[3 Ways] How to Increase C Drive Space in Windows 11/10/8/7

To increase C drive space in Windows 10/8/7, you can follow these steps to extend C drive, speed up PC, and optimize your computer's performance. This involves freeing up space on your C drive by deleting unnecessary files, uninstalling unused programs, and compressing files to free up space.

PAGE CONTENT:

1. Why need to increase C drive?
2. What is the best tool for extending C drive?
3. How to increase C drive space in Windows 10/8/7 for free?

Let's see how to enlarge your system C drive on your computers now.

Why Need to Increase C Drive Space

People need to increase the C drive space for various reasons. Primarily, this can be broken down into two main cases: Firstly, when the C drive is running low on space, it can lead to issues such as slow computer performance, crashes, and difficulties in installing new software or updates. Secondly, as people accumulate more files, documents, and programs on their computer, the C drive space becomes insufficient, making it necessary to free up space to maintain a smooth and efficient computing experience.

#1. C drive full, Windows warns with "Low Disk Space" message

You may one day find yourself facing a low disk space warning on your system partition (C: drive), prompting a message from Windows that you're running out of space on Local Disk (C:).

If you have unallocated space on your computer disk, you can directly jump to Step 4 and continue. Otherwise, please check if you have unallocated space on your computer disk. If not, follow our guide step-by-step.

#2. Windows slows down, computer performances goes down

Over time, Windows OS and installed applications generate a significant amount of data, including cache files, that can consume a substantial amount of space on your C drive, making it essential to keep your personal user data separate.

The C drive being full can lead to a significant slowdown in Windows OS performance and overall computer speed. This can also cause issues such as high CPU usage, high RAM memory usage, and problems with Windows 10 updates getting stuck.

If you're in one of the specified situations, the most effective solution is to expand the available space on your C drive. To achieve this, you'll need a trustworthy disk partitioning tool that enables you to extend your local disk C: drive.

3 Best Tools for Extending C Drive in Windows 10/8/7

To extend your system C drive in Windows 10/8/7 for free, consider using one of these three best disk management tools: [insert tool names]. These tools can help you manage your disk space and extend your C drive.

#1. Third-party Qiling Partition Master

#2. Windows Disk Management

#3. DiskPart CMD

Here is a comparison table that will help you to decide which tool suits your needs the most in increasing C drive space:

Comparison	Qiling Partition Master	Windows Disk Management	DiskPart CMD
Increase C drive with adjacent unallocated space	Yes	Yes	Yes
Extend C drive space with non-adjacent unallocated space	Yes	No	No
Best for	All levels of Windows users, beginners' best choice	Experienced Windows users	Administrators

If you prefer an easier solution, you can apply Qiling Partition Master - Partition Master to increase C drive space in Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista with success.

Free Download

To extend your local disk C drive, pick up one of the free methods and follow the respective tutorial. These methods not only work for extending your local disk C drive but also for extending data volumes on your PC.

Method 1. How to Increase C Drive Space with Qiling Partition Master

Increase C drive space and extend system partition in a few simple clicks without losing any data.

Qiling partition manager software offers a simple and intuitive interface for all levels of Windows users, allowing them to freely manage partitions with features such as increasing C drive space, shrinking or extending partitions, and merging non-adjacent partitions.

Step-by-step Guide: Enlarge C Drive Space in Windows 10/8/7

If there is unallocated space on your system disk, you may have to resize the C drive by clicking on it and selecting "Resize/Move".

Step 1: Free up unallocated space for C drive.

If there is no unallocated space on the system disk, click on a partition next to the C: drive and select "Resize/Move" to free up space.

Drag the left panel of the partition to shrink and leave unallocated space behind the system C: drive, then click "Proceed".

Step 2: Increase C drive space.

1. Click on C: drive and select "Resize/Move".

2. To add space to the C: drive, drag the system partition end into the unallocated space. This will merge the unallocated space with the system partition, effectively increasing the size of the C: drive.

3. Click "Proceed" button to add space to C drive.

Method 2. How to Increase Space in C Drive with Windows Disk Management

To extend the C drive manually, you'll need to boot from a Windows installation media, open the Command Prompt as an administrator, and use the built-in disk management tool to delete the recovery partition or shrink the volume of another partition to free up space. This process may require some technical expertise and can potentially lead to data loss if not done correctly. It's recommended to back up your data before proceeding.

Disk Management, a Windows built-in tool, allows users to increase partition size using its "Extend Volume" feature. However, the program has some limitations in increasing disk space.

Extend Volume only works on NTFS and RAW partition, but not on FAT32 or other file systems.
The Extend Volume option will become unavailable if there is no adjacent unallocated space behind the target partition.

