Updated by

Linda

Written by

Linda

Last updated on May 10, 2024

Have you ever received the annoying “Sorry, not enough space” message? This tiny blue bar may frustrate you when you want to install (run) that long-awaited game or any system program. This article will introduce two practical and easy disk utilities – Partition Master Professional and Windows Disk Management.

The 2 Best Windows Disk Tools

Here are the two best free disk utilities that Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista users can employ to manage partitions correctly and boost system performance:

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#1. Tool Partition Master - Partition Master #2. Windows Disk Management Tool - Disk Management
  1. 1. Extend, shrink, delete, create volumes
  2. 2. Convert disk to dynamic or basic, GPT or MBR
  3. 3. Clone partition or hard drive
  4. More...
  1. 1. Initialize new drives
  2. 2. Extend or shrink basic volumes
  3. 3. Change drive letters
  4. More...

Disk Utility is a system utility for performing disk and volume-related tasks on an operating system. Partition Master is a free Windows partition software that aids in creating, resizing, cloning, moving, merging, and formatting partitions, among other functions. If you enjoy any of the features we've mentioned, prepare yourself for an exciting experience! Also, remember to share this fantastic page online to help more of your friends master their disk partitions with the reliable tools provided below:

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1. Disk Utility in Windows - MiniTool Partition Wizard

It's easy to use for novices, with no danger of losing data, and it can speed up your computer more than a disk cleanup. Its extra features and performance may surprise you.

In addition to basic disk management features, Partition Master also offers some advanced functions to help you manage your disks, such as OS migration, disk cloning, and so on.

How to use Disk Tool - Partition Master:

Step 1: Partition the Hard Drive

Step 1: Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, and check the available space of the disk in "Partition Management".

    • If you have unallocated space on your hard drive, skip to Step 3 to create the partition. • If you do not have any unallocated space, proceed to Step 2.

Step 2: Shrink the disk partition to create unallocated space.

Right-click on the target disk partition with plenty of free space, and select “Resize/Move”.

Step 1 of Reducing Partitions

Then, drag the partition to the left or right to shrink it and free up unallocated space. You can see how much you've reduced the size by in the “Size” field. Click “OK.”

Step 2 to Shrink Partition

Click “Perform XX Task” and then “Apply” to save all the changes.

Reduce Partition Step 3

Return to the “Disk Management” screen, where you should now see an “Unallocated” space on the same disk. You can now proceed to create a new partition on your hard drive.

Step 3. Create a new partition on the target drive.

Right-click the unallocated space, and then choose New.

Create Partition Step 1 Create Partition Step 1

Customize the partition size, drive letter, volume label, and file system (NTFS, FAT32, EXT2/3/4, exFAT) in the "Advanced Settings." Click "OK."

Create partition step 2

Click “Execute *task” and then “Apply” to create the partition using the unallocated space on your disk. Repeat the steps to partition the hard drive and create additional partitions.

Create partition step 3 Create partition step 3

Step 2: Migrate the operating system to the HDD/SSD

Many users find it troublesome to reinstall the OS and hard drive. This software perfectly migrates the system and duplicates the hard drive/partition without worrying about data loss or needing to reinstall Windows.

Learn how to migrate Windows to another drive: How to Move Windows to Another Drive, and how to move Windows 7/10 to SSD.

#3. Clone HDD to SSD – Upgrade the Hard Drive

When your hard drive space is not enough, you can easily upgrade the hard drive with disk/partition cloning feature. You can refer to how to clone 1TB HDD/SSD to 512GB SSD for operation.

This feature can also be used to clone an SD card in Windows 10.

Article 4. Partition Recovery

It greatly facilitates the immediate recovery of your partitions and data in case of accidental deletion of a volume.

Do you like this versatile Windows tool? You can download it for free, and if you find it useful, please share the button below with others who might need it!

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2. Built-in Windows Tool - Disk Management

Your PC comes with the built-in Windows Disk Management tool, aptly named Disk Management. It lets you perform advanced storage tasks, such as initializing new disks, shrinking a volume, extending a primary partition, formatting a volume, deleting a basic volume, and changing drive letters and paths.

