How to Extend Partition in Windows 7 without Data Loss?

Updated by

Tracy King 

Written by

Linda 

Updated on April 22, 2024

Browse through this page to discover the most suitable method to extend a partition in Windows 7/8/10 on your own:

Why Do You Need to Extend Partition in Windows 7

It's unfortunate that many Windows 7 users can no longer receive new updates from Microsoft. This makes resolving issues that arise with Windows 7 more complicated. Thankfully, software utilities continue to support all Windows users.

To maintain high performance on your Windows 7 computer, it's advisable to ensure there's sufficient space on your hard drive. Hence, extending and expanding the Windows 7 partition size is highly recommended. This will also prevent potential issues such as:

These lines translated into English are:
• ❎The C drive is out of space
• ❎Low disk space warning appears in Windows 7
• ❎Windows 7 computer becomes sluggish

Continue reading and pick up the easiest or the most suitable way to extend your system partition in Windows 7 or Windows systems immediately.

Tool 1: Extend Partition in Windows 7 with Partition Master Tool? In this section, we will discuss how to extend a partition in Windows 7 using a tool called Partition Master. Please note that there are several third-party partition managers available; for this example, we'll assume you're using tools Partition Master. **Step 1: Download and Install Partition Master** First, download the tools Partition Master software from their official website. After downloading, install it on your Windows 7 computer. **Step 2: Launch Partition Master** Once installed, run the Partition Master application. It will display an overview of your hard disk partitions. **Step 3: Identify the Partition to Extend** Locate the partition you want to expand and ensure that there is unallocated space available next to it. Unallocated space is shown as black bars on the disk map. **Step 4: Extend the Partition** Right-click on the partition you want to extend and select "Resize/Move Partition" from the context menu. A new window will appear with a graphical representation of your disk. **Step 5: Drag the Partition Boundary** Using your mouse, drag the right boundary of the partition towards the unallocated space to increase its size. Make sure not to overlap with any other partitions. **Step 6: Apply Changes** Click "OK" to close the window, and then click "Execute 1 Operation" or similar button to apply the changes. You may be prompted to reboot your computer for the changes to take effect. Confirm the action, and Partition Master will perform the partition extension during the restart. Remember, always backup important data before making any changes to your partitions, as errors can potentially lead to data loss. There are also built-in Windows tools, like Disk Management, that can perform similar tasks, but they might have limitations compared to third-party software like Partition Master.

Here are the translations:
• Difficulty Level: Easiest
• Pros: No data loss
• Best for: All levels of Windows 7/8/10 users, beginners' best choice.
• Applies to: Extending system partition, expanding data partition in Windows 10/8/10 with or without unallocated space.

In fact, most Windows 7 users also know little about how to partition a hard drive on their computers. That's why we recommend using a reliable partition manager software as the simplest solution. Tools like Partition Master will help you easily extend Windows partitions with just a few clicks.

Option 1: Extend Partition in Windows 7 using Partition Management Software

It fully works to extend a partition to unallocated space regardless of whether the space is next to your target partition. Even if there is no unallocated space, you may still use it to extend a target partition successfully.

With its "Resize/Move" feature, tools Partition Master breaks the limit and enables you to extend partition flexibly:

Step 1. Locate the Target Partition.

Go to Partition Manager and locate the target partition, then select “Resize/Move”.

Step 2. Extend the Target Partition.

Drag the partition panel rightwards or leftwards to add the unallocated space into your current partition, then click "OK" to confirm.

Additional Option: Get Space from Another Drive

If there isn't enough unallocated space, right-click a large partition with enough available space, and then select "Extend Volume".

Then select the target partition that you want to extend at the Allocate space to column.

Drag the dots of the target partition into the unallocated space and click “OK”.

Click the “Execute Task” button, and then click “Apply” to save all the changes.

