AOMEI Partition Assistant 
Can You Shrink a BitLocker Partition Without Unlocking in Windows 10 and 11?
Can you shrink a BitLocker partition without unlocking it in Windows 10 and 11? Yes, you can. This article will share some practical methods to help you shrink a partition with BitLocker or other unmovable files.
By Irene / Updated on January 15, 2025
User case: Can I shrink a BitLocker partition?
Can I resize my BitLocker partition without unlocking and losing data? I have Windows installed on my work laptop which I do not have admin rights (BitLocker filesystem). I want to shrink that partition so I can dual-boot Manjaro along side the Windows. From Manjaro installation ISO I can resize that partition, but my question is, can I shrink a BitLocker partition without decryption, and is there any guarantee that my windows partition won't lose data or go corrupted?
- Question from Super User
Can you shrink a BitLocker partition? Yes, you can shrink a BitLocker-encrypted partition, but certain conditions must be met. BitLocker encryption secures a partition while keeping the file system, like NTFS, functional for administrative tasks such as resizing. During the shrinking process, the system determines the amount of free space available at the file system level, which is permitted as long as the partition is unlocked.
However, the partition must be unlocked with the BitLocker key before any changes can be made; otherwise, no modifications are possible, especially if you are using Windows built-in tools like Disk Management. In addition to this, the amount of shrinkable space is limited by the location of unmovable files, such as system files or metadata, near the end of the partition, preventing further shrinking even if free space appears available.
If the partition is locked, an error may state, "The operation could not be completed because the drive is locked," or if unmovable files restrict resizing, it might say, "There is not enough space available to shrink the volume" If you want to shrink a BitLocker partition without unlocking, the best method is to use a reliable tool. In the next section, we will share such a tool for you.
How to shrink a BitLocker partition without unlocking?
If you need to shrink a BitLocker partition without decrypting it, AOMEI Partition Assistant is a great choice. This intuitive and professional partition management tool makes the process simple and efficient. It offers practical features to adjust partition sizes, allowing you to shrink or extend them quickly and easily. With this software, reorganizing your disk layout becomes a seamless task.
Beyond resizing partitions, AOMEI Partition Assistant helps you efficiently manage them, recover lost data, and resolve hard drive space issues. It ensures you maximize your storage capacity with minimal effort. For PC users needing a dependable solution to fix disk errors or resize partitions, this tool is an essential addition.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
1. 1-Click Adjust Space
If you want to shrink a Windows BitLocker partition without unlocking it, the AOMEI Partition Assistant 1-Click Adjust Space feature makes the process simple. You can resize partitions easily by dragging their edges, allowing for quick and efficient adjustments to your disk layout. This tool also supports modifying multiple partitions at once, saving you time and making disk management more convenient.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. Right-click a partition (here is D: partition) you want to adjust space and select "1-Click Adjust Space".
Step 2. If you want to use the space on F: to expand D: you can simply drag the dot near the partition F: head backward to shrink the partition F: and enlarge the partition D: simultaneously. Then click "OK". You can simultaneously drag the dot near the partition C: tail forward to shrink the partition C: so the D: will also be enlarged with the space of C: at the same time. In this case, you can adjust all partition space (C:, D:, and F:) on the disk.
Step 3. You can preview the operation by viewing the "Pending Operations". To commit the "Pending Operations", please click "Apply" and "Proceed".
Step 4. The process will start and you can check the progress. It might take time to finish the operation.
Step 5. Wait for the operation to be finished. After it is completed successfully, you will find D: is enlarged and both D: and F: are adjusted.
2. Resize partition
If you need to shrink a Windows BitLocker partition without unlocking it, AOMEI Partition Assistant is a great solution. With its Resize Partition feature, you can easily reduce the size of a volume without decrypting it, bypassing the usual limitations of tools like Windows Disk Management. This software is designed to handle these challenges smoothly, offering a more practical and straightforward way to manage your disk partitions.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
Step 1. Install and launch this free partition manager software.
Step 2. Right-click on the partition or volume to be shrunk and select Resize/Move Partition.
Step 3. In the next screen, drag the slider leftwards to shrink the partition.
Step 4. Click OK to preview the partition layout. If no problem, click Apply to run the operation.
Further reading: How to use AOMEI to manage BitLocker partition?
Option 1. Effectively manage BitLocker
AOMEI Partition Assistant includes a dedicated BitLocker toolkit that makes managing BitLocker encryption simple and efficient, even on Windows Home and other supported versions. With this tool, you can quickly encrypt drives, back up the recovery key, change passwords, lock drives, and disable BitLocker as needed.
Option 2. Clone a drive with BitLocker
If you need to clone a BitLocker-encrypted drive in Windows 10 and 11 without unlocking it, AOMEI Partition Assistant is an excellent choice as well. This powerful and reliable software easily handles common cloning challenges, such as copying disks with bad sectors.
With its Sector-by-Sector Clone feature, AOMEI Partition Assistant lets you clone a BitLocker-encrypted drive without needing to unlock it. This method copies every sector, including unused ones, so make sure the destination disk is at least as large as the source disk.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, click "Clone" in the main interface and select "Clone Disk".
Step 2. Choose the hard disk that you need to clone as the source disk and click "Next".
Step 3. Select the destination disk to store the data on the source disk, and then click "Next". Then, you can check the source and destination disk in the next window or change to “Sector to Sector clone”, and click the "Confirm" button to continue if there is no problem.
Here, you can also click the "Settings" button to adjust the partition size on the destination disk or tick "4k alignment" to improve the reading and writing speed of SSD if the target disk is an SSD drive.
Step 4. At last, click "Apply" and "Proceed" in the main interface to start cloning the hard drive.
Summary
Can you shrink a BitLocker partition without unlocking it in Windows 10 and 11? Yes, shrinking a BitLocker-encrypted partition without unlocking it is possible with the right tools. While Windows Disk Management has limitations, AOMEI Partition Assistant offers a practical and reliable solution. With features like "1-Click Adjust Space" and "Resize Partition," it allows you to adjust partition sizes easily and efficiently, even on encrypted drives.
Additionally, its BitLocker toolkit simplifies managing encryption tasks, and the cloning feature ensures secure data transfer without unlocking the drive. Whether you need to shrink, resize, or clone a BitLocker partition, AOMEI Partition Assistant provides the tools to handle these tasks effectively while maintaining data integrity. If you are a Windows Server user, you can choose the Server edition.
