Move partition on Windows Server 2016 without data loss
Sometime you need to move disk partition in Windows Server 2016, but Windows native Disk Management cannot do this, so 3rd-party software is needed.
However, there is risk of losing data when you moving partition location with unreliable disk partition software, so remember to back up and select the safe tool.
In this article, I’ll show you how to move partition on Server 2016 without data loss. To do this, you just need to drag and drop on the disk map.
Move partition D to expand C
Windows Server 2016 provides Shrink Volume and Extend Volume feature in Disk Management snap-in, so many people try to shrink D and extend C drive when disk space is running out. However, they cannot extend C drive after shrinking D, because Extend Volume is greyed out.
From Microsoft explanation, to expand a drive with Extend Volume, there must be adjacent Unallocated space on the right side. After shrinking D with Shrink Volume, Unallocated space is on the right side of D rather than C. To solve this problem, you can move partition D to the right, so Unallocated space will be moved to the left at the same time, then Extend Volume is enabled for C drive.
How to move partition D on Server 2016:
Download NIUBI Partition Editor, right click partition D and select Resize/Move Volume.
Drag the middle position towards the right side in the pop-up window.
Click OK, partition D is moved to the right and Unallocated space is moved to the left at the same time. Click “Apply” on top left to execute.
Check in Disk Management after it complete, Extend Volume is enabled for C drive
Move partition to left or right side
If you want to shrink D to expand drive E, Disk Management still cannot help you. After shrinking D, Unallocated space is on the left side of E, so Extend Volume is disabled.
In this situation, you just need to move partition E to the left side with NIUBI Partition Editor. Extend Volume will become available to E when the Unallocated space is moved to the right side.
How to move partition to left in Server 2016:
Similarly, run NIUBI Partition Editor, right click drive E and select “Resize/Move Volume”. In the pop-up window, drag middle position towards left.
Click OK, partition E is moved to the left and Unallocated space is moved to the right.
Move disordered partition
Sometimes, the partitions are in disorder due to some reason, for example, the partitions are display as C, D, F, E.
In this situation, you may change drive letter and exchange F with E, or move partition in correct order.
How to move disordered partition on Server 2016:
Transfer files in drive E to other place, right click it and select “Delete Volume”.
Right click drive F and select “Resize/Move Volume”, drag middle position rightwards in the pop-up window. Partition F is moved to the end of disk.
Right click the Unallocated space and select “Create Volume”. Assign drive letter E in the pop-up window.
Click OK and back to the main window, the partitions are in correct order now, remember to click Apply on top left. When it finish, transfer files back to drive E.
In Summary
To move partition on Windows Server 2016, the native Disk Management cannot help you. NIUBI Partition Edition can accomplish this task well, you just need to drag the middle position towards the other side, and then both Unallocated space and this partition will be moved.
If you want to extend a partition, you don’t have to move Unallocated space to the right side of this partition. Simply drag the border towards the other side and then you can combine Unallocated space to this partition. Watch the video how to do this:
Better than other partition tools, NIUBI Partition Editor is integrated 1 Second Rollback technology to ensure system and data intact. If any software error or hardware issue occur during resizing and moving disk partitions, it automatically reverts the server to original status in a flash like nothing happens. Furthermore, it is 30% to 300% faster when moving partitions because of its unique file-moving algorithm.