Option 2: Extend Windows 7 Partition without Unallocated Space

When there's no unallocated space left on your computer drive, you can utilize the "Allocate Space" feature in tools like Partition Master for assistance. Here, we'll demonstrate the entire process by explaining how to move space from the D drive to the C drive: 1. **Download and Install Partition Master**: First, download and install a reliable partition management tool like tools Partition Master. Ensure you choose a reputable source for the software. 2. **Launch the Application**: After installation, open the Partition Master application on your computer. 3. **View Drive Information**: The main interface will display all the drives present on your system. Identify the C drive (usually the primary drive where the operating system is installed) and the D drive (additional storage drive). 4. **Check Available Space**: Check if there is any unallocated space available next to the C drive. If not, you'll need to shrink the D drive to create unallocated space. 5. **Shrink D Drive**: Right-click on the D drive and select "Resize/Move Partition." A graphical representation of the drive will appear. Drag the right border of the D drive towards the left to create unallocated space. Click "OK" to apply the changes. 6. **Allocate Space to C Drive**: Now, unallocated space should be visible next to the C drive. Right-click on the C drive and select "Allocate Space." In the pop-up window, choose the unallocated space and specify how much you want to allocate to the C drive. Click "OK." 7. **Execute the Changes**: Before applying the changes, the software will show a preview of the operation. Review it carefully, then click "Apply" or "Execute" to start the process. The tool will warn you that the operation may require a reboot; confirm if prompted. 8. **Wait for Completion**: The software will now resize the partitions, which may take some time depending on the amount of data being moved. Do not turn off your computer during this process. 9. **Verify the Result**: Once completed, restart your computer, and check the drive properties of both the C and D drives to ensure the space has been successfully allocated. By following these steps, you can effectively manage your disk space and optimize the performance of your system. Remember to always backup important data before making significant changes to your partitions.

Step 1. Right-click on the D: partition with sufficient free space and choose "Allocate Space".

Step 2. Select the target partition - C: drive and drag the partition panel rightward to add the free space from D: drive to C: drive. Then click "OK" to confirm.

Step 3. Click the "Execute Task" button and hit "Apply" to commence the process of moving free space from the D: drive to the C: drive.

If you managed to fix the "low disk space" or "insufficient partition size" error in Windows 7, please feel free to share this method to assist more Windows 7 users online:

Tool 2: Extend a Windows 7 Partition in Disk Management

Translate the following text into English: -
• Difficulty Level: Medium
-
• Pros: Free;
-
• Best for: Experienced Windows 7 users.
-
• Applies to: Expanding data partition in Windows 10/8/7 with adjacent unallocated space.

Here, we'll demonstrate how to extend a Windows 7 partition using existing unallocated space with the built-in tool - Disk Management. Follow the detailed steps to expand your partition using the adjacent unallocated space:

Step 1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type diskmgmt.msc and click "OK".

Windows 7 will automatically open Disk Management for you.

Step 2. Right-click on the partition you want to extend and select "Extend Volume" from the given list.

Step 3. Follow the wizard to set and add more size to your target partition, and click "Next" to continue.

Step 4. Click "Finish" to complete the extension process in Windows 7.

Resize/Move Partition in Windows 7 with Disk Management. As you see, there is no Unallocated space adjacent to the C drive, so you cannot extend system partition in this case.

If there is no unallocated space, you'll need to right-click a neighboring drive and select “Delete volume” or “Shrink volume” to free up unallocated space. Back up your data first if you plan to do this.

1. Open Disk Management, locate the partition adjacent to your target one, and check its status.

2. If the partition is empty, right-click on it and select "Delete Volume" > Click "Yes" to confirm.

Delete partition to free up space.

3. If the partition is not empty but has enough free space, right-click on it and select "Shrink Volume" > Enter the amount of space you want to shrink and click "Shrink" to confirm.

Shrink the partition to make unallocated space.

Then repeat the steps as shown above to extend the partition with the shrunken unallocated space in Windows 7 Disk Management.

