How to Move Unallocated Space

Unallocated space is free, unused, unformatted computer space at the end of a hard drive. Typically, unallocated space is the result of deleting partitions on a drive. You can take advantage of this free space by creating and formatting a new partition. Once created, the new partition is accessible via Windows for reading/writing. The process is simple.

Instructions

1. Open the Start menu, right-click "Computer" and select "Manage."

2. Select "Storage," then "Disk Management." The Disk Management window opens and displays all connected drives and their partitions. The free, unallocated space is listed to the far right of each drive, after the formatted partitions.

3. Right-click the unallocated space. Select "New Simple Volume..." The new partition wizard opens.

4. Set the desired megabytes to use for the new partition. Enter a name or label for partition.

5. Select the file system format. You have the option of formatting the drive or leaving the drive as is. It is recommended to format it. Click "Next," then "Finish." Once complete, the unallocated space is moved to the newly created partition on the drive.

Tips & Warnings

• You can also extend an existing partition into the unallocated space, adding that free space to the existing partition. To do so, right-click the partition and select "Extend Volume..." You can extend the partition by however much unallocated space there is.

References

• Microsoft: Create and Format a Hard Disk Partition
• How To Geek: Resize a Partition in Windows