How to Use Disk Management

Step 1: Open Disk Management

To open Disk Management, right-click the Start/Windows icon and select "Disk Management" (or press Windows + R, type diskmgmt.msc, and hit Enter). However, the way you access and open Disk Management can differ slightly depending on your version of Windows.

Please follow the guide according to your system version:

    • On Windows 8/10: Right-click the Windows Start button and select "Disk Management."
    • You can also try using a shortcut: Press Win+X on your keyboard, then click "Disk Management" to open it.

Windows 8/10 Disk Management

In Windows Vista or 7: Right-click on “Computer” and choose “Manage,” then click “Disk Management.”

Windows 7 Disk Management Interface

For Windows 11 users, you can click this link: Open Disk Management in Windows 11.

Step 2: Manage your hard drive in Disk Management

    • Create new partition: Right-click on the unallocated space and select “New Simple Volume.” Follow the process through to completion.

Create a volume

    • Shrink volume: Right-click the target volume and select Shrink Volume. Specify the amount you want to shrink by.

Resize Partitions

    • Extend Volume: If there is unallocated space next to the target partition, right-click it and select “Extend Volume”.

Extend Volume

    1. Format the drive: Right-click the target partition, then click "Format." Set the new file system and drive letter. Click "OK" to confirm.
    2. Initialize a new disk: Right-click the disk, then click "Initialize Disk." Choose the partition style as "MBR" or "GPT," then click "OK."
    3. Convert a disk to MBR/GPT: Right-click and delete all volumes. Right-click the disk again, and select "Initialize Disk." Choose "MBR" or "GPT."

The disk management features are limited, not allowing for optimization or upgrading. I would recommend a better partition tool for you.

Other disk tools in Windows

Here are some other disk utilities available for Windows users for disk management. Read on for more details:

2. Auslogics Disk Defrag

This is a free application for Windows designed to defragment files and folders on your hard drive, consolidate free space, and optimize file placement. The interface has high color contrast. Click the link for more information.

3. Disk Space Fan

"Disk Space Fan 4" is a disk space analyzer and duplicate file cleaner. It can scan and display a pie chart of your disk usage within one minute. You can use it to free up disk space by deleting large files.

4. Smart Defrag 6 (Smart Defrag 6)

The program includes disk management, defragmentation on system startup, and game optimization, the latter of which can improve gaming experiences and reduce lengthy load times.

5. WinDirStat

WinDirStat is a disk usage statistics viewer and cleanup tool for various versions of Microsoft Windows. The main window is similar to the built-in computer tool, but here each file is represented by a colored rectangle, the size of which is proportional to the file's size.

6. UltraDefrag

UltraDefrag is a disk defragmenter for Windows that can defragment locked system files early in the boot process.

"Extra Subst" can be translated as "Additional Substitute" or "Excess Subroutine". The exact meaning might depend on the context in which it is used.

Extra Subst is a virtual disk manager that lets you access frequently used folders on your computer more conveniently, create, edit, and delete virtual drives on your system, as well as create virtual drives based on selected folders.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. How to use a partition master tool to erase a disk?

You can use the “Wipe” feature to thoroughly erase a disk with Partition Master. In most cases, the data wiped with this function cannot be recovered.

What can Disk Utility do?

Disk Utility is used for erasing, formatting, or managing internal disks and external storage devices. You can also use Disk Utility to add and control volumes, or if you want to organize your data into partitions. Disk Utility also comes in handy if you need to work with RAID sets.

3. How do I know if Disk Utility is running on my Mac?

    1. Open Disk Utility. 2. Select the problematic device from the sidebar. 3. Click "First Aid." 4. Disk Utility will scan the disk's partition map and check each volume.

Are there disk tools for Windows?

Disk Management is a system utility in Windows that lets you perform advanced storage tasks. Here are some scenarios where you might use it: To set up a new drive, see Initialize a New Drive. To extend a volume into unallocated space on the same disk as the existing volume, see Extend a Primary Volume. Also read: Top 8 Free Disk Management Tools for Windows 10.