Resizing Partitions in Windows Vista and Later

Resizing partitions in Windows became simpler when partitioning tools became part of the operating system with Windows Vista. This tutorial will show you how to resize partitions in Windows Vista and later. If you are using Windows XP, your best bet is Easus Partition Manager (download link included in article) which is free and fairly simple.

Accessing the Partition Manager

Go to the start menu and type partition. It will give you a “create and format hard disk partitions” option, if you’re using Windows 8 Developer Preview, go under the Settings option in the search pane.

Windows XP users:
Download EASUS Partition Master Home

Shrinking a Partition

1. Right-click on the partition you wish to shrink and select Shrink Volume.
   
2. After analyzing the situation, Windows will prompt you to resize the partition to the maximum allowable space for you to shrink. You can assume that 1GB is equivalent to 1000MB if you want to change the amount. Then press shrink.
   

Enlarging a Partition

Follow the instructions as stated for Shrinking a partition and click on Extend Volume in the first step rather than Shrink Volume. After analyzing the situation, Windows will prompt you to resize the partition to the maximum allowable space for you to extend. Then click extend. Like before, 1GB is about 1000MB.

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To create or delete partitions, click here.