Shrink Partition (Shrink Volume)

1. Log on as an Administrator.

2. Go to Control Panel > System and Maintenance > Administrative Tools > Computer Management. You can also open the Computer Management application by using the Computer context menu. Select Computer Management.

In fact, you can go directly to the Disk Management MMC snap-in by typing diskmgmt.msc in the Start's search box or on the Run command.

If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

3. Expand the Storage section, and in it go to the Disk Management console.

4. Select the disk you want to shrink, for example Drive C.

5. Right-click the disk and select Shrink Volume.

6. Process will take a few moments, while the system is looking at the partition structure. Note that it would be best to make sure that that partition was properly defragmented prior to trying to shrink it.

7. When calculation is done, the UI will display the largest amount of space that can be trimmed from the selected partition. Please note, again, that this size is related to the actual amount of free space on that partition (i.e. you cannot shrink more that there is free space), and the amount of file fragmentation on that partition.

Enter the amount in MB and click on the Shrink button.

8. The process will finish quite quickly, and a reboot is NOT required. You can notice the new partition size. Also note that you now have a remaining unused part on the hard drive.