In many servers, the system C: drive becomes full while there is plenty of free space in other partitions, such as the D drive. However, in some servers, the D drive may also run out of space. Is it possible to increase a partition's size without reinstalling programs or restoring from backup? The answer is yes. This article introduces three methods to increase the D drive's space in Windows Server 2012 R2 without losing data.
Method 1: Extend D Drive with Disk Management
Windows Server 2012 and subsequent versions have Disk Management to help shrink and extend partitions. However, because of many restrictions, it is not the best choice. To extend the D drive in Server 2012/2016/2019/2022 via Disk Management, the disk partition configuration must meet the following requirements:
- The D drive must be formatted with NTFS.
- There must be adjacent unallocated space on the right side of the D drive.
If you do not use third-party software, you must delete the adjacent partition on the right of the D drive to get unallocated space. There is a 'Shrink Volume' function in Disk Management, so some users may ask why they cannot simply shrink the D drive.
As shown in the test server, Extend Volume is disabled for the D: drive after shrinking both the C: and E: partitions. This is because:
- 'Shrink Volume' can only shrink a partition toward the left and generate unallocated space on the right side.
- 'Extend Volume' can only merge unallocated space into the adjacent partition on the left.
If the D drive is formatted as FAT32, or if there is no other partition on the right side, Disk Management is useless.
Method 2: Increase D Drive Space from C or E
To increase the D drive's space in Server 2012 R2/2016/2019/2022, third-party software such as NIUBI Partition Editor is a better choice.
- It can release unallocated space on either the left or right side while shrinking a volume.
- It can merge unallocated space into either adjacent partition in 1 step.
- It can move unallocated space and merge it into any non-adjacent partition on the same disk.
There are many disk partition software options available in the market, but few are truly safe. Resizing partitions carries a potential risk of system and partition damage. It is strongly recommended to back up or clone your disk partition before proceeding and to use reliable partition software. NIUBI Partition Editor stands out as a safer and faster choice compared to other software, thanks to its innovative technologies.
- Hot Clone - Clone disk partitions in Windows for backup, migration, and fast disk swapping.
- Virtual Mode - All operations are listed as pending for preview, and real disk partitions won't be modified until you click "Apply" to confirm.
- Cancel-at-Will - If you applied incorrect operations, you can safely cancel the ongoing operations at any stage before completion.
- 1 Second Rollback - If any error is detected while resizing partitions, it can immediately and automatically revert the disk partitions to their previous state.
- Advanced file-moving algorithm: Resize and move partitions 30% to 300% faster, saving significant time, especially when handling a large number of files.
Download NIUBI Partition Editor and you will see all disk partitions with structure and other information in the main window.
Available operations for the highlighted disk or partition are listed on the left or by right-clicking. You just need to click, drag, and drop on the disk map to resize disk partitions.
Follow the steps to increase the D: drive's space in Windows Server 2012 from the C or E drive:
As long as there is free space in other partitions on the same disk, you can transfer it to the D partition. The operating system, programs, Windows services, associated settings, and everything else remain exactly the same as before.
If you use any types of hardware RAID arrays, VMware, or Hyper-V, the steps to resize virtual partitions are exactly the same.
Method 3: Increase Size of Partition D with Another Disk
On some servers, there is not enough free space in other partitions. In that case, no partitioning software can add space from another separate disk. A separate disk means Disk 0, Disk 1, etc., as shown by NIUBI or Disk Management.
Follow the steps to increase the size of the D: drive in Windows Server 2012 R2 with another disk:
Copy the single D drive to another disk and increase the space:
Copy the disk to a larger one and extend the partition with the extra disk space:
No matter how your disk partitions are configured, NIUBI Partition Editor can help you increase the D drive's space in Server 2012/2016/2019/2022/2025 without data loss. Select the corresponding method according to your own disk partition structure.
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