Whatever the reason it might be, Windows 10 includes several tools to resize a partition without the need of formatting or risks of losing your data using the legacy Disk Management tool, Command Prompt, PowerShell, and the new Manage Disks and Volumes settings. When you use either of these tools, you can change the partition size on the “C” drive, secondary drives, including internal and external storage and USB flash drives. In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to shrink and extend the size of a partition on Windows 10 without third-party tools.
Change partition size using Disk Management on Windows 10 Change partition size using Command Prompt on Windows 10 Change partition size using PowerShell on Windows 10 Change partition size using Manage Disks and Volumes on Windows 10
Change partition size using Disk Management on Windows 10
Using the legacy Disk Management tool is the easiest way to shrink or increase the partition size without formatting.
Shrink partition size with Disk Management
To reduce the partition size with Disk Management, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, the drive partition will be reduced to the size you specified. Shrink volume option
Increase partition size with Disk Management
To increase the drive partition size using Disk Management, use these steps: After you complete the steps, the partition will change to the size you specified. If the “Extend volume” option is greyed out, then it means that the physical drive doesn’t have any space available that you can use to increase the volume. Extend volume option Increase partition size on Windows 10
Change partition size using Command Prompt on Windows 10
In the case you need to use commands to resize a partition on Windows 10 without losing data, then you can use the diskpart tool with Command Prompt.
Shrink partition size with diskpart
To shrink a partition with Command Prompt, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, diskpart will reduce the size of the partition to the new smaller size. In the command, make sure to change 4 for the number that represents the partition you want to modify. In the command, make sure to change 20480 for the amount (in megabytes) you want to shrink the partition. diskpart shrink partition
Increase partition size with diskpart
To increase the drive partition size with diskpart, use these steps: After you complete the steps, the partition will extend to the new size without losing your data. In the command, make sure to change 4 for the number that represents the partition you want to modify. In the command, make sure to change 20480 for the amount (in megabyte) you want to increase the partition. diskpart extend partition
Resize partition using PowerShell on Windows 10
It’s also possible to resize partitions using PowerShell commands.
Shrink partition size with PowerShell
To make a partition smaller with PowerShell, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, PowerShell will shrink the partition to the specified size leaving additional unallocated space to create additional partitions. In the command, make sure to change 1 for the number of the drive with the partition you want to shrink. In the command, make sure to change the number of disk and partition that corresponds to your situation. Also, the SizeMin and SizeMax are specified in bytes, which means that you may need to use an online converter to understand the information in gigabytes or any other size. In the command, make sure to replace the disk and partition number and size for the information corresponding to your drive and size you want to shrink the drive. Also, we’re using GB, but you can also specify the space in bytes, KB, MB, and TB
Increase partition size with PowerShell
To extend the partition size with PowerShell, use these steps: After you complete the steps, the partition will cover the entire available space or the specified amount. In the command, make sure to change 1 for the number of the drive with the partition you want to extend. In the command, make sure to change the number of disk and partition that corresponds to your situation. In the command, make sure to replace the disk and partition number and size for the information corresponding to your drive and size you want to increase the partition. PowerShell increase partition size In the command, make sure to replace the disk and partition number for the information that corresponds to your situation. Also, to specify the new size of the partition, use the SizeMax number available on step No. 4.
Resize partition using Manage Disks and Volumes on Windows 10
Starting with build 20175, Windows 10 introduces a new disk management tool available through the Settings app that makes it simple to change the partition size to anything you want with only a few clicks. At the time of this writing, the “Manage Disks and Volumes” settings are available in the latest preview of Windows 10, but because it’s still a work in progress, it may or may not work as expected.
Shrink partition size with Settings
To shrink a partition with Manage Disks and Volumes settings, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, the Manage Disks and Volumes settings will reflect the new change. Manage Disks and Volumes Select partition to shrink Change size button Shrink partition with Manage Disks and Volumes
Increase partition size with Settings
To increase the size of a partition on Windows 10 with the Storage settings, use these steps: After you complete the steps, the drive partition will extend by the amount of space you specified in the Settings. Manage Disks and Volumes Partition to increase properties button Manage Disks and Volumes change size button Settings app increase partition size Although these steps may look easier, because the feature is still under development, there’s a slightly chance that you may run into errors, which is the reason that the Disk Management tool is the preferred option to complete this task. You can also use third-party tools like GParted to change the size or move the partition to a different section on the physical hard drive. All content on this site is provided with no warranties, express or implied. Use any information at your own risk. Always backup of your device and files before making any changes. Privacy policy info.