Tool 3: Resize Windows 7 Partition with DiskPart

Here are the translations for the provided text:
• Difficulty Level: Hard;
• Pros: Free; 
• Best for: Experienced & advanced Windows 7 users.
• Applies to: Increase partition size when the unallocated space is behind the target volume.
In English:
• Difficulty Level: Difficult;
• Pros: Free;
• Best for: Experienced and advanced Windows 7 users.
• Applies to: Increasing partition size when the unallocated space is located after the target volume.

Some advanced Windows users and administrators prefer to use DiskPart command lines to extend their hard drive partition. This might be easy for them but complex for regular users. Plus, any wrong operation may lead to severe consequences.

So, follow the operations carefully:

Step 1. Right-click the Windows 7 icon and select "Search".

Step 2. Type cmd and right-click on "Command Prompt", then select "Run as Administrator".

Step 4. Enter each of the following command lines one at a time, pressing Enter after each:

Translate the following into English:
1. diskpart
2. list volume
3. select volume x (Replace 'x' with the target drive number. In my case, the target drive is Volume 1.)
4. extend size =number (Replace 'number' with the size in MB that you want to add to your target drive.)

The above 3 tools are direct solutions that can aid you in expanding partitions in Windows 7. In the following section, we have compiled some practical methods that can assist you in freeing up disk space, thereby providing more usable space in Windows 7. Let's explore them:

Translate the following into English:
1. #1. Clear Unnecessary Large Files
2. #2. Combine Two Disks into One
3. #3. Upgrade Disk with a Larger HDD/SSD by Cloning
4. #4. Remove Temporary Files and System Restore Images

Method 1: Free Up Target Partition Space - Delete Junk Files/Useless Large Files

Works to: Free up space on both system and non-system drives.

The aim of this method is to expand the current usable space without altering the partition state on your hard drive. To achieve this, you can utilize a disk cleanup utility or a third-party tool for assistance.

Here, you can directly use the tool CleanGenius for assistance:

Note: During the cleanup process, make sure you carefully review the scan results before deleting items in Windows 7.

Step 1. Download and install the free tool Partition Master, then launch it on your Windows PC.

On the suite, hover your mouse on "PC Cleaner", click the Download icon to install and launch CleanGenius.

Step 2. On CleanGenius, select "Cleanup" on the main screen, and click "Scan" to start scanning.

Step 3. When the scan is over, select the useless large files and click “Clean” to remove them.

Step 4. When CleanGenius finishes cleaning the files you chose, click “Done” to complete the process.

If it's a system drive, you can also use its System Drive Cleanup feature for assistance.

Method 2: Merge Two Disks - Extend Partition with Free Space on the Second Hard Drive

Translate the following text into English:
1. Applies to: Extends non-system disk partition space by converting two disks to dynamic and extending the partition with free space on the second drive.
2. Requirements: 1. You have two or more disks on a Windows 7 computer; 2. You need to convert both disks to dynamic disks.
3. Limitation: This method only works on a data disk. If you convert a system disk to dynamic, it may lead to an operating system boot failure issue.

For a step-by-step guide, please follow this link for the detailed instructions:

How to Merge Disk 0 and Disk 1 in Windows 11/10

It's indeed possible to transfer or merge space from one disk to another using tools like Partition Master. Follow the guide below to merge two disks.

Method 3: Clone and Replace Old Drive with a Larger One

• Applies to: Upgrading the disk to a larger HDD/SSD to expand the partition with more room.
• Requirements:
  1. A new, bigger hard drive (make sure to initialize it after installing Windows 7)
  2. A trustworthy disk cloning software
• Advantages:
  1. Faster read and write speeds in Windows 7
  2. Increasing the partition size with additional space

To accomplish this, you'll need to purchase a new, larger hard drive beforehand. Then, utilize a disk cloning software to clone your old hard drive and replace it with the larger one.

