Fixing "Not Enough Usable Space" Diskpart Error: A Comprehensive Guide

Table of Contents

• Understanding the “Not Enough Usable Space” Diskpart Error¶
• Troubleshooting Steps to Resolve the Error¶
• Addressing Related Diskpart Errors¶
• Conclusion¶

Encountering the frustrating error message, “There is not enough usable space for this operation” while attempting to create a partition using the Diskpart utility can be a significant roadblock. This error indicates that Diskpart, Windows’ built-in command-line disk partitioning tool, believes there is insufficient space on your selected hard drive to complete the partitioning operation. This issue can arise even when you believe there is ample free space available. Understanding the root causes and effective solutions is crucial to overcome this hurdle and successfully manage your disk partitions.

Understanding the “Not Enough Usable Space” Diskpart Error¶

The “Not Enough Usable Space” error in Diskpart can manifest in a couple of variations, both pointing to the same underlying problem:

There is not enough usable space on specified disks to extend the volume

There is not enough usable space for this operation

These messages typically appear when you are trying to create a new partition or extend an existing one. The error suggests that Diskpart perceives a limitation in the available space, preventing it from executing the requested operation. Several factors can contribute to this error, ranging from partition style limitations to simple disk configuration issues. Let’s explore the common causes and effective solutions to get your disk partitioning back on track.

Troubleshooting Steps to Resolve the Error¶

If you are facing the “Virtual Disk Service error: There is not enough usable space for this operation” message while using Diskpart, the following troubleshooting steps can help you identify and rectify the problem.

1. Check the Partition Style of Your Disk¶

One of the primary reasons for encountering the “Not Enough Usable Space” error is the partition style of your hard disk, specifically if it utilizes the Master Boot Record (MBR) scheme. MBR disks have a fundamental limitation: they can only support a maximum of four primary partitions. If your disk is formatted with MBR and already contains four partitions, you will be unable to create any additional partitions, regardless of available free space.

In contrast, the GUID Partition Table (GPT) style overcomes this limitation. GPT disks do not have a strict partition limit in practice, although Windows itself imposes a limit of 128 partitions per GPT disk, which is far beyond the needs of most users.

To determine the partition style of your hard disk, follow these steps:

1. Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type diskmgmt.msc and click OK. This will launch the Disk Management utility.
3. In Disk Management, locate the disk you are trying to partition.
4. Right-click on the disk number (e.g., Disk 0, Disk 1) in the left pane and select Properties.
5. Navigate to the Volumes tab.
6. Under “Partition style,” you will see whether your disk is MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (GUID Partition Table).

If your disk is indeed MBR and already has four partitions, and you need to create more, you will need to convert the disk to GPT. Important Note: Converting an MBR disk to GPT typically requires deleting all existing partitions and data on the disk. Therefore, it is absolutely crucial to back up all important data to an external drive or another safe location before proceeding with the conversion.

Once you have backed up your data, you can proceed with the MBR to GPT conversion. The conversion process often involves using Diskpart commands executed from the Command Prompt or using third-party partitioning tools that offer a more user-friendly interface for this task.

After converting to GPT, retry creating your partition using Diskpart to see if the error is resolved.

2. Rescan Your Disk¶

Sometimes, the “Not Enough Usable Space” error might arise due to outdated disk information within the system. The Rescan command in Diskpart forces the utility to re-examine the disk configuration, refreshing its view of the available space and partitions. This can be helpful if there have been recent changes to the disk configuration that Diskpart hasn’t yet registered.

To rescan your disks in Diskpart, follow these steps:

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator. Search for “cmd” in the Start Menu, right-click on “Command Prompt,” and select “Run as administrator.”
2. In the Command Prompt window, type diskpart and press Enter to launch the Diskpart utility.
3. At the DISKPART> prompt, type rescan and press Enter.
4. Wait for the command to complete. Diskpart will rescan all disks attached to your system.
5. After the rescan is finished, try to perform the partition operation that was previously failing to see if the error persists.

Rescanning is a quick and non-destructive step that can often resolve issues caused by temporary glitches or outdated disk information.

3. Shrink an Existing Partition to Create Usable Space¶

The error message itself directly suggests that there isn’t enough usable space. This doesn’t necessarily mean your disk is full, but rather that Diskpart cannot find contiguous unallocated space of the required size to create a new partition. A common solution is to shrink an existing partition on the same disk to create unallocated space. This unallocated space can then be used to create a new partition.

