Is It Possible to Increase the Size of a FAT32 Partition Without Losing Data?
I was told I couldn't extend my FAT32 partition because it has some limits. What exactly is the limit? And is it possible to increase the size of a FAT32 partition without losing data?
Best Answered by
Roxanne· Answered on May 16, 2024
When you try to resize the FAT32 partition in Disk Management, you may find the "Extend Volume" option is grayed out, making it impossible to increase the size of the FAT32 partition. That's because FAT32 has a maximum partition size of 32 GB and a 4 GB limit on file sizes. Thus, it can't be extended once a partition is formed as FAT32. Command Prompt will not support resizing the FAT32 partition.
In this case, you have two options: one is to convert FAT32 to NTFS and resize the NTFS partition, and another one is to use a third-party partition manager. However, the conversion between two file systems is troublesome and potentially losing data. Thus, I highly recommend EaseUS Partition Master, which can break the FAT32 file system's limits and let you extend or shrink the FAT32 partition without losing data.
Download EaseUS Partition Master and follow the specific tutorial to increase the size of a FAT32 partition without losing data:
Note: If you already have enough unallocated space next to the system partition, skip to step 2.
Step 1. Shrink another partition to create unallocated space.
- Navigate to the "Partition Manager" section, right-click on the partition next to the FAT32 partition, and select "Resize/Move."
- Drag the end to free up space, creating enough unallocated space behind the FAT32 partition, and click "OK" to apply.
Step 2. Right-click on the FAT32 partition to select "Resize/Move" and drag the target partition's end into the unallocated space to extend the partition.
Step 3. Keep all changes by clicking "Execute Task" > "Apply."
