How to Expand the C Drive in Windows 7/8/10

Updated by

Linda 

Written by

Tracy King 

Updated on April 22, 2024

On this page, you'll learn:

1. 1. Why is it necessary to increase C drive space
2. 2. How to expand C drive in Windows 7 with or without software (4 Methods)
3. 3. Why can't you extend C drive using Disk Management or DiskPart

• Applies to: Expand or add space to C drive on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows 7/8/10 computers.
• Reading Duration: 3-5 minutes.

# Part 1: Why Do You Need to Increase C Drive Space

Is your computer displaying an error message, warning that the C drive is out of space on Windows 7 or Windows 8/10? In this scenario, you'll need to delete files or add more space to extend your system C drive.

你知道为什么需要增加C盘空间吗？以下是一些解释原因的理由：

• The C drive becomes full or has low disk space.

• The C drive is partitioned with insufficient size.
• Hard disk space is not allocated optimally.
• You require more space on the C drive for data storage or installing applications.
• The computer slows down or becomes unresponsive when running programs installed on the C drive.

# How to Extend C Drive in Windows 7 With or Without Software

Insufficient free disk space on the system C drive can cause the computer to run slowly and become unresponsive. The solution to this issue is to increase the storage capacity of the system drive. How can we expand the system C drive without losing any data?

Here, you have three free options and a reliable solution to achieve your goal:

1. Method 1. Extend C Drive in Windows 7 with Free Partition Manager Software - Easiest
2. Method 2. Extend C Drive with Disk Management - Medium
3. Method 3. Extend System C Drive with DiskPart - Hard
4. Method 4. Increase C Drive without Unallocated Space

Sure, please provide the text that needs to be translated.

You can go through the solutions and opt for a satisfactory method to easily increase the size of the 32-bit and 64-bit system C drive on Windows 7/8/10.

Method 1: Extend C Drive in Windows 7 with Free Partition Manager Software

Applies to: Expand C drive with adjacent or non-adjacent unallocated space in Windows 7/8/10, the free & easiest method.

For Windows novices, both Disk Management and DiskPart are not feasible methods to extend the C drive. In this case, we recommend you try a free partition manager software - tools Partition Master Free Edition.

It breaks the rules in Windows and extends/moves partitions more flexibly. Furthermore, this free partition manager tool maximally simplifies the entire process of adding adjacent or non-adjacent unallocated space to the target C drive without resulting in data loss.

What improvements can be found in third-party freeware?

• The unallocated space can be located on either side of the volume you intend to extend.
• Partition management methods are not restricted to resizing unallocated space. You can also partition C drive in Windows 7 without formatting without data loss.

Guide: How to Extend C Drive using Partition Master Free Tool

If there is no unallocated space on the system disk, proceed to the Partition Manager and right-click on a partition adjacent to the C: drive, then choose "Resize/Move". Drag the left side of the partition towards the left to shrink it, creating unallocated space behind the system C: drive, and then click "OK".

Step 2: Increase C drive space. This step involves expanding the storage capacity of the C drive, which is typically the primary partition on a computer where the operating system is installed. To do this, you can follow these general steps: 1. **Check current disk space:** First, determine how much free space is currently available on your C drive. You can do this by opening "My Computer" or "This PC," right-clicking on the C drive, and selecting "Properties." 2. **Identify unallocated space:** If you have an additional hard drive or partition with unallocated space (free space not assigned to any partition), you can merge it with the C drive. Use the "Disk Management" tool to view the disk layout. To access it, right-click on the Windows Start button, and select "Disk Management." 3. **Resize partitions:** In Disk Management, right-click on the partition adjacent to the C drive (usually D drive if present) and choose "Shrink Volume." This will create unallocated space next to the C drive. 4. **Extend C drive:** After shrinking the adjacent partition, right-click on the C drive and select "Extend Volume." Follow the wizard to add the unallocated space to the C drive. 5. **Third-party tools:** If there's no unallocated space adjacent to the C drive, you may need to use third-party partition management software like tools Partition Master, MiniTool Partition Wizard, or AOMEI Partition Assistant. These tools allow you to move partitions and create unallocated space more flexibly. Remember to back up your important data before making any changes to disk partitions, as errors during the process can lead to data loss.

1. Right-click on the C: drive and select "Resize/Move".

2. Drag the end of the system partition into the unallocated space to add space to C: drive, and then click “OK”.

Step 3: Keep all the changes to extend C: drive.

点击“执行任务”，然后点击“应用”，以保存所有更改并扩展系统C驱动器。

< strong >Video Tutorial: Extend C Drive in Windows 10/8/8< /strong >

方法2：使用磁盘管理扩展C盘

Applies to: Increasing C drive space in Windows 7 without using any software, for free.

Windows Disk Management is a built-in, free disk utility in Windows that requires no computer skills. Though it's a simple tool, there are some crucial things you need to be aware of.

• There must be contiguous unallocated space next to the C system volume. Otherwise, the "Extend Volume" option will be disabled.
• The unallocated space must be located on the right side of the C drive. You cannot add non-contiguous unallocated space to the system C drive unless deleting a neighboring drive, which would result in complete data loss.

Guide: How to Extend C Drive using Windows Disk Management

Although it's applicable to people of all ages, we still recommend that you proceed with caution when using the following steps to add unallocated space to the C drive:

Step 1. Right-click on "My Computer/This PC", click "Manage", then select "Disk Management".

Step 2. Right-click on the C drive and select "Extend Volume".

