Low disk space on the C drive is a common issue on Windows 10/11 computers. To solve this problem, nobody likes to reinstall the Operating System and all programs. It is much better if you can add more space to the C drive without losing data. To add disk space to the C drive in a Windows 10/11 computer, there are two types of tools: Windows native Disk Management and third-party partition software. Because of some shortages, Disk Management can only increase C drive space under specific conditions. This article introduces how to add space to the C drive in a Windows 10/11 computer with both kinds of tools.
1. Add Space to the C Drive in Windows 10/11 Without Software
Windows 11/10/8/7 has 2 native tools - Disk Management and Diskpart. Disk Management has a graphic interface. Diskpart works via the command prompt, so it is a bit difficult for common users. Although these 2 native tools work in different ways, they have the same shortages. Before adding space to the C drive, you must delete the contiguous partition on the right (such as D:).
Although there is a shrink function in either native tool, you cannot extend the C drive after shrinking D or any other partition. This is because the native tools can only add unallocated space to the left contiguous partition.
As seen in the screenshot, there is 20GB of unallocated space after shrinking the D: drive. After that, the C drive is non-adjacent to this unallocated space, and E is on the right, so "Extend Volume" is greyed out for both partitions.
Only after deleting the D drive to get contiguous unallocated space can you extend the C drive with Disk Management. If there is no such partition or if you cannot delete it, you have to use third-party software.
Do not delete the D drive if you installed programs in it. If you can delete it, remember to transfer your files to another partition in advance.
How to add space to the C drive in Windows 10/11 with Disk Management:
- Press the Windows + X keys and click Disk Management in the list.
- Right-click the D drive and select Delete Volume.
- Right-click the C drive and select Extend Volume.
- Follow the pop-up Extend Volume Wizard by clicking Next until Finish.
If D is a logical partition, Disk Management cannot extend the C drive even after deleting D.
2. Add Space to the C Drive from D/E with Free Software
Obviously, it is not a good idea to extend the C drive by deleting another partition. Compared with Disk Management, NIUBI Partition Editor can create unallocated space on the left while shrinking a partition, so the C drive can be extended easily. In this way, the Operating System, programs, associated settings, and everything else will remain exactly the same as before.
There are many software tools on the market, but you had better make a backup first and run the safest one, because there is a potential system damage and data loss risk while resizing partitions. Compared with other software, NIUBI Partition Editor features advanced 1-Second Rollback, Virtual Mode, Cancel-at-Will, and Hot Clone technologies to protect your system and data. It offers a free edition for Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP home computer users.
Download this program, and you will see all disks with their partition structure and other information on the right. Available operations for the selected disk or partition are listed on the left and by right-clicking.
Steps to add space to the C drive from D in Windows 10/11/8/7:
① Right-click the D: drive and select "Resize/Move Volume". In the pop-up window, drag the left border to the right, or enter an amount in the box for "Unallocated space before". (1GB=1024MB)
Then this partition is shrunk, and unallocated space is created on the left side.
② Right-click the C: drive and select "Resize/Move Volume" again; drag the right border to the right in the pop-up window.
Then 20GB unallocated space is added to the C drive.
③ Click Apply on the top left to confirm and execute. (Real disk partitions will not be changed before this step.)
3. Add Free Space to the C Drive from a Non-Adjacent Partition
In some computers, there is not plenty of free space in the adjacent partition (D:); in this case, you can add free space to the C: drive from a non-adjacent partition on the same disk.
How to add more space to the C drive in Windows 10/11 from E (a non-adjacent partition):
- Follow Step 1 above to shrink the non-adjacent partition (E:) and create unallocated space on the left.
- Right-click partition D: and select "Resize/Move Volume"; drag the middle of the D drive to the right in the pop-up window, and then the unallocated space will be moved behind the C drive.
- Follow Step 2 to merge the unallocated space into the C drive.
Watch the video guide on how to add space to the C: drive in Windows 11/10/8/7 from other partitions:
4. Add More Space to the C Drive with Another Disk
In some computers, there is no other partition or there is not enough free space on the same disk. In that case, no software can add space to the C drive from a different disk, because the size of a physical disk is fixed. However, there are still 2 ways to add disk space to the C drive in Windows 11/10/8/7 with NIUBI Partition Editor.
- Move a data volume to another disk, delete it, and add its disk space to the C drive.
- Clone the system disk to a larger one and extend the C drive with the extra disk space.
Besides shrinking partitions and adding space to the C drive in Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP, this free partition manager helps you perform many other disk management operations such as merging, copying, converting, defragging, hiding, and wiping partitions.
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