How To Shrink Windows Partition using GParted

This article will show you how to shrink a Windows partition.  One reason you would want to shrink the Windows partition is if you want to install another operating system on it for a dual boot system such as Linux.  Another reason may be because you want to separate the OS and software from the data.

1. Turn off Windows Fast Startup:
   Boot into Windows
   Go to: Control Panel > Power Options > Choose what the power button does
   • Click “Change settings that are currently unavailable”
   • Uncheck “Turn on fast startup”
2. Disable Hibernation:  Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
   powercfg /h off
3. Backup important data
   • Resizing partitions is safe with GParted, but it’s still best to back up in case of power loss or error.

Step 1: Download and Create GParted Live USB

1. Download GParted Live ISO: https://gparted.org/download.php
2. Download and run Rufus
3. Select:
   • Device: your USB stick
   • Boot selection: the GParted ISO
   • Partition scheme: MBR (or GPT based on your system)
4. Click Start, then wait until it’s done.

Step 2: Boot Into GParted Live

1. Insert the USB stick into the computer.
2. Reboot and press the boot menu key (e.g., F12, F10, ESC, etc.).
3. Select the USB stick.
4. GParted Live will start — choose defaults unless you know what you’re doing.
5. Once in the desktop, GParted will auto-launch.

Step 3: Shrink the Windows Partition

1. In GParted, locate the Windows partition — usually labeled as:
   • ntfs type
   • Something like /dev/sda1
2. Check the partition
   • Right-click it → Information
   • Make sure the partition is not marked with a warning, and the filesystem is clean.
3. Resize the partition
   • Right-click the Windows partition → Resize/Move
   • In the pop-up window:
     • Drag the right edge leftward, or
     • Enter the new size manually (e.g., reduce from 500GB to 200GB)
   • Click Resize/Move
4. You’ll now see the change queued, not yet applied.
5. (Optional) You can now create a new partition in the freed space if needed.

Step 4: Apply the Changes

1. Click the green checkmark (✓) button in the toolbar: Apply All Operations
2. Confirm when prompted.
3. Wait for the operation to complete. This may take some time, especially on large partitions.

Do not interrupt this process — it may damage the filesystem if aborted.

Step 5: Reboot and Let Windows Adjust

1. Remove the GParted USB.
2. Reboot into Windows.
3. Windows will likely run a disk check (chkdsk) or automatically scan the filesystem — let it finish.

Verify Success

• Check This PC or Disk Management in Windows (diskmgmt.msc) to confirm the new size.
• Everything should be working as normal, with a smaller Windows partition and free space now available.

Troubleshooting Tips

Problem	Solution
Partition grayed out in GParted	It may be hibernated – disable hibernation and Fast Startup in Windows
Resize fails	Check disk for errors in Windows first: chkdsk C: /f /r
Windows doesn’t boot	Boot into recovery and run Startup Repair
Filesystem errors	Boot into Linux and run ntfsfix /dev/sda1