Step 3. Agree with the default settings to merge the full size of the empty chunk to the C drive. Click "Next".

Method 3: Extend System C Drive with DiskPart

Applies to: Increase the size of C drive space in Windows 7 without any software; free but complex for beginners.

The Windows Command Prompt works similarly to Disk Management, requiring the same two fundamental conditions: 1. Unallocated space; 2. Unallocated space adjacent to the C drive.

It's intended for inexperienced users, but we still recommend not rushing to this method because a small mistake can damage the data on your entire hard drive.

Guide: How to Expand the System C Drive Using DiskPart Command Prompt

Follow each step meticulously, and let's begin with the Diskpart command lines.

Step 1. Press the Windows + X keys and select "Command Prompt (Admin)".

Step 2. Type diskpart and press Enter.

Step 3. Type list volume and press Enter.

Step 4. Type select volume x and press Enter. (Replace X with the C drive number. In my case, the system C drive is Volume 1.)

Step 5. Type extend size=number and press Enter. (Replace "number" with the size in MB that you want to add to your C drive.)

Method 4: Increasing C Drive Space without Unallocated Space

Applies to:  Add space to C drive without unallocated space on Windows 7 hard drive disk, a reliable & efficient solution.

请注意，如果您的计算机硬盘上没有未分配的空间，情况可能会变得有些复杂。这里为您提供了三种尝试的选项：

1. #1. Delete a neighboring partition next to the C drive.
2. #2. Shrink the volume and leave unallocated space behind the C drive. (Learn how)
3. #3. Allocate free space from another partition to the C drive. (Most Recommended)

Since the first two options may lead to data loss, it's not recommended for you to attempt them. Instead, we highly suggest option 3 - transferring space from other drives to the C drive. For instance, you can move space from Drive D to Drive C.

Important: You'll need to download and upgrade to the Professional Edition of Partition Master for this. Its Resize/Move feature lets you easily allocate free space from other volumes to your target partition without compromising your saved data.

Steps to Extend C Drive without Unallocated Space

< b >Step 1. Locate the Target Partition.< /b >

Go to Partition Manager, locate the target partition and select "Resize/Move".

Step 2. Extend the Target Partition.

Slide the partition panel rightwards or leftwards to include the unallocated space into your current partition, and then click "OK" to confirm.

Additional Option: Obtain Space from Another Drive

如果磁盘上没有足够的未分配空间，右键单击一个具有足够自由空间的大分区，然后选择“分配空间”。

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

Step 3. Perform Operations to Extend the Partition.

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

Next, click the "Execute Task" button and click "Apply" to save all the changes.

Extended Reading: Why Can't I Extend C Drive

For various reasons, you might encounter the issue of the C drive not having enough space. Most users can resort to the上述4 methods to easily resolve the problem.

However, according to many Windows 7/8/10 users, some of them also encountered extending C drive failure issue. In a word, they could neither increase C drive space in Disk Management nor DiskPart.

So why can't you extend the C drive? As mentioned above, there are two reasons:

1. There is no unallocated space on the system disk.
2. The unallocated space is not adjacent to or following the C drive.
3. The unallocated space is part of the extended partition, not on the primary volume.

Any of the aforementioned issues can prevent you from extending a volume on your computer. For instance, you might encounter an error message stating "There is not enough usable space for this operation" when there is no contiguous unallocated space on the right side of the system drive partition in DiskPart.

So how to solve this problem? Refer to the solutions provided in Method 4, and you will successfully extend the C drive with enough space using the Partition Master tool.

底线

Disk partitioning involves dividing a large hard drive into several segments, with each allocation a specific amount of disk space to separate the operating system and installed programs from individual files. On one hand, it is a relatively secure method to protect data from computer crashes or system reinstallation.

However, due to various reasons, your computer's hard drive partition might become full, or you might encounter a low disk space issue on the C drive in Windows 7/8/10. The ideal solution is to extend the C drive or reallocating space on your computer's partitions.

On this page, we've gathered 4 reliable methods and will use extending the C drive as an example to demonstrate how to increase the size of the target partition on your own.

For a simple and effortless method, Partition Master is your best option.

你可以按照上述方法来扩展C盘和其他驱动器，以保持你的电脑运行在最佳状态。

People Also Ask How to Extend C Drive Space in Windows 7

If you still have more concerns about extending partitions in Windows 7, check the questions and find your answers below:

1. How do I add more space to my C drive on Windows 7?

Generally, we don't recommend moving C drive space to other hard drives on your computer. This is because Windows tends to store system caches and numerous temporary files in the C drive, which can easily become full. It's advisable to maintain a certain amount of free space (50GB or even more) on your system drive.

If you insist on doing so, here are some tips for you to try:

First, Shrink C Drive > Next, Extend Target Drive with Resize/Move Feature in the Partition Master tools.

2. How to obtain more disk space?

通常，有三种方法可以获取硬盘上的更多空间：

1. #1. Extend the drive with unallocated space.
2. #2. Free up disk space by deleting unnecessary junk files, backing up large files to an external storage, and uninstalling useless programs, etc.
3. #3. Clone and upgrade the disk to a larger one.

3. How to check hard disk space in Windows 7?

两种在Windows 7中检查硬盘空间的方法：

1. #1. Click "My Computer" to open File Explorer > Check the disk space on each hard drive on your computer.
2. #2. Right-click "My Computer" > Choose "Manage" > Click "Disk Management" > Check the total disk space and the size of each volume in Windows 7.