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Windows Disk Management Unable to Shrink the C Drive, How to Fix?

I made another disc and installed Windows 8.1 on the same after upgrading from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10. However, when I launch the shrink window, the Shrink button is blocked, and the 'amount of space to shrink in MB' box remains inactive. On this, I urgently need assistance.

Best Answered by

Roxanne· Answered on Apr 19, 2024

The notice displayed in Disk Management stated that there are immovable system files at the end of the volume, which is why Windows won't let you shrink the volume. Beyond immovable system files, other reasons lead to the "Unable to shrink the C drive" problem:

  • Insufficient drive space: If the free space on the C drive is not enough, Windows will not allow users to shrink the C drive.
  • Fragments on the C drive: Fragments of the C drive will cause errors, which is why we cannot shrink the C drive.
  • Wrong file system or error: Disk Management can only shrink the NTFS drive.

Since we know what will lead to the "unable to shrink the C drive" issue, I will teach you how to fix it:

Method 1. EaseUS Partition Master

With fewer limitations and professional tools for shrinking partitions, EaseUS Partition Master empowers you to shrink partitions of all file systems.

Step 1. In the "Partition Manager" part, right-click on the C drive and select "Resize/Move."

Step 2. Adjust the shrink size manually or enter the size in MB. Once done, click "OK" to start.

Step 3. Click the "Execute Task" and "Apply" to execute the operation.

Method 2. Disable the Unmovable Files with Diskpart

To disable the unmovable files, you can use command lines to disable the hibernation file and system protection as follows:

More Information: Disable the Unmovable Files

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