How to shrink partitions?
This document will explain the steps to shrink partitions. Shrinking can be done in two ways,
- Using Windows interface
- Using command line interface
Important Note:
Following points are to be noted before shrinking partitions,
- You must be a member of Backup Operators or Administrators group, at minimum, to complete these steps.
- You can only shrink basic volumes that have no file system or that use the NTFS file system.
- You cannot shrink system hidden or internal partitions.
- Shrinking is done based on Windows policy, hence the partitions cannot be shrunk beyond the limit.
Using Windows Interface
To shrink a basic volume partition using windows interface, follow the steps given below,
- Run diskmgmt.msc and open disk manager.
- You will be able to view the available partition volumes now. Right-click the basic volume that you want to shrink.
- Click Shrink Volume and follow the on screen instructions to complete the shrinking process.
Using a Command line interface:
To shrink a basic volume using a command line interface follow the steps given below,
- Open a command prompt and run command diskpart.
- At the DISKPART prompt, type list volume. Decide on the number of the simple volumes you want to shrink.
- Now type select volume <volumenumber>. This will select the simple volume's volume number you want to shrink.
- Type shrink [desired=<desiredsize>] [minimum=<minimumsize>]. This will shrink the selected volume to desired size in megabytes (MB) or to minimum size if desired size is too large.