Here, we recommend using the tool Todo Backup Free for assistance. You can follow the tutorial steps below to replace your hard drive with a larger one:

Step 1. Open your Windows 7 computer case and install a new hard drive to your computer using a SATA or ATA cable correctly.

(Sure enough, the computer can detect the new drive.)

Step 2. Follow the video tutorial to clone and upgrade your old hard drive to a new larger one:

Step 3. Restart your Windows 7 if needed, and then follow the solutions in Part 1 to extend the partition with free unallocated space on the new hard drive.

Method 4: Delete Temporary Files, System Restore Image

Works to: Free up space on the system C drive

#1. Delete Temporary Files in Windows 7 C Drive

Step 1. Open My Computer, right-click on the C drive, and select "Properties".

Step 2. Click "Disk Cleanup" in the disk properties window.

Step 3. Select temporary files, log files, Recycle Bin, and other unnecessary files that you want to delete, then click "OK".

Remove temporary files and useless files on Windows 7.

How to Recover Deleted Files from Recycle Bin?

Are you searching for a method to perform Recycle Bin recovery? Follow along to learn how to recover deleted files from the Recycle Bin promptly.

Requirements: 1. A reliable Windows backup software, such as Todo Backup; 2. An empty external hard drive;

If you have created a Windows system image on your computer, it is recommended that you delete it, as it occupies a certain amount of disk space on Drive C. To safeguard your operating system, we also advise creating a backup of Windows 7 first.

Here are the comprehensive steps in English:

Step 1. Back up Windows to an external hard drive with a reliable Windows backup tool.

Step 2. Open the C drive or other partition where you saved the system image.

Step 3. Delete the system image you saved.

Sometimes, the system image might also be saved in a folder named Windows.old. You just need to find it and delete it from the C drive.

After that, restart your PC. Your Windows 7 system drive will have more free space then.

In Brief

This page provides 3 direct tools to assist with extending a Windows 7 partition, along with 4 additional reliable methods to free up disk space on Windows 7. By utilizing these solutions, you can effectively maximize the utilization of your Windows 7 disk partition size, resulting in a more stable and efficient computer.

In short, if you prefer the easiest way to extend partition in Windows 7/8/10, take Partition Master as your first choice. It supports extending a volume no matter where the unallocated space is on your hard drive.

However, both Disk Management and DiskPart cannot extend volume when there is no unallocated space next to the target drive. Besides, to save your energy in extending Windows 7 partition size, we also suggest that you save all large files and even system backup image to an external hard drive.

Frequently Asked Questions About Expanding Windows 7 Disk Partition Size

Here, we've listed some other topics about increasing Windows 7 disk space. If you're interested, follow the links to find the answers:

Certainly, increasing the C drive space without formatting in Windows 7 is achievable. You can either utilize a trustworthy partition manager for Windows 7, such as tools Partition Master, or opt for the built-in Disk Management tool to complete the task.

< strong >2. Why can't I extend a volume on Windows 7 although there is unallocated space?< / strong >

There could be multiple reasons that prevent you from extending a partition volume in Windows 7, such as:

1. The unallocated space is not behind or not next to the target volume in Disk Management. 2. The unallocated space and target partition are separated on two different disks. 3. The file system of the target volume is not supported or not recognized by Windows 7. 4. The target volume is locked or write-protected. 5. Unknown error or virus infection, etc.

3. How do I split the C drive into two partitions in Windows 7?

There are two ways that you can attempt to partition the C drive in Windows 7 without formatting:

#1. Use Disk Management:

Open Disk Management, right-click on C drive and select “Shrink Volume”, then add the volume size that you want to split from C drive, and follow the on-screen guideline to finish the process.

#2. Use Partition Manager Software - Tools Partition Master:

Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, right-click on the C drive, and choose "Split Partition." Click "OK" to proceed or manually input the desired size for the new partition from the C drive. Finally, click "Execute Task" to complete the operation and restart your computer.