How to shrink volume in Windows Server 2012 R2?

To shrink volume in Windows Server 2012 R2. Just open Disk Management, right-click on the Start button and select Disk Management. This will open up the Disk Management utility where you can see all your volumes.

1. Check Existing Free Space:
Right-click on the volume you want to shrink (e.g., C: drive) and choose Properties. Under the General tab, you can see how much free space is available.

2. Defragment the Volume (Optional but Recommended):

• If the volume is heavily fragmented, it’s a good idea to defragment it first to ensure Windows can shrink it effectively. You can do this by searching for Defragment and Optimize Drives in the Start menu.
• Select the volume you want to defragment and click Optimize.

3. Shrink the Volume:

• In Disk Management, right-click on the volume you want to shrink and select Shrink Volume.
• Windows will calculate how much free space can be shrunk. Be patient, as this may take a moment.
• Once the calculation is done, enter the amount of space (in MB) you wish to shrink. Windows will automatically show you the maximum amount available.
• After entering the desired size, click Shrink.

4. Wait for the Process to Complete:

Depending on the size of the volume and the amount of free space, this process can take a few minutes. Once it's done, you'll see a new section of Unallocated space created in Disk Management.

5. Format the Unallocated Space (Optional):
If you want to use that unallocated space for something (like creating a new volume), right-click on it and select New Simple Volume. You can then follow the wizard to format it and assign a drive letter.