Fix There Is Not Enough Space Available on the Disk to Complete This Operation

Theo Lucia

Dec 16, 2024 • Filed to: Answer Hard Drive Problems • Proven solutions

When you try to run more than one program on your device, you may face some speed issues. It is because every program needs some space on the CPU to run efficiently. Though the devices are meant for this pursuit, yet sometimes due to overburdening or little space, you receive an error message i.e. there is not enough space on the disk to complete this operation. This represents low or nearly no space left on the disk to facilitate the program/operation. This article will help you with certain quick-fix solutions to get rid of not enough space on a disk.

As mentioned above, the error i.e. there is not enough space on the disk has everything to do with the space available for programs to run accordingly on CPU. With no or little space left, it is difficult for the device to support programs or operations to complete on the device. You may confront two types of an error message:

Error 1 - "Not enough memory available to complete this operation. Quit one or more applications to increase available memory, and then try again."

Error 2 - "There is not enough space available on the disk(s) to complete this operation."

Both of the error messages have strong backgrounds that cause these errors to appear and hinder the functionality. As an alternative, if you think to move some unused space from other disk drives to your disk management drive, you may face another error saying extend volume is grayed out. Hence, again you face a dead end. This article explains all possible reasons causing there is not enough space on the disk to complete this operation or disk management there is not enough space available along with quick-fix methods to fix the problem. Here are the topics that would be discussed in detail.

Part 1: What Causes the Error?

As mentioned earlier, the space linked error i.e. there is not enough space on the disk to complete this operation has some underlying situations or reasons that aggravate the issue. Using disk management to shrink the files and folders to create space, you can get another error message saying disk management there is not enough space available. A potential reason that overt the disk management functioning is the application running as a program on the device, it can make certain changes in the way that you open the disk management and you may see little or no space at all. Apart from this, some other reasons are ending up in this error.

1. Not enough space for the specified operation:

You may receive an error message when you try to delete a partition and you get free space instead of unallocated space. To resolve the issue, you have to create a new partition with unallocated space.

2. Disk management utility error:

The disk management utility itself can be the reason behind the error. In the process of shrinking the files or folders or shrinking volume, you may get the error message. It can also appear at times when you are trying to move the unmovable files located in the middle of the disk.

3. MBR partition limit:

In the case of your dynamic disk, you only have 1MB of unallocated space available. Any limit exceeding this would generate the error. Hence, in all the above-mentioned cases, you may receive the error message and you won't be able to run the specific program on the device.

Part 2: Scenarios of Not Enough Space on the Disk to Complete This Operation

Disk Management is a very useful tool in Windows, through it you can make modifications to your disks such as creating partitions, shrink volume, extend volume or convert basic disk to dynamic. Generally, these tasks are very easy to do and it is enough to make a few clicks for you to complete them; however, it may show you a window with the message "There is not enough space available on the disk to complete this operation."

You may be distressed after reading this message, but this problem is very common and below I will tell you why it occurs:

1. Not Enough Space Available on The Disk to Create Partition

The error may arise because Disk Management is a tool that can’t create partitions in a free space. Therefore, you must delete that free space and create the partition which will now be the unallocated space.

2. Not Enough Space Available on The Disk to Shrink Volume

It is common for certain applications to host files that cannot be modified or altered on the disk and Disk Management processes this as an error. You can choose the option "Rescan Disks" within this tool to fix this problem.

3. Not Enough Space Available on The Disk to Extend Volume

Even though you are sure you have enough space to extend volume Disk Management can show this error. Like the previous situation, this problem can be caused by files created by applications that cannot be altered and the tool mistakenly detects that they occupy a space greater than the real one. Through "Rescan Disks" you can surely fix this problem.

4. Not Enough Space Available on The Disk to Convert Basic Disk to Dynamic

You may want to convert your basic disk to dynamic but have Disk Management show you this error. This may be due to the fact that for this process to complete, a database is generated that has a certain weight and the volume space is insufficient. To correct this problem, you will have to do the volume shrink process to save space and then do this task.

The error "There is not enough available disk space to complete this operation" is quite common when you use Disk Management and want to make modifications to your disk. We have already reviewed that the problem is normally due, in effect, to a lack of disk space or to files that alter the reading of this Windows tool.

In addition to choosing the option "Rescan Disks" as a solution, it is suggested that before doing the task you want, you delete unnecessary files from your documents such as temporary files, duplicated files, as well as uninstalling programs that you no longer use and documents that are unknown to you, this will not only help you to save space on your disk, but you will also clean unnecessary files that can interfere with the modifications you want to make in your disk.

