How to Resize Partition in Windows 11/10/8/7

Theo Lucia

Jun 03, 2026 • Filed to: Windows Computer Solutions • Proven solutions

TL;DR:

You can resize partitions in Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7 to allocate storage space using the built-in Disk Management utility for basic extending and shrinking, or by utilizing third-party software like Paragon Partition Master.
    ● Access the native Disk Management tool via the Computer Management interface to right-click a specific drive and execute the Extend Volume or Shrink Volume commands.
    ● Paragon Partition Master provides a beginner-friendly interface to visually redistribute unused space, while the open-source TestDisk offers capabilities to resize and recover lost partition tables simultaneously.
    ● Improper resizing operations risk hard drive formatting and data inaccessibility, necessitating prior backups or the use of data recovery software like Recoverit if files are lost.

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Partitioning a disk, especially for Windows 11/10, 8, and 7, is essential. After all, with the partitioning of the disks, the processing of tasks and other programs can take a much more efficient route. The partitions make it easier to sort out tasks and focus on the important stuff.

When you partition a disk, there is always the chance of it not being perfect the first time you try. For example, there might still be some space left unallocated after you did your partition. For such situations, the most common approach that should be done is to resize the partitions.

Free Ways to Resize Partitions in Windows 11/10/8/7

Windows offers a built-in functionality that allows users to easily resize the partitions. The user will have a smooth experience whenever they want to resize partitions, especially when there is unallocated memory space.

1How to Extend Partitions

Here are the basic steps on how to extend the partitions of your disks:

1.) Go to the desktop and right-click on the "My Computer" icon. You will see choices after that, by which you will be required to click on "Manage".

2.) The Computer Management interface will be shown after that. On the leftmost pane, you can see several options to choose from. Go to Storage and select Disk Management. After clicking Disk Management, the middle pane will load information. The information will be about the disks available on your computer.

3.) Choose the partition you want to extend from the middle pane. Right-click the disk and choose Extend Volume.

2How to Shrink Partitions

Here are the basic steps on how you can shrink the partitions of your disks:

1.) In the same manner as the previous tutorial, you have to start by locating your My Computer icon. Once located, right-click on it. After the options are shown, click on the Manage option.

2.) Once the Manage option has been selected, the Computer Management interface will then show up. Again, in the leftmost pane, go to Storage and click on Disk Management. After clicking Disk Management, the middle pane will load the information about existing partitions on your computer.

3.) Select the partition you want to shrink. Right-click on the disk and select on the option Shrink Volume.

3Partition Manager for Resize Partition in Windows 11/10/8/7

There is software that helps with resizing the partitions in the Windows OS. Here are three examples of what partition wizard programs you can use to resize your partition, their ratings, and how they can be of use.

1.) Paragon Partition Master

The Paragon Partition Master is actually considered the safest tool that you can use when partitioning your hard drive. It is so stable and intuitive that even if you are new to the task, you can do a good job at partitioning. Complex operations are simplified with this program, after all.

To use the Paragon Partition Master to resize your partitions, here are the steps you need to take.

1. The first thing you need to do is, of course, to download and install Paragon Partition Master into your computer. Run it to launch the program’s interface. In the launcher interface, you will be asked to select the things you want to do. Choose the Resize Partition option.
   
2. Choosing the Resize Partition option will launch the Resize interface. All you need to do with it is to specify the new sizes you want for your selected partitions. Click on the left side of the partition and redistribute the unused space. The right side will be automatically adjusted according to the size you set for the left side. Just click on Next and you are done
   

2.) TestDisk (Windows/Mac/Linux)

TestDisk is another partition manager program available for openSource software. It can help you to recover lost partitions and resize partitions. It also can recover partition tables easily.

Here are the steps on how you can resize your partitions with TestDisk:

1. Download and install the TestDisk partition software on your computer and run it. You can create a new log file to get started.

   

2. All hard drives should be detected and listed with the correct size by TestDisk:

   

3. More details about the step solution of TestDisk, you check the page: https://www.cgsecurity.org/wiki/TestDisk_Step_By_Step

Partition Sizes Recommendations for Hard Drives

Normally, users will want to partition hard drives so as to have higher memory capacities. The need for partitioning is higher for hard drives with capacities of 500 Gigabyte, 1 Terabyte, and 2 Terabytes.

• The recommended size for 500 Gigabyte: Drive C should have 100 Gigabyte, Drive D should have 250 Gigabyte, and Drive E should have 135 Gigabyte.
• The recommended size for 1 Terabyte: Drive C should have 200 Gigabyte, Drive D should have 400 Gigabyte, and Drive E should have 400 Gigabyte.
• The recommended size for 2 Terabyte: Drive C should have 700 Gigabyte, Drive D should have 581 Gigabyte, and Drive E should have 581 Gigabyte.

4How to Recover Data from Partition Hard Drive

Resizing partition hard drive on Windows often comes along with data loss from the hard drive. If you have no data backup, the wrong operations to resize partition will cause hard drive formatting and data inaccessibility. Under these circumstances, you will need a powerful hard drive data recovery software to retrieve your lost data back.

Recoverit - Your Best Hard Drive Partition Recovery Software

• Recover lost or deleted files, photos, audio, music, emails from any storage device effectively, safely and completely.
• Supports data recovery from recycle bin, hard drive, memory card, flash drive, digital camera, and camcorders.
• Supports to recover data for sudden deletion, formatting, hard drive corruption, virus attack, system crash under different situations.

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Recoverit hard drive partition data recovery software is quite easy to retrieve your lost data back. It supports to recover lost, deleted or formatted data from an external hard drive, USB flash drive, memory card, or another storage device.