Cannot Shrink Partition More, Even If Space Is Available on Windows 7

My laptop runs Windows 7 and has a 465 GB internal hard disk formatted in MBR. Since there is currently only one partition on the entire drive, I wish to create two more. However, I can reduce my C drive partition to 230 GB using diskpart. But I still have roughly 200 GB of room remaining.

Regarding the reason that the Windows system will not allow you to shrink the C drive, I rounded up some main causes as follows:

• Unmovable System Files: There are usually unmovable system files or boot files at the end of the C drive, making it unable to shrink.
• Fragments Pile Up on the C Drive: Too many fragments will hinder the C drive's performance.
• File System Error: The partition will become inaccessible after a file system error happens.
• Non-NTFS Formats: Windows only supports NTFS, so Disk Management and Diskpart cannot shrink partitions that format to other file systems.

You can retort to an applicable 3rd party partition shrinking software based on the above reasons. EaseUS Partition Master is an all-in-one software that can help you shrink the C drive, format the partition as NTFS, and check file system errors.

Way 1. Shrink the C Drive via EaseUS Partition Master

EaseUS Partition Master can break Windows' limitations and easily resize the C Drive. Launch it and follow the steps:

Way 2. Format the C Drive to NTFS

If your drive is not formatted as NTFS, EaseUS Partition Master will assist you in this case:

Read More: How to Format USB to NTFS

Way 3. Check the File System Errors

If you want to check the file system error on your C drive, you can refer to the guide in the following article:

Related Article: Check File System Error Using EaseUS Partition Master