Fix the Issue of Insufficient System Reserved Partition on MBR/GPT Disk in Windows 7/8/10

Updated by

Tracy King 

Written by

Linda 

Last updated on May 10, 2024

Confused about the "System Reserved" partition in Windows 7/8/10 and can't update to a new system? Or getting some error messages due to insufficient space in the System Reserved partition?

Error message: The system reserved partition can't be resized, or Windows 10 can't be installed.

The reason for the error message is:

The System Reserved Partition is created during the Windows installation process, where it's around 100MB for Windows 7, 350MB for Windows 8, and 500MB for Windows 10. If too many programs are written to this partition, there won't be enough space to update the SRP. To resolve this issue, you'll need to extend the System Reserved Partition drive.

This article will show you how to extend System Reserved Partition in Windows 7/8/10 on GPT/MBR disk and fix the issue of insufficient space on System Reserved Partition in two parts.

You may think it impossible, but follow the steps and you will find out how easy it is to fix the System Reserved Partition error and extend your system partition.

Part 1: Back up all computer data

It is highly recommended that all Windows users (both MBR and GPT disk users) back up important data and the Windows system before attempting to extend the System Reserved Partition in Windows 10/8/7, etc.

A free backup software for Windows can help you easily back up all crucial Windows data or systems with simple steps. You can search for the "Todo Backup" tool on Google and download the software for free to directly back up all your Windows data.

Part 2: Resize the System Reserved Partition in Windows 7/8/10

Normally, the System Reserved partition would not cause much trouble, but it still plays an important role for the smooth running of Windows. However, when the System Reserved partition gets a low disk space error, serious issues may occur to the Windows system. Thus, it's strongly recommended that users make no changes to the System Reserved partition and keep its size around 100 MB.

It's also recommended that users check the usage of the System Reserved Partition regularly. However, problems may still occur, and insufficient space in the System Reserved Partition is the most common issue. How to solve it? Below, we will provide an effective way for both MBR disk users and GPT disk users to extend the System Reserved Partition.

For MBR users: Extend the System Reserved Partition

If you are an MBR disk user and the System Reserved Partition does not have enough space, you can only shrink volumes or add an image to the System Reserved Partition but cannot extend it.

Here, we recommend you try a professional partition manager - tools Partition Master, to help you easily expand the System Reserved Partition on an MBR disk:

< strong > Step 1. < /strong> In the Partition Manager, hover the mouse over the target drive that is running out of disk space and click Resize/Move.

When there is not enough space and the partition shows as read-only, Partition Master will give a low disk space warning and provide an option to "Resize with One Click".

Click OK to automatically extend the partition.

With Partition Master, you can easily expand the partition to solve the low disk space problem with only several clicks of “Next”.

If the Smart Resize does not meet your needs, you can also click Manual Resize to manually extend the partition size, and then click OK to proceed.

Step 3: Perform the operation to extend the low disk space partition.

Click the “Run Task” button in the top right corner and save all changes by clicking “Apply.”

And there you have it – you've successfully extended the System Reserved Partition with simple steps, which you can verify from the Disk Management in Windows 10/8/7, and so on.

If you find this tool helpful, feel free to share it on social media to help more friends efficiently expand their system reserved partition:

For GPT disk users: Extend the System Reserved Partition

With GPT disks, extending the system reserved partition can get more complicated. For security reasons, the system reserved partition on a GPT disk is usually marked as an EFI System Partition and is hidden from the user. This helps prevent accidental issues.

However, this might prevent you from resizing or resizing the System Reserved partition in Windows 10/8/7. You can try the recommended solutions below to see if they fix the problem:

Method 1: Extend the System Reserved Partition with Partition Master Tool

Please follow the steps to extend the System Reserved Partition for MBR users. But there are a few things you should keep in mind:

If Partition Master fails to detect the System Reserved partition on a GPT disk, it will be unable to help expand the space. If the System Reserved partition is detected as another type in the file system and is empty in the system status, Partition Master will be unable to extend or add space to the System Reserved partition.

In addition to extending the system reserved partition, you can also use Partition Master to manage the system reserved partition, such as recovering deleted system reserved partition.

Method 2: Resolving the Small System Reserved Partition Issue via CMD

If you don't want to download third-party tools to deal with the insufficient System Reserved partition, we recommend that you try using the Command Prompt. It enables you to adjust or extend the size of the System Reserved partition:

Method 1: Resize the Windows 10 Reserved System Partition:

1. Search for "cmd." Right-click Command Prompt, then select "Run as administrator." 2. Type in mountvol y: /s > Enter

It will add a Y: drive letter to access the system partition.

3. Type Y and press Enter. Next, enter cd EFI\Microsoft\Boot\Fonts to access the font folder. 4. Input del *.* to delete the font files. Then, press Y and Enter to proceed.

Method 2: Increase the System Reserved Partition in Windows 7/8

1. Search for "cmd," right-click "Command Prompt," and select "Run as administrator." 2. Type `mountvol y: /s` and press Enter.

This will add the Y: drive to access the system partition.

3. Type taskkill /im explorer.exe /f, press Enter, type explorer.exe, then press Enter again to restart File Explorer in Administrator mode. 4. Open File Explorer > type Y: \EFI\Microsoft\Boot\ and press Enter. 5. Select the language folder you want to remove > Restart your device.

• Try a different disk management software. • Remove the System Reserved Partition (not recommended; some users have attempted this).