How to Extend C Volume on Windows 11/10/7 Free (3 Ways)

Description: Combining the unallocated space of any other partition with the C partition is essential to expand your C drive. If you don't use third-party partition tools to extend C drive space, you may have to encounter various problems.

Follow this information to know how to extend the C drive in Windows 11/10/8/7/server without formatting or losing data.

Part 1 – How to Resize Partition with IM-Magic Partition Resizer (No formatting, no Windows OS reinstalling, no data destroying)

IM-Magic Partition Resizer is a free, durable, and efficient free resizing software allowing users to create, extend, format, shrink, copy, move and delete partitions. It redistributes disk-free space without any need to change or destroy the data on the partition.

How to increase c drive space in Windows 11 without formatting? Free tool IM-Magic Partition Resizer can help extend c drive without formatting by distributing free space from other partitions or unallocated space to c drive without formatting disk. (100% free, no functional limitations.)

What's special: this free tool can help redistribute disk space freely from other drives and even moving volumes safely with data protected by shrinking, moving partitions to create free unallocated spaces, and then redistribute the free space to c drive without rebooting os.

Step-by-step guide:

Step 1: First, complete the downloading, installation, and launching procedure of the IM-Magic Partition Resizer Server. Right-tap on a partition having sufficient free space. Choose "Resize/Move".

Step 2: Move all the arrows to shrink the specified partition to squeeze free space. You would notice unallocated space as the free space.

Step 3: Moving the unallocated volume closest to the C drive is essential. Right-press on C drive and opt for "Resize/Move."

Step 4: Proceed with moving the arrows to add the unallocated volume to the C drive. Tap on the "Apply" button.

IM-Magic Partition Resizer Free is a totally free tool on Windows 11 10 8 7 Vista XP 2000 computers.

Part 2 - How to expand c drive with Disk Management in Windows 11/10/8/7

Disk Management is an integral functionality offered by the OS, which is used to delete, create, format, etc. Moreover, it enables every user to create, shrink and remove the associated partitions with the disk drive.

Step-by-step guide:

Example: When there is free unallocated space next to the c drive on the right side

Step 1: Access the start menu.

Step 2: Look for Disk management and simultaneously open it.

Step 3: Right-tap on the C drive and choose Extend Volume.

Note: If there were no free unallocated space next to the c drive, here are several ways to create such free space:

• 1, Delete the next by volume which is next to the c volume
• 2, Delete other volumes to create free space, and move the free space next to the c drive with free tool IM-Magic Partition Resizer Free with its move partition function which would totally move all volumes in between with data protected and untouched
• 3, Shrink other large volume to create free space and use free tool IM-Magic Partition Resizer Free to move the free space to the c drive

Step 4: Opt for the number of available disks in the section. Tap on 'Add.' (When there is no free space to extend c volume, you need to create some unallocated space by shrinking large volume or deleting some partition at first)

Step 5: Proceed with the next. The wizard will begin the extension procedure.

Step 6: Press Finish to close the Disk management tool.

Example: No free space next to c drive -> create free space from another volume at first. Follow the steps in case of no allocated space in your Windows 11 PC:

Step 1: Look for the start menu.

Step 2: Select Disk management and operate it.

Step 3: Right-press on the drive, which has free available space. Click on Shrink volume from the given list.

Step 4: Finalize the shrinking size in terms of MB; it's the space amount required to add to your C drive. For confirmation, click on the shrink icon. (1024MB=1GB)

Step 5: Right-tap on the C drive. Select the number of disks from the section.

Step 6: Go to Next, and the extension will begin through the wizard.

Step 7: Tap on the finish to close the disk management tool.

Note: If the free unallocated space is from another drive which is not close to the c drive, you may follow these steps:

Eg: when there was volume C, D, E, F and F is the large volume that you want to shrink

• 1, Shrink volume F to create unallocated space at first (with disk management or free tool Partition Resizer)
• 2, Move the free space from F to c by moving the E, AND D partitions with free tool Partition Resizer which can help move in between partitions without data loss by a right clicking the partition and the move option will show up
• 3, Add free space to C drive with disk management or Partition Resizer when the free space is just next to the c drive

Method 3. Increase C Drive Space With CMD

Being a trusted and helpful tool, Diskpart is used for extending C drive space. Moreover, this method is more convenient for advanced users only. Go through the step-by-step guide below to learn how to extend C drive in windows 11 through this tool.

Step-by-step guide:

Extending C drive space when you have available unallocated space

Step 1: Enter Windows + R keys and proceed with cmd. Click ctrl + shift + Enter to run it like an administrator application.

Step 2: Go with diskpart and type Enter. Proceed with the below commands. Tap on 'enter' so that command starts functioning

1. type list disk
2. type select disk 0 (replace the number 0 with your system disk letter)
3. type list partition
4. type select partition n (replace the number n with your system C drive letter)
5. type extend
6. type exit

Extending C drive space when you don't have available unallocated space

The key: You need to delete some volume at first when there were no available unallocated spaces.

