How to Shrink Partition in Windows 11/10

Shrinking a partition is necessary when you want to create a new volume or extend another volume on the same disk. Fortunately, in most cases, you can shrink the partition directly without risking data loss. To make this process hassle-free, we recommend three solutions for shrinking a volume in Windows 11/10.

Qiling Partition Master
Disk Management
Diskpart

3 Ways to Shrink Partition in Windows 11/10

Users can shrink Windows 11/10 partitions using third-party software, Disk Management, or DiskPart, each of which can be effective, so the best method depends on personal preference and specific needs.

For those seeking an easy way to manage their disk space, Qiling Partition Master is a convenient solution that allows for flexible volume shrinking, even in non-adjacent spaces. While Disk Management and Diskpart can still be used, they may require more time and effort compared to third-party software like Qiling Partition Master, which offers a more streamlined experience. The Windows built-in tool also has its limitations, making Qiling Partition Master a worthwhile option.

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Important

If you want to shrink a RAW partition, you may destroy the files in it. Thus, if the partition you want to shrink has a RAW file system, you are recommended to perform RAW data recovery, and then carry out one of the methods below to shrink your Windows 11/10 partition.

Method 1. Shrink Windows 11/10 Partition with Qiling Partition Master

In Windows 11/10, you can resize a partition by dragging and dropping using Qiling Partition Master, which simplifies the process by allowing you to directly drag the volume to the desired size, eliminating the need to enter a specific size in numbers.

Step 1: Locate and select target partition to shrink

On the main window, click on the partition that you want to shrink and select "Resize/Move".

Step 2: Adjust to shrink partition

Use your mouse to drag one of the partition's ends to shrink the partition space.

You can also adjust the partition size box to shrink the target partition. Once done, click "Proceed" to continue.

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Qiling Partition Master is a professional partition management software that allows users to extend or shrink Windows 11/10 partitions without losing data, and also offers additional features such as merging partitions, formatting partitions, and converting MBR to GPT disks.

Extend C drive or system partition in Windows 11/10

To extend the C drive or system partition in Windows 11/10, you can use a powerful partition manager called Qiling Partition Master. This tool allows you to easily resize, move, merge, or split partitions in Windows 11/10, making it simple to extend the C drive or system partition.

Method 2. Shrink Partition with Windows 11/10 Built-In Disk Management

Windows 11/10 built-In Disk Management, you can view and manage your disk drives, allowing you to shrink or extend volumes. However, shrinking is only possible if the available space is adjacent.

Step 1. To access the Disk Management tool, right-click on "This PC" and select "Manage" from the drop-down menu. This will open a pop-up window, and from there, choose "Disk Management".

Step 2. To shrink a partition, you need to right-click on the partition which you want to shrink, and choose "Shrink Volume..." from the context menu.

Step 3. In the dialog box, set the amount of space to shrink and click "Shrink".

Step 4. Once you've shrunk the partition, you'll have more free space on your disk, which you can then use to create a new volume or extend an existing partition as needed.

Notice:

With Disk Management, you can only shrink a RAW partition or NTFS partition on a basic volume. If the target partition is not a RAW or NTFS partition on a basic volume, you need to use other methods to shrink it.

Shrink partition in Windows 10 using Disk Management

Method 3. Shrink Partition in Windows 11/10 Using DiskPart

While using DiskPart to shrink a Windows 11/10 volume is a viable option, it's a more complex method compared to the other two. If needed, the steps for this alternative approach can be found, detailing the process for those who prefer this method.

Step 1. Click the "Start" button and type cmd.

Step 2. To run the Command Prompt as an administrator, right-click on the "Command Prompt" icon and select "Run as administrator". This will open a new window with elevated privileges, allowing you to perform administrative tasks. Once the prompt appears, click "Yes" to continue.

Step 3. To shrink a Windows 11/10 partition, follow these steps in order:

diskpart
list volume
To resize a partition, you would select the volume number of the partition you want to shrink, which is typically denoted as Volume 1, Volume 2, and so on, depending on the number of partitions on your system.
To shrink your partition to 123.464 megabytes, you would need to enter the command "resize2fs /dev/sda1 123464" in the terminal, replacing "/dev/sda1" with the actual device name of your partition.

Pick the Best Solution

Using Qiling partition tool and Disk Management is more user-friendly than using DiskPart, but there are limitations to resizing partitions with Disk Management. Qiling Partition Master, on the other hand, can meet the needs of more users.

Besides, after the shrink operation, most of you will create a new partition or extend an existing one. If you want to extend a partition with a non-adjacent space, you'll need to use a third-party tool, as Disk Management doesn't support such operations.