Enlarge system partition in Windows 10

If you are slowly but surely running out of memory on your system partition under Windows 10, you can increase it. We show you step by step how to do it.

Easeus Partition Master: enlarge system partition under Windows 10

Note: Under Windows 10, the possibilities to enlarge the system partition are quite limited. In many cases you need a program like Easeus Partition Master Free for the project. With the free edition you can manage hard disks up to 8 TB and also comfortably enlarge the system partition.

1. Start the Easeus Partition Master Free and select a partition that you want to shrink. This must be done first so that there is room to enlarge the system partition.
2. Click the "Move the partition, resize" option on the left.
3. Here you can now change the size of the partition using the slider or by entering the desired values.
4. If you close the window with the "OK" button, the new free space becomes visible.
5. Now select the system partition (usually drive C) and click again on the left on the option "Move the partition, resize it".
6. Here you can add the new storage space again using the controller.
7. Close the window with "OK" and click on the button on the top right to make the changes. This process may take a few seconds to complete.
8. Tip: You only need the Pro version for around 35 euros if you want to support unlimited hard disk capacity or manage dynamic volumes, for example.

Step 1: Preparations to enlarge the system partition using Windows on-board tools

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If the C: is partitioned, right-click on the drive to open the context menu and select "Shrink partition".

Alternatively, you can try Windows on-board tools. Note: Free space cannot be moved under Windows. The free space must be directly behind the partition.

1. Press the "Windows" and "X" keys at the same time, so that the context menu opens at the bottom left.
2. Select the "Disk management" here and wait a moment for it to load.
3. Now search for the desired partition below. The system partition is usually titled "Windows" and is marked with the drive letter "C:".
4. In order to enlarge the system partition C, another partition must first be reduced. In our example we use the second partition "D:" (see picture).

Step 2: shrink the second partition in Windows 10

Note: In these instructions, we continue to use the letters C for the system partition and D for the second partition to be reduced. Other letters can be used on your computer.

1. Right-click on the partition D you want to shrink and select the "Shrink Volume" option.
2. Windows automatically shows you the maximum memory to be released. Select here how much memory you want to free and make sure that the partition still has enough memory.
3. The process is started with the "Zoom out" button. Depending on the size of the partition, this process can take a few minutes.

Step 3: enlarge system partition in Windows 10

After the reduction, the share should be displayed as "Not assigned".

1. The system partition can now be expanded by this memory.
2. Right-click on system partition C and select the "Extend Volume" option.
3. The maximum value is usually already set here. The process is completed with the "Expand" button. This can take a little longer than the downsizing.