Here’s how to shrink a partition using Diskpart:

1. Open Command Prompt as an administrator and launch Diskpart as described in the previous step.
2. In Diskpart, first, you need to select the disk you want to work with. Use the command select disk #, replacing # with the disk number. For example, to select disk 0, type select disk 0 and press Enter. You can use the list disk command beforehand to see a list of disks and their numbers.
3. Next, you need to select the partition you intend to shrink. Use the command list par to display all partitions on the selected disk. Identify the partition you want to shrink and note its partition number.
4. Select the target partition using the command sel par #, replacing # with the partition number. For example, sel par 2 to select partition 2.
5. Now, use the shrink desired=size minimum=size command to shrink the selected partition. Replace size with the amount of space you want to shrink in megabytes (MB). For example, to shrink by 10GB (10240MB), you would use shrink desired=10240 minimum=10240. You can use the same value for both desired and minimum to request a specific shrink size. Ensure that the size you specify is less than the available free space within the partition you are shrinking.
6. After the shrink command completes successfully, Diskpart will have created unallocated space. You can verify this in Disk Management.
7. You can now use Diskpart or Disk Management to create a new partition in this unallocated space.

The shrink command has two parameters: desired and minimum.

Parameter	Description
desired	Specifies the amount of space, in megabytes (MB), to shrink the partition by. This is the target shrink size.
minimum	Specifies the minimum amount of space, in megabytes (MB), to shrink the partition by. Diskpart will attempt to shrink by the desired size, but if that is not possible, it will shrink by at least the minimum size.

If Diskpart cannot shrink the partition by the desired amount (perhaps due to unmovable files), it will attempt to shrink it by the minimum amount, or as close to it as possible.

4. Utilize a Third-Party Partition Management Tool¶

If the Diskpart utility continues to present issues, or you prefer a graphical interface for disk management, numerous third-party partition management tools are available. These tools often offer more advanced features and a more user-friendly experience compared to Diskpart. Many of these tools come in both free and paid versions.

Related: loading

Some popular third-party partition managers include:

• EaseUS Partition Master
• AOMEI Partition Assistant
• MiniTool Partition Wizard
• Macrorit Disk Partition Expert

These tools typically provide intuitive graphical interfaces for tasks like creating, deleting, resizing, and formatting partitions. They can often handle complex partitioning scenarios and may be more robust in overcoming errors like “Not Enough Usable Space.” If you are comfortable using graphical tools, exploring a third-party partition manager can be a worthwhile alternative to Diskpart.

Addressing Related Diskpart Errors¶

Beyond the primary “Not Enough Usable Space” error, Diskpart users may encounter other related “Virtual Disk Service” errors. Understanding these errors and their solutions can further enhance your disk management skills.

Fixing “The Specified Disk is Not Convertible” Error¶

You might encounter the error message “Virtual Disk Service error: The specified disk is not convertible.” when attempting to convert an MBR disk to GPT using Diskpart. This error typically indicates that your system’s BIOS is not configured to support UEFI mode, which is required for GPT disks.

GPT disks rely on the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) BIOS mode. If your system’s BIOS is set to legacy or CSM (Compatibility Support Module) mode, you will likely encounter this error when trying to convert to GPT.

To resolve this:

1. Check your BIOS mode: Access your system’s BIOS settings (usually by pressing Del, F2, F12, or Esc during startup – the key varies by manufacturer). Look for BIOS settings related to boot mode or UEFI/Legacy boot.
2. Switch to UEFI mode: If your BIOS supports UEFI mode, change the boot mode setting from Legacy/CSM to UEFI. Refer to your motherboard manual for specific instructions on how to change BIOS settings.
3. Retry the conversion: After switching to UEFI mode in BIOS, attempt the MBR to GPT conversion again using Diskpart.

If your BIOS already supports UEFI but the error persists, or if you cannot change to UEFI mode (older systems might not fully support UEFI), consider using a third-party partition tool, as some of them might have more flexible conversion capabilities.

Fixing “Volume Size is Too Big” Error¶

The “Virtual Disk Service error volume size is too big” error often occurs when you try to format a large partition using the FAT32 file system. FAT32 has inherent limitations, including a maximum file size of 4GB and practical volume size limits (often around 2TB, though Windows imposes a 32GB limit via the format command line, which is being removed in Windows 11 for the command line format tool but may still exist in older tools or interfaces).

If you encounter this error while formatting, the solution is straightforward:

1. Choose a different file system: Instead of FAT32, use a file system that supports larger volumes and file sizes, such as NTFS or exFAT.
2. Format with NTFS or exFAT: When formatting the partition in Diskpart or Disk Management, select NTFS or exFAT as the file system. These file systems are designed for modern hard drives and do not have the same size limitations as FAT32.

By using NTFS or exFAT, you can easily format large partitions without encountering the “Volume Size is Too Big” error.

Conclusion¶

The “Not Enough Usable Space” Diskpart error, while initially perplexing, can usually be resolved by systematically investigating the potential causes. Checking the partition style, rescanning disks, shrinking existing partitions, and considering third-party tools are all valuable troubleshooting steps. Furthermore, understanding related Diskpart errors like “The Specified Disk is Not Convertible” and “Volume Size is Too Big” will equip you with a broader understanding of disk management and error resolution.

Do you have any experiences with the “Not Enough Usable Space” Diskpart error or other disk partitioning challenges? Share your thoughts and questions in the comments below!