Gparted for Windows [3 Free Alternatives]

Part1: How to use Gparted on Windows 11/10/8/7

GParted is primarily designed for Linux systems and is not natively available for Windows. However, there are a few ways you can use GParted on a Windows system:

1. Bootable GParted Live USB: One common approach is to create a bootable GParted Live USB. GParted provides a live distribution based on Linux that you can run from a USB drive. This allows you to use GParted's partitioning tools without installing it on your Windows system.

   Video: how to run Gparted Live from bootable usb

   To do this:

   • Download the GParted Live ISO from the official GParted website.
   • Use a tool like Rufus or Etcher to create a bootable USB drive from the ISO.
   • Boot your computer from the USB drive to access GParted's interface and perform partitioning tasks.

Useful guide

How to move recovery partition using gparted

Cannot delete partition using Gparted fixes

How to resize partition gparted

Gparted convert mbr to gpt

Gparted clone to smaller disk

2. Virtual Machine with Linux: Another approach is to set up a virtual machine on your Windows system using virtualization software like VirtualBox or VMware. Install a Linux distribution that supports GParted (such as GParted Live) in the virtual machine. This way, you can run GParted within the virtual machine environment.

3. Third-party Windows Alternatives: While GParted is not natively available for Windows, there are alternative partitioning tools designed specifically for Windows such as IM-Magic Partition Resizer (100% free tool), Disk Management (Windows built in tool), or diskpart (Windows built-in commands).

The following part will introduce the differences among Gparted and other Windows tools.

Part2: Gparted VS Partition Resizer VS Disk Management VS Diskpart

	Gparted (Windows/Linux)	Partition Resizer (Windows)	Disk Management (Windows)	Diskpart (Windows)
Resize/Delete/Move/Copy partition when running Windows	NO(Burn Gparted Live ISO to CD/USB and run from bootable media needed)
Move partition without losing data			NO	NO
Extend ntfs partition with right side unallocated space
Shrink fat32 partition			NO	NO
Extend fat32 C partition			NO	NO
Clone disk			NO	NO
Convert mbr to gpt without losing data	NO		NO	NO
Convert fat32 to ntfs without losing data	NO		NO	NO
Migrate OS to new ssd/hdd			NO	NO
User friendly UI	NO		NO	NO
Roll-back protection	NO		NO	NO
Price	FREE	FREE	FREE	FREE
		Download Windows 11-7 (Free) Download Windows Server (Trial)

let's compare GParted, Partition Resizer, Disk Management, and DiskPart in terms of their features and capabilities for disk partitioning and management:

1. GParted:

   • Platform: Primarily designed for Linux systems but can be used on Windows through methods like bootable GParted Live USB.
   • Features: GParted offers a wide range of advanced partitioning and disk management features, including resizing, moving, creating, deleting, and formatting partitions. It also supports filesystem manipulation and label setting. It's highly versatile and can work with various filesystems.
   • User Interface: GParted features a graphical user interface that makes it user-friendly, even for those less familiar with command-line interfaces.

2. IM-Magic Partition Resizer:

   • Platform: Windows.
   • Features: Similar to GParted, these third-party tools offer advanced partition management features, including resizing, moving, merging, splitting, and copying partitions. They often come with additional utilities for disk optimization and data migration.
   • User Interface: Typically provides a user-friendly graphical interface for ease of use.

   Useful guide

   How to move partition without losing data

   How to expand c drive without losing data

   How to clone disk to migrate OS

   More video guide...

3. Disk Management (Windows built-in tool):

   • Platform: Windows.
   • Features: Disk Management is a basic built-in Windows tool for managing partitions and volumes. It allows you to create, delete, format, and change drive letters of partitions. It also supports simple resizing of basic partitions, but more advanced operations might not be available.
   • User Interface: Comes with a simple GUI integrated into the Windows operating system.
   • Can't: There are a few operations that Disk Management cannot perform including: convert mbr to gpt without losing data, convert fat32 to ntfs without losing data, convert basic to dynamic without losing data, shrink fat32 partition, extend fat32 c drive, move partition, migrate OS, clone disk

   Also read:

   Extend volume greyed out disk management

   Shrink volume greyed out disk management

   Delete volume greyed out disk management

4. DiskPart (Windows command-line tool):

• Platform: Windows.
• Features: DiskPart is a command-line tool that provides more advanced partitioning and disk management capabilities compared to Disk Management. It's suitable for scripting and automating partition-related tasks. It can be more powerful but requires knowledge of command-line commands.
• User Interface: Command-line interface, which might not be as user-friendly for those not familiar with command-line usage.
• Can't: There are a few operations that Diskpart cannot perform either including: convert mbr to gpt without losing data, convert fat32 to ntfs without losing data, convert basic to dynamic without losing data, shrink fat32 partition, extend fat32 c drive, move partition, migrate OS, clone disk

Also read:

Extend c drive diskpart

Resize partition diskpart

Shrink fat32 volume diskpart

Delete volume diskpart

Merge partitions diskpart

In summary, the choice between these tools depends on your specific needs and comfort level with different interfaces. If you're on Windows, you might find third-party tools like IM-Magic Partition Resizer suitable for advanced partitioning tasks. Disk Management and DiskPart are built into Windows and can handle basic partitioning tasks, with DiskPart offering more advanced options via command-line scripting. If you're using Linux or are open to booting from a live USB, GParted provides a highly capable solution with a user-friendly GUI for a wide range of partitioning tasks.

Why IM-Magic Partition Resizer other than other third party tools?

It offers free license for users to migrate OS while other tools need a paid license to do this job together with other advanced features.