You might experience virtual disk service issues while you try to extend partition volume. For example, it might occur since you missed leaving enough room near your system drive, indicating your system drive is full or the disk partition is corrupt.

In times of such errors, you can apply the following steps to increase the C drive when you lack unallocated space.

Step 1: Click on Windows+ R keys and enter cmd. Tap ctrl + shift + Enter. Ensure that it is running as an administrator.

Step 2: Type diskpart and move further with the 'enter' key. Proceed with the following commands and tap on 'enter' to run them:

1. list disk
2. select disk 0 (replace the number 0 with your system disk letter)
3. list partition
4. select partition n (replace the number n with your partition number that you want to delete)
5. delete partition
6. select partition n ( replace n with your C: drive letter)
7. type extend
8. type exit

Part4 - Extend c drive when there were no unallocated space

Case1: Disk *, c volume as a whole drive in the disk, no other volumes or unallocated space

Solution: When the c drive is a whole volume that is running out of space, you may add space from other disks by building RAID arrays, and then redistribute the free space to c drive with free tool Partition Resizer Free.

Case2: Disk has c drive, and other volumes E, H, G on the same disk

Solution: Shrink other large volume to get unallocated space and then move the unallocated space to c drive with free tool Partition Resizer, and then claim the unallocated space to c drive

Case3: Disk has c and D drive

Solution: Shrink d drive with free tool Partition Resizer by moving its border to the right side, and then unallocated space will be created just next to drive c, and then it's easy to add the space to c drive with Partition Resizer or disk management or diskpart cmd.

Case4: Disk has c, d and e drive that you want to delete one to create unallocated space

It's easy to delete a volume in disk management that you may create unallocated space on the disk, and then it's free to move the unallocated space to c drive by moving the partition in between with free tool Partition Resizer, and then it's free to add space to c drive with the three ways on this page.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):-

Q1. What does the term 'unallocated space' mean?

A: It means that none of the programs can write to space. There is no space left in the operating system for practical purposes. To access unallocated space, you either create a new partition with the help of space or consider expanding the existing one.

Q2. Is it possible to merge two disk partitions?

A: It's feasible to merge two partitions at once. Instead, users are free to combine two or more parts of unallocated space into the partition. However, it's significant to merge the data partition into your system boot drive, but it's not possible to join the system boot drive into the data partition.

Q3. Is it safe to extend the C drive?

A: Extending your C drive into the D is safe, provided you take the help of third-party partition tools in the process. Ensure to have a complete backup before doing so. Don't mess up with the partitions since it might lead to severe data loss.

Q4. How to resolve when your C drive is full?

A: Execute three simple steps:

Step 1: Go to My Computer, right-tap on the C drive, and choose "Properties."

Step 2: Tap the 'Disk Cleanup' icon in the disk properties section.

Step 3: Choose the log to recycle bin, temporary files, log files, and all other trash files that need to delete. Press 'OK.'

Q5. Does deleting partitions wipe your data?

A: When you delete a partition, it erases your stored data on it. It's recommended to refrain from deleting it unless you don't require the already stored data on it.

Background Introduction:

Our PCs consist of one disk drive, which is primarily meant for installations related to Windows OS. i.e., C drive.

That's why keeping the drive free from junk files and maintaining sufficient space is essential. The more you take care of such factors, the more efficiently your Windows 11 operating system will work.

This article will brief you on various methods that are highly useful to know how to extend C drive in Windows 11. Ensure you go through them to apply one of the suitable methods per your requirements.

Why Do You Need to Increase C Drive Space?

Most of the necessary files on your PC are in the C drive. However, if you have been using your device for a long time, you must escalate the C drive space since you may have consumed the available space.

If you are looking forward to downloading the latest games or applications on your PC, it's essential to have extra space in the C drive. Below are the top 2 reasons behind the need to increase C drive:

1. Inadequate space in C disk drive –  To smoothen the functioning of Windows 11 PC, your C drive should have enough space to accumulate all your essential files. Instead, the C drive is regarded as the heart of a PC.

1. Unstable speed – Whenever a PC is dealing with storage issues, your hard drive will deteriorate, which hampers the speed of Windows OS. The varying speed would affect your regular PC activities. At times it can freeze your device too.

The slow performance of the computer is irritating. Many users find it difficult to extend the C drive space using free disk space. So to relieve you from such an issue, this article introduces some of the most reliable tools and methods that are feasible even for beginners.

Conclusion:

When your C drive partitions don't have space and run out of disk space, you may have difficulty performing any task on your PC. Moreover, you won't be able to operate your Windows without sufficient space.

While operating Windows 11, you might question whether to use that partition to extend the C drive on your PC if you have come across little compacted space available next to your C partition.

When you look forward to knowing how to extend C drive in Windows 11, this article deals with solutions for both allocated and unallocated space in Windows 11 to guide you on such issues.