How to extend C: drive on Windows 10

By Andy, Updated on: February 14, 2020

This article shows how to extend C drive in Windows 10 (32 & 64 bit) without reinstalling Operating System or losing data. 4 ways to expand C drive partition with detailed steps..

Extend C drive via Windows 10 Disk Management

The same with previous Windows 7, Windows 10 native Disk Management tool has Extend Volume functionality to help expand disk partition. However, it is not the best tool because of many limitations, which cause you unable to extend C drive.

The typical example is that Extend Volume is disabled for C drive after shrinking D.

• Extend Volume function can only expand NTFS partition with contiguous Unallocated space on its right side.
• Shrink Volume can only shrink a partition towards left and produce Unallocated on the right side.

As you see, the 20GB Unallocated is non adjacent to C drive after shrinking D, of course Extend Volume is greyed out.

The only way to enable Extend Volume for C drive is by deleting the contiguous partition (D).

Don’t do this if you installed program to this partition. Why not extend C drive without causing damage?

Extend partition C by shrinking contiguous volume D

Better than Windows built-in Disk Management, disk partition software can shrink a partition and produce Unallocated space on either side. Then you can expand C drive with either native or 3rd-party tool.

Steps to extend C drive on Windows 10 with free partition software:

Download and install NIUBI Partition Editor Free edition, you’ll see the main window with disk partition information and available operations.

Step 1: Right click drive D and select «Resize/Move Volume«, drag left border towards right in the pop-up window.

As you see, Unallocated space is produced on the left side of D.

Step 2: Right click drive C and select «Resize/Move Volume» again, drag right border towards right in the pop-up window.

As you see, C drive is extended by merging the Unallocated space.

Step 3: Click Apply on top left to execute, done.

This software is designed to work in its virtual mode, the operations you do will be listed as pending on bottom left, and real disk partitions won’t be modified until click Apply to confirm.

Expand C drive by shrinking non adjacent volume

If you can’t get enough free space from the contiguous partition D, it doesn’t matter. You may shrink any non-adjacent partitions in the same hard disk.

For example, how to shrink E to expand C drive in Windows 10:

1. Right click partition E: and select «Resize/Move Volume», drag the left border towards right in the pop-up window. Then you’ll get Unallocated space on the left side of E. (Similar with Step 1 above)
2. Right click partition D: and select «Resize/Move Volume», drag the middle position towards right in the pop-up window. Then Unallocated space will be moved next to C drive.

Follow the steps to extend C drive by shrinking other volume on the same disk:

Extend volume C with other disk

If there is no other partition, or not enough unused space in all other partitions on the same disk, NO partitioning software can extend a partition by taking space from another separated hard disk.

However, there’s still a way with NIUBI Partition Editor by cloning this disk to another larger one. You can extend partition C and other data volumes with extra disk space. Watch the video how to expand C drive by cloning:

When extending C drive for Windows 10 virtual machine in VMware or Hyper-V, there’s no difference if there’s available free space on the same disk. If there’s not enough free unused space, follow the steps to increase virtual disk size, then you can add additional space to C drive.

In Summary

To extend C drive in Windows 10 (32 & 64 bit), the native Disk Management tool can only achieve by deleting the continuous partition. You can’t do do this in most cases, so NIUBI Partition Editor is best choice. Better than other software, it has innovative 1-Second Rollback, Virtual Mode and Cancel-at-well technologies to protect your system and data. Select the corresponding method according to your own disk partition structure.

How to Extend C:\ Drive In Windows 10

In order to back up data and for safety reasons, you are always advised to partition your hard disk. These drives will then act independently of each other. This way, when one drive becomes corrupt, the other partition will still be perfectly okay saving invaluable data unless the whole hard disk fails.

However, this poses a limitation on drive C: Soon or later, if you don’t manage your space well, you will start getting messages that your drive C is almost full. When your drive is eventually full, your system will become painfully slow. Most programs run by creating temporary files in your system, and when they cannot find available space, your computer freezes or slows down. The remedy is to free space or repartition the drive C: to allocate more space to it.

If you have unallocated space (this can be created by deleting a drive in the disk management tool), you can easily add it to your system partition. To do this, we have prepared some of the best ways for you. You can create an unallocated space by shrinking a volume or deleting a volume (partition). If method 1 does not work for you, choose either of the remaining methods.

Method 1: Use the inbuilt disk management tool

Windows comes with a disk manager that you can use to extend your system volume by adding the unallocated space to it. The built-in partitioning utility has limitations, however; it can only expand if the unused space is immediately adjacent to the C: partition (usually to the right), otherwise the extend option will not be available.

1. Press Windows Key + R to open run
2. Type “diskmgmt.MSC” and hit enter to open the disk manager utility
3. Right-click on the partition (C :\) you want to Extend into the now unallocated partition and click on ‘Extend Volume’.
   
4. Click on Next; this will open a window with the title ‘Welcome to the Extend Volume Wizard window’
5. Select the amount of space in MB you want to use from the unallocated partition to use to extend your drive C: partition.
   