To increase C drive with or without adjacent unallocated space, follow the tutorials listed below. In Disk Management, you can extend the local disk C drive by following the right steps, which vary depending on whether there is adjacent unallocated space. By following these steps, you can extend your C drive on your own.

#1. Increase C Drive Space with Adjacent Unallocated Space

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

Step 2. Locate and right-click on the local disk C drive, and choose "Extend Volume".

Step 3. Set and add more space to your system C drive and click "Next" to continue.

Step 4. Click "Finish" to complete the process.

If the unallocated space is not behind the C drive, you can't extend the C drive in Disk Management, but you can use Qiling Partition Master to help with the process.

Free Download

#2. Extend C Drive without Unallocated Space or No Continuous Unallocated Space

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

Step 2. Right-click the adjacent partition next to the C drive (it would be D drive by default), choose "Shrink Volume".

Step 3. Enter the amount of space to shrink, click "Shrink" to confirm.

Step 4. Right-click on local disk C drive and select "Extend Volume".

Step 5. Follow the on-screen instructions to add more space to the system C drive.

Method 3. How to Extend C Drive Space with DiskPart CMD Commands

To extend the C drive space using command lines, be cautious as false operation may cause serious problems.

To extend system partition space using the third free method, you'll need to run a CMD command using DiskPart, an administrator tool that can be complex for normal Windows users. This process requires caution, so proceed with care.

#1. Extend C drive with Contiguous Unallocated Space

Step 1. Open Diskpart prompt window

Press the Windows and R keys to open the Run dialog, type cmd and press Enter to open the Command Prompt as Administrator.
Type diskpart and hit Enter to open DiskPart.

Step 2. Type CMD command lines and hit Enter each time to extend C drive

list disk
select disk x (Replace X with the disk number of your system disk.)
list volume
select volume x (Replace X with the partition number of your C drive.)
extend size =number (Normally, the default size unit is MB.)
exit

After resizing your disk, you can restart your PC and you'll find that your C drive has been expanded, providing more storage space for your computer.

#2. Extend C Drive When There Is No Unallocated Space Behind

If there is no adjacent unallocated space behind your system C drive, you'll encounter the "There is not enough space to place virtual hard disk" error.

"Virtual Disk Service error: There is not enough usable space for this operation" means that the virtual disk service is unable to complete an operation due to insufficient available space on the disk. This could be due to various reasons such as low disk space, fragmentation, or other storage issues.

In this situation, you have two alternatives: you can either revert to using Qiling Partition Master to extend the C drive space, or you can delete the adjacent drive behind the C drive to create an unallocated space.

If you prefer the 2nd option, remember to back up all useful data to another location first. To extend C drive for free, follow these steps: [insert steps here].

Step 1. Open Diskpart prompt window

To open the Run dialog, type `cmd` and hit Enter to open Command Prompt as Administrator.
Type diskpart and hit Enter to open DiskPart.

Step 2. Type command lines below and hit Enter each time:

list disk
select disk x (Replace X with the disk number of your system disk.)
list volume
select volume x 1. Boot from a live USB or CD/DVD. 2.
delete volume
select volume x (Replace X with the partition number of your C drive.)
extend size =number (Normally, the default size unit is MB.)
exit

After using the tool, you can restart your PC to keep the changes, and you'll notice that your C drive is larger and your computer is running faster than before.

Bonus Tips for Increasing C Drive Space

Besides the above-Here are the methods to fix the C drive low space issue and optimize computer performance in one paragraph:

To get an even larger C drive and a faster computer, consider the following tips: free up space on your C drive by deleting unnecessary files and programs, consider upgrading your RAM to improve overall performance, and use a solid-state drive (SSD) to replace your traditional hard drive, which can significantly boost your computer's speed. Additionally, you can also try to consolidate your programs and files to a single drive, or use a cloud storage service to store less frequently used files, freeing up space on your C drive.

1. Back-Up Big Data to An External Storage Device

If you have big files saved on your C drive that you don't need to use often, consider backing them up to an external storage device to free up space on your C drive.

You can use reliable Windows file backup software to help.

2. Delete Useless Large Files in C Drive Regularly

Deleting unnecessary files on your system drive can free up space and ensure the normal operation of your Windows system. To locate and delete large files in Windows 10/8/7, follow these steps: 1. Open File Explorer and navigate to the system drive (usually C:).

3. If Extend Volume Greyed Out, Turn to Qiling Partition Master

When you can't extend a volume using Disk Management, it's likely that there is no unallocated space behind your target volume. Qiling Partition Master can resolve this issue with its Resize/Move feature, and also be used to partition the hard drive.

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Sum Up

On this page, we discussed why increasing C drive space is necessary and introduced the top 3 disk management tools for Windows 10/8/7 users to extend their system C drive and other partitions.

If you're a Windows server user, you can also use the methods listed above to enlarge a hard drive partition.