How to Increase C Drive in Windows Server

By default, every system includes disk storage. The C drive is the system's default drive. C drive contains all of the operating systems, programs, data, and files. Because of two reasons, storing important data and files on a C drive is not advised. To begin with, large data kept on a C drive harms the system's speed and performance. It will eventually result in a disk space shortage. Second, data will be lost if a virus or a Windows upgrade is required. 

Though the C drive by default has enough capacity to store. But if the storage limit exceeds, it has an impact on the window system. No matter how much the capacity a drive holds. Files, applications, and documents take up space not only as their file size but as cache memory too. 

When you need to store a lot of data, you'll need a lot more storage space. When there is a need for space on a Windows server, we normally remove some unwanted or additional files. However, this is only a temporary solution. It is advisable to establish a partition for a more efficient and stable solution. The space on other discs is used to construct these partitions.

The disc size has been increased to solve the low disc space issue. The disc size will be expanded by removing old volumes and merging them into a C drive to make more room.

We'll look at how to expand disc space in this article. We'll start by looking at a third-party service that is trustworthy and that we prefer to utilize. Aside from that, we'll go over the system's built-in capabilities for increasing disc space step by step.

We'll look at both disc management and CMD in this article. By the conclusion, you will be able to determine which approach is ideal for you. So, let's take a closer look at the specifics.

Method 1. Using Third-Party Server Disk Manager 

To expand the disc space on the C drive. EaseUS Partition Master is a third-party utility that we suggest. This tool enables you to do tasks quickly. This tool has a user-friendly UI. It allows you to build a division and distributes space appropriately. It allows you to make the most of your available space. The following are some of the key features of EaseUS Partition Master:

• The remarkable Extend/ Shrink Function 
• Increases C Drive Space, extend partitions without data loss 
• Allows you to directly drag to increase storage space 
• Tech support available

Some of the silent features of EaseUS Partition Master are listed below: 

• It supports converting NTFS to FAT32 
• Capable of creating split partitions 
• Reduce restart requirement. 
• For low disk space, it merges partition and creates a large partition 
• Identifies and fixes the error in partitions 
• Capable of cloning partitions 
• Change label partition and improve data organization 
• Free trial available 
• Provide 100% data security 

If you're using the third-party tool EaseUS Partition Master to expand your partition, it will effectively divide the space. The trial version may be downloaded from the official website, but for complete features, you need to purchase the software.

Begin by installing it on your system. Select the disc that you want to increase in size. There is just one resize/remove option in the program. It will start enlarging the partition. If you wish to use the unallocated space on another disc, make sure you choose it as well. It will resize the disc partition according to the available space.

Option 1. Extend System C drive with unallocated space

1. 1. Right-click on the System C: drive and select "Resize/Move".
2. 2. Drag the system partition end into the unallocated space so to add it to the C: drive. And click "OK". 
3. 3. Click "Execute Task" and "Apply" to execute the operations and extend the C drive.

Option 2. Extend System C drive without unallocated space

1. 1. Right-click a big partition with enough free space on the system disk, select "Allocate Space".
2. 2. Select the system drive at the Allocate Space From (*) To section, and drag the end of System C drive into the unallocated space. Click "OK" to confirm.
3. 3. Click "Execute Task", it will list the pending operations, and click "Apply" to save the changes and extend the C drive.

0:00-0:26 Extend System Drive with Unallocated Space; 0:27-0:58 Extend System Drive without Unallocated Space.

Method 2. Increase C drive on Disk Management 

Disk management is a built-in function in disk management to increase C drive space. Do note that when there is no adjacent unallocated space behind in target partition the extended volume will grey out. To resolve such an issue you have to shrink or delete volume first and then extend the C drive. The steps to increase disk C drive space using disk management are listed below: 

Step 1. Go to the start menu and open disk management 

Step 2. Select the target volume. Right-click and select delete volume. 

Now you will have the unallocated space available

Step 3. Now select the C drive to right-click and select extend volume.

Step 4. It will lead you to the Extend Volume Wizard. Click on Next.

Step 5. Here enter the space you want to get allocated in C drive and press Next. 

Step 6. Click on Finish 

Step 7. You have your C drive with allocated new space. 

Video Tutorial: Increase C Drive in Windows Server via Disk Management/Partition Manager Software

Aside from these two methods, you can still apply CMD command lines to add space to your C drive. Check out the details below.

Method 3. Using CMD to Add Space 

The second built-in method to increase C drive is by using CMD. Below is the detail of using CMD to increase C Drive with and without unallocated space: 

1. Increase C Drive with Unallocated Space

Step 1. Click Windows + R to open the Run dialog box.

Step 2. Type CMD, and click Enter to open Command Prompt as Administrator.

Step 3. Type diskpart and click Enter to open DiskPart.

Step 4. Type the following CMD command lines and press Enter each time to extend C drive:

• 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 this, you can restart the system and you'll get a larger C drive on your computer.

2 - Enlarge C Drive without Unallocated Space

You'll be displayed the error "Virtual Disk Service error: There is not enough usable space for this operation" if you don't have unallocated space behind your C drive. In such a scenario, you first need to delete the adjacent drive behind the C drive to get an unallocated space.

Don't forget to back up all your data to another location before doing this. Now, follow the steps below to extend the C drive, which are the same as before:

Step 1. 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 given below and click Enter each time:

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

After this, you can restart your system to get your C drive expanded.

Final Words 

We have proposed three approaches for increasing C drive space. When it comes to identifying space, the default approach with disk management does not operate correctly. You may lose data if you use CMD. So, we recommend EaseUS Partition Master. This is a reliable application. Aside from that, its user-friendly layout enables you to do tasks swiftly.