6. If you want to make them one partition again, then select all of the available space for the unallocated disk. If there were other drives with free unallocated space, they would be shown under the available selection.

Note: It is advised that you do not extend a volume on one disk with free space from another disk. If one of the drives has a hardware failure, then all the data on that partition (volume) will be deleted.

1. Click on Next and then click on Finish in the ‘Completing Extend window’. You will now see the Disk Management console with the new extended partition volume ready to be used.
2. Close Computer Management. Open Windows/File Explorer to see your new extended partition volume. You should have more space now.

Method 2: Use AOMEI Partition Assistant

To escape the limitation of the inbuilt disk manager, you can use a third-party application like AOMEI partitioning tool. AOMEI Partition Assistant will allow you to move the unallocated space such that it is adjacent to your drive C: You can thereafter add the unallocated space to drive C:

1. Download AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard Edition here, or if you need more advanced features, download AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional (PA Pro) here.
2. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional
3. After the tool loads, right-click on the drive that is immediately before the unallocated space, e.g. right-click on drive D:
4. Select “Move Partition“. Move Partition
5. In the pop-up window, click and drag D: partition rightwards. Click “OK”.
6. You will find that the unallocated space was moved after drive C: partition. If you have more than 1 drive between C: and the unallocated drive, repeat steps 3 – 5 until the unallocated space comes after drive C:
7. Right-click on system partition C: and select “Resize Partition” Selecting “Resize Partition” option
8. In the pop-up window point your mouse at the right-hand end of your drive C: till two arrows pointing opposite directions appears. Drag right handle of C: partition rightwards to add unallocated space into the partition.
9. Click “OK” to preview the changes. To save changes, click “Apply” on the toolbar. Other buttons, “Undo”, “Redo” or “Discard” are used for correction.
10. After several minutes, you will find that adding unallocated space to system partition is done.
11. Restart your PC if prompted to
12. Open Windows/File Explorer to see your new extended partition volume. You should have more space now.

Method 3: Use EaseUS Partition Manager

EaseUS offers the simplest way to extend your partition. You don’t have to move any partition. You just have to choose the partition to extend and the software will automatically find unallocated space that you can then use to extend your drive. You can also use the merge tool to join two drives.

1. Download EaseUS partition tool from here
2. Install and launch it. Right-click the system partition C: and choose “Resize/Move partition”Clicking on the “Resize/Move Partition” option
3. On the pop-up window that appears drag the right side of C: drive to the right to add the unallocated space into C drive. To merge it into one, drag all the way to the right. Sometimes the unallocated space may be to the left of drive C: in which case, you will have to drag the resizing bar to the left.
4. Click OK to preview changes. You can use the ‘Undo’ and ‘Refresh’ buttons to undo changes
5. Click ‘Apply’ and wait for the unallocated space to be added to drive C: You can refresh after it is done to make sure unallocated space was added to drive C:
6. Restart your PC if prompted to
7. Open Windows/File Explorer to see your new extended partition volume. You should have more space now.

You are always advised to take a system restore point of your PC before attempting changes on your HDD. You might not get your data and partition configuration back, but your operating system can be restored if any changes are made to the system.

Extend C drive or system partition in Windows 10

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Windows 10 C drive is out of space:

When the C drive (system partition) is out of space, gets full or you get a low disk space warning, and hardware upgrades become unavailable shown as the next image, what are you going to do?В How to extend C drive or system partition in Windows 10? Follow the tips below, you’ll learn how to extend partition, especially to increase C drive in Windows 10.В

1 — Extend C Drive or System Partition in Windows 10

For users who want to extend C drive with a professional and easy method, EaseUS Partition Master is the right choice for you.

Solution 1. Let EaseUSВ Partition Manager Software Help

As magic partition software, EaseUS Partition Master is a comprehensive hard disk partition management software to let you enjoy free with all the powerful functions:

1. 1. Extend system partition
2. 2. Resize and Move partitions
3. 3. Copy Partition/Disk
4. 4. Create, Deleted, and Format partitions
5. 5. Hide and Unhide partitions and more. В

This software works perfectly with hardware even with RAID and supports all Windows Operating Systems. Your data is completely protected during all operations.

Tutorial 1. Smart Extend C Drive with Low Disk Space Error

Step 1. Click «Adjust with 1-Click» to extend C drive.

When your C drive is out of space, you will see the Low Disk Space alert on EaseUS Partition Master. Click the Adjust button to extend it.

Step 2. Click «OK»В to extend C driveВ automatically.

By clicking «OK», EaseUS Partition Master will automatically allocate space to your C drive to solve the low space issue.

Extra Option: You can also click «Manual Adjustment»В to extend the C drive manually.

When turning to Manual Adjustment, select the C drive, and drag dots rightward to add more space to C drive. Click «OK» to confirm.

Step 3. Confirm to resolve low disk space inВ C drive

Click the «Execute Operation» button at the top corner and start all pending operations by clicking «Apply».

This video guide also shows you how to smart extend your C drive.