Part 3: Solutions for Not Enough Space Available on the Disk

As soon as you are aware of the potential reason causing the error i.e. there is not enough space on the disk, you need some strong solutions to resolve the issue. This section is all about the solutions. Let's get started!

Method 1. Rescan Disks

For shrinking the volume or partitions, you need to go for a double-check method i.e. go for a rescan of disk management. Here are the steps:

Step 1: In the main menu, search disk management and open the utility.

Step 2: Right-click on the disk management and in the drop-down menu, select the option of action followed by selecting rescan disks.

Step 3: Reload the partition and complete the action by shrinking the volume.

Method 2. Check Current Partitions

In case you receive an error message regarding no space available on disk, it is probably because you have reached the limit of space on an allowed partition. If you ate using windows as an operating system, by default you are using the MBR partition system. This is an old one. With the latest updates, the partition system being used is GPT. This allows for more than 4 partition space as compared to MBR. So shifting from MBR to GPT may resolve the error, as you get additional space to run the programs.

Read More: How To Convert MBR to GPT on Linux

Method 3. Convert Basic Disk to Dynamic

Converting the basic disk with no space to a dynamic disk will available space can also work. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Start the process by heading towards the basic disk and right-click on it.

Step 2: In the drop-down menu, select the option of the convert to a dynamic disk.

Step 3: follow all the instruction wizards to complete the action.

In case if you still face the error even after converting the basic disk to dynamic, it is possible that there is no free space nor partitioned in the process. For resolving the error, you have to shrink the last partition to make space. You can use the feature of shrink volume.

Method 4. Fix the Error That Occurs While Creating Partition

To create space, you can go for the option of creating new partitions. Creating partition with unallocated space can allow the program to run efficiently. In this process you can get the error messages, resolving those errors can help. Deleting the free space is a way out.

Step 1: Press Windows key + R simultaneously to launch the run dialogue box. Once launched, type diskmgmt.msc and click ok to launch disk management.

Step 2: Make a right-click and in the drop-down menu, select the option of delete volume and complete the action by following wizards.

Step 3: Now again right-click on the unallocated space and in the drop-down menu select the option of new simple volume. Complete the process by following wizard actions.

Method 5. Fix the Error That Occurs While Shrinking Partition

While shrinking the partitions, you may receive certain errors. By resolving the error you can get space to run the programs on the device. Here are the steps:

Step 1: Launch disk management and select the option of action followed by selecting rescan disks.

Step 2: Now shrink the volume and reload the disk.

Method 6. Try Disk Defragmenter to Free up Disk Space

If nothing works from the built-in mechanisms, you can try a tool i.e. disk defragmenter. This tool will help to free up the disk space. As you create partitions, you are left with some fragments on the disk, they can create problems. Removing them can help.

Step 1: In the main menu of windows, type disk defragmenter in the search box and launch the tool.

Step 2: Select the targeted disk that you want to defragment and click the option of analysis. If the percentage of the program exceeds 10%, you can continue the process of defragmentation.

Step 3: Click on the disk defragmenter to complete the action.

Hence, if you are dealing with the issues linked to disk space, you may confront the error message i.e. there is not enough space available on the disk(s) to complete this operation or disk management there is not enough space available. Probably the issue is with the MBR limit or the disk management utility itself. This article explains the error in detail along with its three potential reasons. Moreover, six quick-fix solutions ae explained with detailed steps. All are the built-in mechanisms including resolving errors that arise while shrinking volumes or creating partitions. You can also use a tool i.e. disk defragmenter to remove the fragments present on the disk.

FAQs

What does it mean by not enough disk space?

It means that the drive doesn’t have storage and is full. That being said, the drive won’t be able to save the larger files.

Why do I have no space on my C drive?

This is mainly because you have run out of space and storage on the disk.

How do I fix low disk space on my C drive?

You can fix the low disk space on the C drive by uninstalling the unnecessary programs and apps. You need to clear up the desktop and delete the monster files. In addition, you must delete the temporary files and use the disk cleanup tools.

How do I move programs from one hard drive to another?

First of all, you need to copy the programs and open the file explorer window. Then, choose the folder where you want to paste the programs and open it. Now, just press Ctrl+V and the programs will be moved from one hard drive to another.

Where is my default location for downloads?

With Android systems, you can find the downloads in the My Files app. In the case of Windows, you can open the PC app, move to This PC, and click on the downloads folder. So, these are the default locations for downloads in Windows and Android.