due to the deleting of the EFI system partition. Then, change the BIOS to boot from the created bootable USB. You can go to how to adjust the computer to boot from a USB drive to get the precise steps.

After the unbootable computer startups successfully from the bootable USB drive, you can now save your essential files from the computer to the prepared external hard drive.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

EFI system partitions may seem redundant at first, but they fulfill a crucial role in data management within Windows. We hope this guide helps you understand it in detail and enables you to make an informed decision regarding your PC going forward.