Step-by-Step Guide to Adjusting Drive Partition Size in Windows 10

Key Notes

• Easily resize partitions with built-in Windows tools.
• Use Command Prompt or PowerShell for advanced partition management.
• Ensure data safety while resizing partitions.

How to Effortlessly Resize Partitions on Windows 10 Without Data Loss

Managing disk space is a critical aspect of maintaining your computer’s performance. Whether you’re looking to create additional partitions or increase existing ones, knowing how to resize partitions safely is essential. This guide provides step-by-step instructions to help you shrink or extend partitions on Windows 10 using various methods without the risk of formatting or losing data.

Change Partitions Using Disk Management

The Disk Management tool in Windows is a straightforward way to adjust your partition sizes. It’s available on all recent versions of Windows, making it a reliable choice for users.

Step 1: Shrink Partition Size with Disk Management

To decrease the size of a partition, follow these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Create and format hard disk partitions and click on the top result to access the Disk Management interface.

3. Right-click the desired drive and select Shrink Volume.

4. Input the amount of space to shrink in megabytes and confirm.

   Pro Tip: As you input the size, check the total size of the unallocated space after the original partition has been reduced.

5. Click Shrink to modify the partition.

Step 2: Extend Partition Size with Disk Management

To enlarge the size of a partition, complete the following:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Create and format hard disk partitions and launch the Disk Management console.

3. Right-click the drive you want to resize and choose Extend Volume.

4. Click Next.

5. Select the disk that has available space under the “Selected” section, if necessary.

   Pro Tip: You may need to click the Add button if the space isn’t visible.

6. Confirm the space you wish to utilize for the expansion and click Next.

7. Finally, click Finish.

After following these steps, your partition should reflect the new size. If the Extend Volume option is greyed out, check for available space on the drive.

Resize Partitions Using Command Prompt

For those preferring command-line tools, you can use Command Prompt with the diskpart utility to manage your partitions effectively.

Step 1: Shrink Partition Size with DiskPart

To reduce the size of a partition via Command Prompt, follow these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click it, and choose Run as administrator.

3. Type diskpart to enter the utility.

4. List the volumes using list volume.

5. Select the volume to modify with select volume 4 (substituting 4 for your target volume number).

6. Check how much space you can shrink using shrink querymax.

7. Finally, execute shrink desired=20480, modifying 20480 for your chosen size in megabytes.

Step 2: Extend Partition Size with DiskPart

To increase the size of a partition through Command Prompt, complete these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click it, and select Run as administrator.

3. Start by entering diskpart.

4. List the disks with list disk and make note of the total size for the partition you intend to extend.

5. Enter list volume to retrieve the current volumes.

6. Again, select the volume you wish to modify using select volume 4 (change 4 for the corresponding number).

7. To increase partition size, execute extend size=20480, adjusting 20480 for your preferred size in megabytes.

Resize Partitions Using PowerShell

PowerShell also allows partition resizing with simple commands.

Step 1: Shrink Partition Size with PowerShell

To shrink a partition through PowerShell, follow these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for PowerShell, right-click on it, and select Run as administrator.

3. List all disks using Get-Disk.

4. Examine the partitions with Get-Partition -DiskNumber 1 (change 1 for your target disk).

5. Understand the size range you can resize to with Get-PartitionSupportedSize -DiskNumber 1 -PartitionNumber 1.

6. To resize the partition to 20GB, type Resize-Partition -DiskNumber 1 -PartitionNumber 1 -Size (20GB), ensuring to modify accordingly with your specifications.

Step 2: Extend Partition Size with PowerShell

For extending a partition via PowerShell, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for PowerShell, right-click on it, and choose Run as administrator.

3. Run Get-Disk to list all drives and their capacities.

4. Type Get-Partition -DiskNumber 1 to view available partitions.

5. To check the supported resize options, execute Get-PartitionSupportedSize -DiskNumber 1 -PartitionNumber 1.

6. To increase the size to 40GB, type Resize-Partition -DiskNumber 1 -PartitionNumber 1 -Size (40GB).

After these commands, your partition will adjust to the new size as desired, while preserving your data. Additionally, third-party tools can provide even further flexibility for partition management.

Summary

In this guide, we covered how to resize partitions on Windows 10 without formatting or data loss. You can effectively use Disk Management, Command Prompt, or PowerShell to manage your partitions according to your needs, ensuring optimal use of your disk space.

Conclusion

Understanding how to resize partitions can significantly enhance your Windows 10 experience and ensure your computer runs smoothly. By following these straightforward steps, you can reclaim unallocated space or adjust your partition sizes with confidence. Embrace the power of effective disk management today!

FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)