How to extend the C drive in Windows 11 with ease

November 2022 · 7 minute read
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There is one disk drive in our PCs that is specifically meant for all the Windows OS-related installations. This drive is most often the C drive.

If you have also installed the latest Windows 11 operating system on the C drive of your PC, then all of the system updates, most probably all the software that you install, will store all of its files in the C drive.

So, keeping this drive free of junk files and having enough storage space in the C drive becomes pretty crucial as the more space this drive has, the more smoothly your Windows 11 OS will work.

But there is a limit to how much space you can increase on a disk drive and how many files you can delete.

In such a case, the option to extend the C drive in Windows 11 could come handy. Extending a drive is an in-built option that Microsoft provides its users with Windows OS that lets you extend the storage space in an already created disk drive.

For instance, if you wish to extend the C drive storage by 10 GB, then using the drive extension process, you could easily add more space to the specific drive.

This is exactly what we are going to discuss in this guide. Here, we will show you the different methods that you can use to extend the C drive in your Windows 11 PC.

Why is the C drive in my Windows 11 PC filling up?

Windows 11, although new, does bring over all the different computing issues that users of Windows 10 have faced in the past.

Some issues are general and easily fixable, while some are pretty tough to resolve. The problem of the C drive getting full is not new and has been an issue that has several reasons behind it.

We have listed down some of the most common reasons why the C drive in your Windows 11 PC is getting full:

While a better option would be to extend the overall disk capacity of your PC, you can make use of this guide and extend the C drive if you already have ample free storage space available with other disk drives.

How can I extend the C drive in Windows 11?

1. Using Disk Management

  • Open the Start menu.
  • Search for Disk Management and open it.
  • Right-click on C drive and select Extend Volume.haow to extend c drive in windows 11 1
  • Select the number of disks in the Available section and click on Add.how to extend c drive in windows 11 2
  • Click on Next.
  • The wizard will start the process of extending.
  • Click on Finish to close the Disk Management tool.
  • Tip icon
    Tip

    If there is no unallocated space in your Windows 11 PC, then you can follow the steps mentioned below.

  • Open the Start menu.
  • Search for Disk Management and open it.
  • Right-click on the drive which has decent free space available, and select Shrink Volume from the list.shrink volume w11
  • Enter the shrinking size in MB, which is the amount of space that you wish to add to the C drive, and hit the Shrink button to confirm.how to extend c drive in windows 11 3
  • Now right-click on the C drive.
  • Select Extend Volume.haow to extend c drive in windows 11 1
  • Click on the number of disks in the Available section and click on Add.how to extend c drive in windows 11 2
  • Select Next.
  • The wizard will start the process of extending.
  • Click on Finish to close the Disk Management tool.
  • Using the Disk Management tool, you can easily add extra space to the C drive on your Windows 11 PC, and it is fairly easy to use and understand.

    Expert Tip: Some PC issues are hard to tackle, especially when it comes to corrupted repositories or missing Windows files. If you are having troubles fixing an error, your system may be partially broken. We recommend installing Restoro, a tool that will scan your machine and identify what the fault is.
    Click here to download and start repairing.

    However, if you still think that the above process is a bit complicated for you, there is a simple tool that you can use, for which you need to check out the next method.

    Read more about this topic

    2. Use a specialized software

  • Download AOMEI Partition Assistant.
  • Install the software on your PC.
  • Open AOMEI Partition Assistant.
  • Right-click on C drive and select Resize/Move Partition.aomei 1
  • Tick the box next to Assign free space from partition (*) to (C).aomei 2
  • From the drop-down menu select the drive you wish to assign the free space from.aomei 3
  • Use the slider to adjust the amount of space you want to add to the C drive.drag-the-green-bar
  • Click on OK.
  • Right-click on the C drive and select Merge partitions.merge-partition
  • Select the unallocated space and hit OK.tick
  • Hit the Apply and commit the pending operation.apply-proceed
  • The software will show you a preview of the output.
  • To complete, press the Apply button.
  • AOMEI Partition Assistant is one of the most trusted and secure ways of managing certain tasks related to disk management.

    You can perform various tasks, such as extending, shrinking, or even merging partitions, in a matter of a few clicks. All this happens without any data loss.

    There are other added features, including partition format and partition deletion, as well. So, we suggest that you make use of this tool to resolve your query on how to extend the C drive in Windows 11.

    3. Using Command Prompt

  • Open the Start menu.
  • Search for Command Prompt and click on Run as administrator.
  • Type the below command and hit Enter. diskpart
  • Execute the below commands one by one. list volume select volume 0
    • In place of 0 in the second command, you need to enter the disk drive letter you want to increase. For our case, it is the C drive. So, enter the number corresponding to the C drive as mentioned in the list.
  • Type the below command and press Enter. extend[size=n]
    • In place of n, you need to enter the amount of storage you wish to extend. For instance, enter 10 to increase 10 GB.
  • What else can you do to resolve the C drive getting a full issue on your Windows 11 PC?

    The above-mentioned processes help you extend the C drive in your Windows 11 PC. But what if, even after extending the C drive, it still gets filled up?

    It could be because of viruses, malware, or corrupted files. You can check out some additional tips that you can follow to resolve the C drive getting full issue.

    ➡ Check for viruses and malware

  • Click on the upward arrow button on the bottom-right taskbar.see all apps
  • Select Windows Security.windows security
  • Click on Virus & threat protection.virus and threat protection steam error e502 l3
  • HIt the Quick Scan button and let Windows Security scan your PC for viruses and malware.quick scan
  • You can also select the Scan options button.scan options
  • Under Scan Options, choose Full scan to deeply scan your PC for viruses or malware.full scan
  • We made use of the Windows Security Defender to check our Windows 11 PC for viruses or malware since we don’t have any third-party antivirus applications installed on our PC. 

    But the above steps would give you an idea that you need to perform a scan to check for any viruses or malware present on your PC.

    ➡ Run Disk Cleanup

  • Open the Start menu.
  • Search for Disk Cleanup and open it.disk-cleanup windows 11 setup failed to validate product key
  • Select C drive from the drop-down menu.
  • Tick all the boxes which you wish to delete.Disk-cleanup
  • You will be asked to confirm.
  • Hit the OK button.
  • Disk Cleanup is a pretty handy Windows 11 inbuilt tool that lets you easily clear out all the junk present in the C drive of your PC.

    The above methods are sufficient enough to resolve your issue of how to extend the C drive in Windows 11.

    Let us know in the comments below if there are some other methods that you use to extend the C drive in your Windows 11 PC.

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