How to Extend a Partition Without Losing Data

If you want to extend a partition but are afraid of losing the data then don't worry because here we come with a tutorial. In this tutorial, you will learn how you can increase the partition of a drive without formatting / losing any data from it.

There are 3 methods to extend a partition without losing any data and here we will see all these three methods. But before you use any of these methods, it is always recommended to backup your important data first. Although these methods are safe but in case something goes wrong, your data remains safe.

So let's start this tutorial:

Method 1: AOMEI Partition Assistant to Resize Partition Safely

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional (PA Pro) is a useful program to resize both NTFS and FAT32 partitions by keeping your data safe. You can extend or shrink any partition with a few clicks.

You need to follow this procedure to change your partition size.

1. Download AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional (PA Pro).

2. Install it. The whole interface will look like this.

3. Now suppose you want to extend the C: then look for unallocated space. If there is no unallocated space then get some unallocated space from the other drive. For example, if the D: has much space then right click on it, you will see multiple options there (as shown in the fig.).

4. Click on "Resize Partition". A window will open. To reduce the partition, just move the slider towards left (If you want to free unallocated space after D:) or move the slider from left to right (If you want to free unallocated space before D:). This way, you will get some unallocated space. Click OK to save it.

5. Now right click on C: and select "Resize Partition". Here you will see some unallocated space. Just move the slider to the right and click OK. After sometime, you will see C: is enlarged.

Please note that it is a paid software and will not work properly if you use demo version. You can instead use the Home Edition of this software. Download it here

Method 2: Use Disk Management Utility

Here is the second method of resizing a partition in which you will use the built-in Disk Management Utility.

1. Open Disk Management Utility by right clicking My Computer > Manage > Disk Management (found under Storage tab).

2. Look for the unallocated space. If it is not, then you need to free up some space. To do this, right click on the drive (e.g., D:) you wish to shrink. Select "Shrink Volume" and enter the value you want to free up space and click OK.

3. Now right click on the drive (e.g., C:) which you wish to extend. Here you will see the option "Extend Volume" is available now. Just enter the value in numbers and click OK. 

4. By this method, you will be able to extend a partition without losing any data.

Method 3: Resize with DiskPart.exe Utility

(Credits: Disk Partition)

You can use Diskpart.exe utility to manage disk partition in a command line (CMD). For a NTFS partition or volume, it can extend by incorporating unallocated space into an existing NTFS volume with preserving the data. Here I just show you how to resize NTFS partition by the DiskPart.exe. Start with the following steps:

• Click Start and type "CMD", then press Enter.
• In the command line prompt input: DISKPART.exe.
• Type "help" to show its help information.
• First, use "select" to choose a right partition that you prefer to.
• Execute the "extend" command.
• For more information about Diskpart.exe, read on: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/325590/

I hope you will find this tutorial helpful. I am again saying you that always backup your data for security reasons before doing any such activity. In case of any difficulty, feel free to ask. Thanks :)