AOMEI Partition Assistant
Why Can't I Increase Amount To Shrink? How to Fix it?
Why can’t I increase amount to shrink? You can read this post to know the reasons. Here is also a quick fix when you can’t shrink partition.
By Irene / Updated on February 10, 2025
Why can’t I increase amount to shrink?
In forums like Super User, Microsoft Community, Reddit, and others, it is common to see questions like "why can't I increase the amount to shrink?" If you're having trouble shrinking a partition in Disk Management, there are a few common reasons for this:
The reasons for "why can’t I increase amount to shrink":
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Unmovable files: Files like the hibernation file, pagefile, and system volume information folder (used by System Restore) are located at the end of the volume and cannot be moved.
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File system errors: Corrupt file systems can make volumes or partitions inaccessible or invisible, causing issues when shrinking.
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Fragmented files: Fragmentation can separate files on the drive, making it difficult to create contiguous free space for shrinking. You can run disk defragmentation to fix the issue.
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Partition type: If the partition is FAT32, it cannot be shrunk. The Shrink and Extend Volume options only support NTFS partitions.
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Not enough space: If there isn’t enough available space for the shrinking operation, you may see error messages like “There is not enough space available on the disk(s) to complete this operation.”
To resolve these issues and successfully shrink the partition, using a reliable disk partition manager like AOMEI Partition Assistant can be very helpful. It can resize the partition even if unmovable files are in the way and also repair corrupted drives if that’s the cause.
How to fix the can't shrink partition issue?
If you're unable to shrink a volume because of unmovable files or file system issues (like FAT32 partitions not being supported), AOMEI Partition Assistant can help. It's a powerful alternative to Microsoft’s built-in tools, allowing you to easily resize partitions on Windows with just a few clicks. It is a reliable and easy-to-use tool for resizing partitions on Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, and 7. Unlike Disk Management, AOMEI Partition Assistant provides a safer and more flexible solution for resizing partitions.
With just one click, you can resize partitions to meet your needs. The "1-Click Adjust Space" feature makes it simple to manage free space on your disk. You can also drag the edges of partitions to adjust their size, making the process quick and efficient. AOMEI Partition Assistant allows you to adjust multiple partitions at once, saving both time and effort.
AOMEI Partition AssistantThe Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer
It even lets you convert FAT32 to NTFS without data loss. If you don’t want to do this, the tool also offers additional features, such as resizing partitions using non-adjacent unallocated space and managing encrypted partitions, making disk management much easier.
Step 1. Download and install AOMEI Partition Assistant on your device. Launch the software, right-click the partition you want to shrink, and select the 1-Click Adjust Space option.
Step 2. To shrink a partition without losing data, simply drag the dot at the beginning or end. For example, if you want to reduce the F: partition, drag the dot to the right. This action will shrink the F: partition and enlarge the D: partition simultaneously. Then, click OK to proceed.
Alternatively, you can 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.
Step 3. After setting the desired adjustments, preview the changes in the Pending Operations window. Then click Apply > Proceed to confirm and apply the changes.
Step 4. Wait for the operation to be finished. It may take a few minutes. Once complete, the partition sizes will have been adjusted accordingly.
Note: This tool does not support adjustments for unallocated space directly. If there is unallocated space on your disk and you want to expand a partition with it, consider using the Resize Partition tool instead.
Conclusion
If you're unable to shrink a volume because of unmovable files or file system issues (like FAT32 partitions not being supported), AOMEI Partition Assistant can help. It's a powerful alternative to Microsoft’s built-in tools, allowing you to easily resize partitions on Windows with just a few clicks. It is a reliable and easy-to-use tool for resizing partitions on Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, and 7. Unlike Disk Management, AOMEI Partition Assistant provides a safer and more flexible solution for resizing partitions.
This comprehensive software can also help you to merge partitions, clone partitions, create a new partition with ease. You can also use its advanced features like convert MBR to GPT without losing data, clone the old disk to the new one, migrate OS to SSD to enhance the system performance, and so on. If you are a Windows Server user, you can choose the AOMEI Partition Assistant Server edition.
