How to Resize Ext4 Partition on Windows 10/11

About Ext4 partition

The Ext4 file system, often known as the fourth extended file system, is a journaling file system for Linux that was created as the successor to Ext3. While Windows cannot read Ext4 by default.

The Ext3 file system can only support a maximum of 32TB file system and 2TB files. Depending on the specific architecture and system settings used, the actual capacity limit may be lower than this number; that is, it can only accommodate 2TB file systems and 16GB files. The Ext4 file system supports up to 1EB of capacity, while the file system supports up to 16TB.

The Ext4 file system is built on Ext3 and introduced many new features, while maintaining backward and forward compatibility with Ext3, which has won the hearts of many Linux users.

Why am I unable to resize Ext4 partition?

You are likely dual-booting Windows and Linux, or managing a Linux drive from a Windows PC. You see the partition in Disk Management, but the 'Extend Volume' and 'Shrink Volume' options are greyed out.

And also, you will be unable to access any files on the Ext4 partition and unable to resize Ext4 partition under the Windows environment.

Although Linux has compatibility with Windows NTFS partitions, Windows cannot read Linux partitions without the use of third-party software. As a result, you cannot perform regular management such as creating, formatting, and copying Ext4 partitions with Disk Management or Diskpart.

How to resize Ext4 partition on Windows 10 PC?

Since you can’t even format EXT4 partition via Windows tools as we mentioned above, here, we recommend you a disk and partition manager, AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. This tool can recognize NTFS, FAT32, Ext2, Ext3, Ext4, and exFAT file systems and allows users to format their partitions between these file systems. And after the formatting, you can resize the partition also with this helpful tool.

Part 1. Format Ext4 partition

Step 1. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant. Right-click the Ext3 partition of the disk and select “Format Partition”. 

Step 2. Choose NTFS in the File System list and click “OK”.

Step 3. Click “Apply” and then “Proceed” to start the formatting process.

Part 2. Resize partition

When the format is over, you’ll back to the main interface of this tool. Then, let’s do the resize.

Step 1. Right-click the target partition, and choose the feature “Resize/Move Partition".

Step 2. You can drag to shrink the partition. If you drag from right to left, the unallocated space will be on the right of the selected partition. If you drag from left to right, the space will be on the left of the selected partition.

Step 3. Then, click “Apply” to confirm the operation.

Then you can use the unallocated space to create a new partition or merge it into one of the partitions on the same disk.

Bonus tips: Create Ext4 partition on Windows

Although Windows doesn’t support Ext4, AOMEI Partition Assistant allows you to create/clone Ext4 partition on a Windows PC. And when you boot into the Linux system, your system will show the newly created partition and the cloned partition. You can store data or manage them in your Linux straightly.

Use the “Create Partition” feature, and you can create an Ext4 partition on unallocated space.

Step 1. Right-click the unallocated space, and select “Create Partition”. 

Step 2. In the subsequent window, you can set the partition size, and drive letter, and choose the Ex4 file system for the new partition.

Step 3. Click “Apply” to confirm.

Furthermore - EXT4 Partition Reader under Windows 11/10

If you prefer an open-source solution and are comfortable working outside of the Windows operating system, GParted (GNOME Partition Editor) is the industry standard for managing Linux partitions. Since Windows cannot natively handle Ext4, you cannot run GParted directly as a Windows application; instead, you must create a bootable USB drive and boot your computer into a Linux environment.

Note: This method requires a USB flash drive and will require you to restart your computer and modify BIOS/UEFI settings.

Pros:

• Completely free and open-source.

• Native support for Ext4 file systems.

Cons:

• Time-Consuming: Requires downloading large files, creating boot media, and rebooting.

• Complex: Requires navigating BIOS/UEFI menus, which can be intimidating for beginners.

• Interrupts Workflow: You cannot use your Windows PC while the resizing process is happening.

Final lines

To resize Ext4 partition in Windows, you need to use a reliable third-party tool. AOMEI Partition Assistant is a versatile tool as we’ve shown in this guide. Besides the functions we’ve introduced, you can convert to GPT/MBR partition scheme, move installed programs to another drive, migrate OS to another disk, and so on.

And if you’re using Windows Server, you can choose the Server Edition to manage your devices conveniently.

FAQs

Q1: Why is "Extend Volume" greyed out for my Ext4 partition in Windows Disk Management?
Answer: Windows does not recognize the Ext4 file system (used by Linux). It treats the partition as an unknown "Healthy (Primary Partition)" or generic data. Because Windows cannot read the file structure, it blocks native tools from shrinking or extending it to prevent data corruption.

Q2: Do I need to unmount the Ext4 partition before resizing?
Answer: If you are resizing the partition while running Windows, the partition is not "mounted" in the Linux sense, so you don't need to unmount it manually. However, if you are using a Linux Live CD (like GParted), you must ensure the target partition is unmounted (key icon is gone) before applying changes.

Q3: Can I view files inside the Ext4 partition on Windows 10/11?
Answer: Not natively. Windows Explorer will not show the drive letter for Ext4 partitions. To view or transfer files, you need third-party drivers (like Linux Reader or Ext2Fsd) or use the WSL2 (Windows Subsystem for Linux) mount command: wsl --mount --partition.