The system is installed onto my machine, but there’s only one partition! Re-installing the system just to re-partition would take too much time, and I don’t want my data to be gone.… Is there a way to resize a partition for free? The answer is, of course, yes. We explain how below. How to resize a …
The system is installed onto my machine, but there’s only one partition! Re-installing the system just to re-partition would take too much time, and I don’t want my data to be gone.… Is there a way to resize a partition for free?
The answer is, of course, yes. We explain how below.
There is a built-in functionality in Disk Management to shrink and expand partitions. While third-party utilities might have more advanced functions and fancier features, the basics are all available with Windows without any additional plug-ins or software.
To get to this utility, first open the control panel and type “partition” into the search box. You will see the link, “Administrative Tools: Create and format hard disk partitions.” Click on it. It should bring you to the Disk Management screen.
If you are on Windows 8 or 8.1, you will need to use the Start screen search. If you are on Windows 10, using the Start menu or the Control Panel search will work just fine. No matter which Windows version you are on, the search result will be the same.
If Windows prompts you with a message asking for permission, do not fret. Simply click Continue to confirm.
Note: A third party software can be used, and it generally has more advanced features, but the basics are all available for free on Windows itself. It is also good to note that a third party software may not guarantee the safety of your data. Regardless, it is always an advisable practice to back up your data before you proceed to shrink or extend your partitions.
In the Disk Management window, right-click on the partition that you want to shrink, and select “Shrink Volume” from the menu.
In the Shrink dialog box, you will enter the amount you want to shrink by, not the new size. For example, if you want to shrink your 50GB partition by roughly 10GB so that it will now be roughly 40GB, enter 10000 into the box.
(Note that the “extend partition” feature only works with contiguous space, spaces that touch.)
In the Disk Management window, right-click on the partition that you want to extend, and select Extend Volume from the menu.
On this screen, you will have to specify the amount you want to extend it by, for example, 50GB.
One of the limitations of Disk Management is that it is unable to resize a FAT32 system partition, since the Extend or Shrink Volume function only works on a RAW or NTFS partition. However, a FAT32 system can be converted into an NTFS system, if a little troublesome. The following steps will help you convert your FAT32 system into an NTFS system:
Go to Start, and in Start Search, type “cmd.’”
Right-click the result list at the top, which should be cmd, and click Run as administrator. A prompt might pop up here, where Windows will request for your permission to continue. Click Continue to confirm.
Type in the following command: convert x: /fs:ntfs “x” represents your drive letter. Replace it with your specific drive letter, and it should work.
Wait for a few minutes. Do not close your window until you see the confirmation message.
This is the easiest way to resize your partition without paying for third-party software, as it is already built into Windows as a feature. There are still risks, of course, which is why it is important to always back up your data.
If you ever need to resize the partitions again, you simply have to redo the steps above, and it should work again.
