Best Solution: Resize FAT32 Partition without Losing Data

Updated By

Tracy King 

Written By

Cici 

Last Updated on April 22, 2024

is a file system originated from File Allocation Table. Compared with the default NTFS file system of Windows, FAT32 owns higher compatibility. When the space of one FAT32 partition is not enough while there is plenty of free space on another partition, you may want to resize FAT32 partition to make better use of disk space.

However, you may also encounter the following problem when trying to resize a FAT32 partition with Disk Management:

Don't worry, in this article, we will help you understand why you can't resize or shrink FAT32 on Windows and offer reliable software to help you easily adjust the FAT32 partition size without data loss.

Why can't I resize the FAT32 partition in Disk Management?

When you try to extend FAT32 partition in Disk Management or shrink FAT32 partition, you may find the “Extend Volume” option grayed out or cannot shrink volume.

This is due to limitations in the built-in Windows tools. The following factors may prevent you from resizing a FAT32 partition in Disk Management:

• Incorrect file system format: Disk Manager does not support shrinking FAT32 volumes.
• The unallocated space is not on the right of the target partition.
• FAT32 size limit: Windows supports a FAT32 volume capacity that is less than or equal to 32 GB.
• There is not enough space to shrink the partition.

Thus, if you want to resize FAT32 partition, you need to convert FAT32 to NTFS. This is a little troublesome and you may lose data in the process. I don't recommend this method. You can use a professional third-party software – free Partition Manager tool to shrink or expand FAT32 partition without data loss.

How to resize FAT32 partition without losing data

AOMEI Partition Assistant Free is a free yet professional disk management tool that runs on Windows 11/10/8/7 and Windows XP. It features a user-friendly interface that allows you to easily create, delete, shrink, or extend partitions.

Even if you are a computer novice, you can use the Partition Master tool to learn how to resize FAT32 partition. Follow the steps below to expand or shrink FAT32 partition without losing data:

Guide 1: Shrink FAT32 Partition

Step 1: Find and select the partition to shrink

In the Partition Manager screen, right-click on the partition you want to shrink, and select “Resize/Move.”

< b > Step 2: Adjust to Shrink the Partition < / b >

Resize the partition by dragging the target partition's end with mouse.

You can also adjust the size bar to shrink the target partition. Click “OK” when you're finished.

Third step: Perform the action.

Click the Run Task button and choose Apply to save all the changes.

Guide 2: Extend FAT32 Partition

Step 1: Shrink the partition to free up space for extending it

If there is enough unallocated space on the hard disk to extend the target partition, skip to Step 2 to proceed. If there's not enough room, free up some first:

In the "Partition Manager" section, right-click on a partition next to the target one and select "Resize/Move." Drag the ends of the partition to free up space, making sure to leave enough unallocated space behind your target partition. Click "OK."

Step 2: Extend the target partition.

Right-click on the partition you want to expand, and select “Resize/Move.”

Drag the target partition handle to the unallocated space to extend the partition.

Step 3: Save all changes.

Click the Run Task button, and then click Apply to save all changes.

Next up, we just need the translation for American English:

What else can Partition Master do?

With these steps, you can easily resize your FAT32 partition. The Partition Wizard in the Disk Manager can help you with more hard drive partitioning issues – for example, it can

• Delete FAT32 Partition
• Merge Non-adjacent Partitions
• Merge or Split Partitions
• Convert MBR to GPT for Windows 11
• Convert NTFS to FAT32 without Data Loss

AOMEI Partition Assistant can solve many partition problems. So you can download it to manage your disk better.

Conclusions

Neither Disk Management nor Diskpart allows you to adjust the size of a FAT32 partition. However, you can easily resize a FAT32 partition without losing data with tools like Partition Master. The “Resize/Move” function can expand or shrink a FAT32 partition.

AOMEI Partition Assistant can break through the limitations of the built-in tools in Windows and meet more needs. This software won't let you down. In addition, there are three common issues about FAT32 partition.

Frequently Asked Questions on Adjusting FAT32 Partition Size

1. Can I extend FAT32 partition?

If you try to extend a FAT32 partition via Disk Management or Diskpart, you'll find the “Extend Volume” option grayed out. You could convert the FAT32 file system to NTFS and then use Disk Management to extend the FAT32 partition. Otherwise, you'll need to try a third-party tool.

You can't extend a FAT32 partition via Disk Management or Diskpart in Windows since the built-in tools only support NTFS partitions. However, you can count on a professional third-party tool - AOMEI Partition Assistant. You can easily expand a FAT32 partition with its "Resize/Move" or "Extend/Shrink" feature. Follow the three steps below to expand a FAT32 partition:

Step 1: Right click on the FAT32 partition and select "Extend/Contract".

Step 2: Drag the partition panel to extend FAT32 partition and then click “OK”.

Step 3: Proceed with the Extend FAT32 Partition task and click “Apply”.

Can you partition a FAT32 drive?

Sure, you can format a FAT32 drive on Windows. You can create a FAT32 partition on your hard drive using tools like Partition Master and the built-in Windows utilities, Disk Management, and the Diskpart command. Here's how to create a FAT32 partition using Disk Management: 1. Press `Win + X` keys on your keyboard and select "Disk Management" from the menu. 2. In the Disk Management window, right-click on the unallocated space or the partition you want to reformat and choose "New Simple Volume." 3. Follow the New Simple Volume Wizard, and when prompted, choose the FAT32 file system. 4. Proceed with the wizard to set the partition size and allocation unit size, then assign a drive letter if needed. 5. Click "Finish" to create the FAT32 partition. Remember that formatting will erase all data on the selected drive, so make sure to back up any important files beforehand.

Step 1: Press “Windows+R,” then type “diskmgmt.msc.”

Step 2: Right-click the drive you want to use and select "New Simple Volume."

Step 3: Follow the prompts and choose "FAT32" as the file system format, then click "Finish."