How to add space to C drive in Windows Server 2012 R2
When there is not enough free space in C drive, you can add more space to C: drive by moving free space from other data partitions. In this article, I’ll show you detailed steps how to add space to C: drive in Windows Server 2012 r2 without losing data. Before doing this, 3 points you should know:
1. Back up before any operations to a server
Some software indicates 100% data secure, but to me, there is no 100%. Even if the software is carefully designed, hardware issue such as bad sectors, power off while partitioning will cause data loss.
2. Select reliable partitioning software
Nobody wants to see system failure or data loss after resizing disk partitions, even if you have backup. A reliable software helps you repartition safely and easily, here I recommend NIUBI Partition Editor. It is able to shrink, extend, split, merge, copy and convert partitions non-destructively. Extend NTFS partition without rebooting. Local and removable hard disk, USB disc, memory cards, all types of hardware RAID, VMware and Hyper-V are all supported, the most important, it is safe.
3. Only partitions in same HDD can be resized
No partitioning software can add disk space to a partition by moving free space from another physical hard disk. Open Server 2012 Disk Management snap-in, you’ll see all disk and inside partitions.
Steps to add more space to C drive in Windows Server 2012 R2:
Step 1: Download NIUBI Partition Editor, right click D: drive and select “Resize/Move Volume“.
Step 2: In the pop-up window, drag the left border rightwards to generate free Unallocated space.
You may also input a value for the Unallocated space directly.
Click OK and back to the main window, where you’ll see 20GB Unallocated space created behind C: drive.
Step 3: Drag the right border rightwards to hold the Unallocated space.
Step 4: Click OK and back to the main window, where you’ll see C drive extended to 60GB by robbing 20GB free space from D. Press Apply on top left to execute, done!
If there is not enough free space in the adjacent D drive, you can get free space from the non adjacent drive E, check the video how to add free space from E to C.
Video guide to add space to C drive in Server 2012 r2
(Recommend full screen by clicking the square at bottom right of this video)
Better than other tools, NIUBI Partition Editor has powerful 1-second rollback technology, which is able to revert server to original status rapidly and automatically, if any error is detected. It is able to clone disk partition without rebooting. You may clone system disk before any operations or regularly as backup. Furthermore, it is 30% – 300% faster because of its unique file-moving algorithm. Besides shrinking and extending partition, it helps you do many other disk partition management operations.