However, if utility or data partitions are required, they should be placed either before the Windows partition or after the Windows RE partition. The recommended partition layout doesn't include utility or data partitions. For example, NTFS may reserve 5-15MB or more on a 750MB partition.
The Windows Recovery Environment (Windows RE) tools require additional free space: This allows Windows to modify and recreate the partition later if future updates require a larger recovery image. We recommend that you place this partition in a separate partition, immediately after the Windows partition.
Software tools to extend the visible partition space beyond 2 TB are not supported on BIOS because they can interfere with software solutions for application compatibility and recovery.Ĭreate a separate recovery partition to support automatic failover and to support booting Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption-encrypted partitions.
For information about how to create additional partitions beyond this limit, see Configure More than Four Partitions on a BIOS/MBR-Based Hard Disk. Typically, these standard partitions are designated as primary partitions. Windows does not support the GUID partition table (GPT) file system on BIOS-based computers.Īn MBR drive can have up to four standard partitions. When you deploy Windows to a BIOS-based device, you must format hard drives by using an MBR file system.
ChromeOS and Android are a bit more forgiving, needing only 8-16 GB.If you use a custom partition layout on Windows 10 or Windows 11 for desktop editions (Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Education), update the Push-button reset recovery script so the recovery tools can recreate the custom partition layout when needed. A new Windows or DOS-based system may need at least 10-20 GB or more.
Just be sure to choose the correct file system format type first.Īs an added note, Linux and some UNIX OSs tend to need at least 6-10 GB of free space.
This partition is the one you can mount a new OS to, if you so choose. Once performed, you can then create a new partition and delineate it as a sort of virtual drive, which can be formatted, allowing for read-write access. This will leave you with more unallocated space when complete, which you can use to create a new partition. Your MB size cannot exceed the maximum delineated, for the sake of the existing file system (unless you wish to risk overwriting files and corrupting existing the file system). The system will perform a query when you choose to do the shrink, indicating the amount of space you can shrink from your chosen volume/partition. If you choose to shrink an existing partition/volume, you will be asked for how many MB you wish for the requested partition to be reduced by. If you choose to make a new partition, you will be asked for the desired size in MB, that of which cannot exceed the amount of unallocated space on your HDD(s), depending upon your hardware configuration (and whether or not you have any separate storage locations, like an actual secondary or 'jaz' drive). Once you open the tool, either select an existing volume/partition to shrink/resize, or select unallocated space to create a new volume/partition with. This can be found through a simple search in the Start Menu search bar. To resize/shrink a partition or volume in Windows, open the Disk Management tool.