13.3. Removing a Partition

Warning

Do not attempt to remove a partition on a device that is in use.

Procedure 13.3. Remove a partition

Before removing a partition, boot into rescue mode (or unmount any partitions on the device and turn off any swap space on the device).
Start parted, where /dev/sda is the device on which to remove the partition:
```
# parted /dev/sda
```
View the current partition table to determine the minor number of the partition to remove:
```
# print
```
Remove the partition with the command rm. For example, to remove the partition with minor number 3:
```
# rm 3
```
The changes start taking place as soon as you press Enter, so review the command before committing to it.
After removing the partition, use the print command to confirm that it is removed from the partition table. You should also view the output of /proc/partitions to make sure the kernel knows the partition is removed.
```
# cat /proc/partitions
```
The last step is to remove it from the /etc/fstab file. Find the line that declares the removed partition, and remove it from the file.