Clonezilla Shrink Partitions? Here is What You Need to Know

Can Clonezilla shrink partitions?

Clonezilla is an open-source disk cloning and imaging software that allows you to create copies or backup images of entire disks or individual partitions. Many users wonder if Clonezilla can shrink partitions, especially when trying to clone a larger partition to a smaller one. The short answer is no—Clonezilla cannot resize or shrink partitions directly. If resizing is necessary, you may need to shrink the partition using alternative solutions before cloning.

How to shrink a partition before cloning?

So, how can we safely shrink partitions? This section outlines three practical solutions to resize your partition. Before proceeding, it is advised to back up essential files to avoid potential data loss.

Fix 1. Use AOMEI Partition Assistant to Shrink Partitions

Since Clonezilla can’t shrink partitions, you’ll need to use other tools like AOMEI Partition Assistant to resize them. This is an excellent partition software and disk management tool for Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, and 7. With its 1-Click Adjust Space feature, you can easily and flexibly adjust partition space without losing data.

In addition to adjusting disk space, AOMEI Partition Assistant also offers many advanced features to simplify your disk partition management, including formatting partitions, wiping partitions, and moving partitions. Feel free to download this tool from the link below and give it a try.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

100% Secure

Here’s how to shrink a partition using AOMEI Partition Assistant:

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, right-click the partition you want to shrink, and select the 1-Click Adjust Space option.

Step 2. To use the space on F: to expand D:, simply drag the slider near the beginning of the F: partition backward to shrink it, which will automatically enlarge the D: partition. Then click OK to apply the changes.

Alternatively, you can also drag the slider at the end of the C: partition forward to shrink it, which will further increase the D: partition size with the freed space from C:. This way, you can adjust the space of all three partitions on the disk simultaneously.

Step 3. After setting the desired adjustments, you can preview the changes in the Pending Operations window. Then click Apply and Proceed to confirm the operations.

Step 4. The process may take a few minutes. The partition sizes will be adjusted accordingly once the operation is complete.

Fix 2. Use Disk Management to Shrink Partitions

In addition to AOMEI Partition Assistant, Disk Management is also a good option to manage and change partition size on Windows devices. Here’s how to shrink your partition using this tool:

Step 1. Press Windows+R, type diskmgmt.msc, and press the Enter key.

Step 2. On the main page of Disk Management, right-click the partition you want to shrink, and then select Shrink Volume.

Step 3. In the pop-up window, set the amount of space to shrink and click Shrink.

Step 4. Once the process is complete, the partition will be shrunk.

Fix 3. Use DiskPart to Shrink Partitions

If you're comfortable using command-line tools, DiskPart provides an easy way to resize partitions. Follow these steps to shrink your partition via CMD:

Step 1. Press Windows + R, type cmd, and hit Enter to open Command Prompt.

Step 2. Type the following commands and hit Enter after each one.

• diskpart
• list volume
• select volume X (replace X with the number of the selected volume).
• shrink desired=Y (You can replace Y with the amount of space to shrink in MB and change "shrink" to "extend" to extend the partition).

Step 3. Type exit to close the window.

How to clone partitions with Clonezilla?

Although Clonezilla cannot resize partitions, it is an excellent tool for cloning them. Once you have successfully shrunk your partition using one of the methods above, follow these steps to clone the resized partition with Clonezilla:

Stage 1. Create a Clonezilla Bootable USB

Step 1. Go to the Clonezilla website page to download the ISO file to your PC.

Step 2. Prepare a USB flash drive with at least 1GB of storage to create a Clonezilla bootable USB.

Stage 2. Clone a Partition Using Clonezilla

Step 1. After connecting the bootable USB drive to your PC, restart it and change the boot drive to the USB drive.

Step 2. After booting into Clonezilla, you'll see several options. Select Other modes of Clonezilla Live to proceed, and then choose the To RAM option.

Step 3. Here, you can set your preferred language and keyboard layout, then select Start Clonezilla from the options.

Step 4. Select device-device when you are prompted with several modes. Then select "beginner mode: Accept the default options" > "part_to_local_part local_partition_to_local_partition_clone".

Step 5. When selecting the source and target partitions, ensure that the source partition is the one you want to clone and the target partition is where you want to copy the data.

Step 6. To ensure that the partition table is resized proportionally to fit the target partition size, you can enable Expert Mode.

Step 7. After that, type "y" and press "Enter" 3 times to start cloning.

Step 8. Once the process is complete, reboot your computer. By following these steps, you can successfully clone a partition using Clonezilla.

Although Clonezilla can help you clone partitions, the procedures are tedious and time-consuming, especially for computer beginners. If you are seeking an easier way, consider using the Cloning Partition feature provided by AOMEI Partition Assistant.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Clonezilla cannot shrink partitions, but with tools like AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can easily resize your partitions before cloning them. Once your partitions are resized, Clonezilla can effectively clone them to another disk. If you're looking for a simpler, more user-friendly solution to both clone and resize partitions, AOMEI Partition Assistant would be your first choice.