Tutorial 2. Add Space to C Drive, Extend System Drive with Space from Other Drive

Step 1. Shrink partition to leave unallocated space for extending C: drive

• Right-click on a partition next to the C: drive and select «Resize/Move».
• Drag the end of the partition and shrink it, leaving unallocated space next to the system C: drive, and click «OK».

Step 2. Add space to the System C drive

• Right-click on the System C: drive and select «Resize/Move».
• Drag the black dot to extend the partition size.
• Click the «Execute Operation» button, it will list the pending operations.В
• Then click «Apply» to execute the changes and extend the C drive.

1. The program may pop up a window to ask you to restart your computer after executing the operation, do as the software requires.
2. Your computer will restart with a bigger system C drive and better computer performance on your Windows 10В PC.

Besides the basic and advanced partition manager features, EaseUS Partition Master also provides a powerful partition recovery wizard to recover deleted or lost partition, cleanup and optimization for optimizing hard disk and clean up disk space, wipe data to permanently erase hard drive/partition, and so on.

Solution 2. Extend C Drive Windows 10 via Disk Management

There must be unallocated space behind the partition which you want to expand with Windows built-in Disk Management utility. Otherwise, you might find that the Extend Volume option is greyed out and not available.

Step 1. Right-click My Computer and choose «Manage -> Storage -> Disk Management».

Step 2. Right-click on the partition that you want to extend, and choose «Extend Volume» to continue.

Step 3. Set and add more size to your target partition and click «Next» to continue.В

Step 4. Click «Finish» to complete the process.

Solution 3. Extend C Drive Windows 10 via CMD

There is another tool named Diskpart which also enables you to manage your disk and partition. The Windows Command Prompt works the same as Disk Management. One important point is that inexperienced users should not rush to this method because a tiny mistake is able to do damage to the entire hard drive.В

Step 1. Press Windows + X keys and choose «Command Prompt (Admin)».

Step 2. Type the following commands and each one ends with «Enter» key:

diskpart
list volume
select volume x
extend size =number

In my case, the system C drive is Volume 1. If there is no unallocated space, you can’t extend C drive in Windows 10 with this method.

2 — Upgrade to a Larger Hard Drive Without Data Loss

Clone and replace the old drive with a bigger one can also solve your problem. If you don’t want to migrate other data on C drive, you can only migrate the Windows operating system to a new drive.В

If you want to replace the whole C drive both the system and the data, clone this drive with the help of EaseUS Partition Master. This feature enables you to move your system and data to SSD/HDD easily and quickly. Follow the steps below to clone your drive:

Step 1.В Right-click the partition you want to copy, and choose Clone.

Step 2.В Choose your the target partitionВ and click NextВ to continue.В

• If you clone partition to the unallocated space, your data will not be overwritten.
• If you clone partition to the exsiting partition, you should transfer or back up data before cloning to prevent it being overwritten.

Step 3.В Click Proceed and wait for the clone to complete.

Tips to Extend C Drive in Windows 10

In addition to these solutions, you may ask the way to extend C drive in Windows 10 without software. Here, you can learn some other tips to reduce the possibility of C drive full and increase C drive space.

1. Move the print spooler and page file to another drive.

2. You can also merge other partition into C drive for more space.

3. Apply professional partition manager software with the Cleanup and Optimization feature that can also speed up your slow computer, clean up those junk files and repair the Windows system. This will save you a large amount of space on the C drive and other partitions.

4. Empty recycle bin. Recycle bin is a storage room for all the files you delete from your PC. The deleted files remain there until you delete files from the recycle bin. Usually, the recycle bin takes up C drive space. That is to say, when you empty the recycle bin, you can increase a bit of disk space.

• Right-click on the recycle bin icon located on your desktop and select «Empty Recycle Bin».
• Or double-click on the recycle bin and click on the «Empty Recycle Bin» option located on top of the folder window.

Related Questions on Extending Partition Windows 10

In addition to extending the C drive, some people have asked related questions. Here are some examples:

1. Can we extend the C drive?

Yes, you can. You can use the third-party software, Disk Managemen or Diskpart to easily expand your C drive in Windows 10. Among them, EaseUS partition software is my recommendation. It can extend any drive easily and quickly.

2. How do I add storage from D to C?

Let EaseUS partition software help you. Launch EaseUS Partition Master and locate the target partition which you would like to extend. If there is unallocated space left on your disk, use the «Resize/Move» feature to extend partition. If there is no unallocated space on your disk, use the Allocate Space feature to extend the desired partition.

3. Why extend volume grayed out windows 10/8.1/7?

When you are using Disk Management to increase C drive space, you can right-click «Computer», choose «Manage» to go, then you can enter «Disk Management». If you see the Extend Volume option grayed out on your computer, it means that there is no unallocated space on your hard disk.

4. How to add space to C drive?

• Launch EaseUS Partition Master.
• Right-click on the System C: drive and select «Resize/Move».
• Drag the system partition end into the unallocated space.
• Click «Apply» to execute the changes and extend the C drive.