Alex Ruben
How to Increase WinRE Partition Size in Windows 11
In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of increasing the Windows Recovery Environment (WinRE) partition size on your Windows 11 computer. This is particularly useful if you’re experiencing issues due to an insufficient Recovery Partition size, which can prevent important updates from installing correctly.
Step 1: Check and Disable WinRE
Before modifying the partitions, you need to check if WinRE is installed and disable it if necessary. Follow these steps:
- Open the Start Menu and search for Command Prompt.
- Right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.
- To check the WinRE status, type the following command and press Enter:
reagentc /info- If WinRE is installed, you will see a “Windows RE location” with a path to the WinRE directory.
- To disable the WinRE, run the following command:
reagentc /disable
Step 2: Shrink OS Partition
Now you will shrink the OS partition to make room for a new recovery partition. Proceed with the following steps:
- In the same elevated Command Prompt window, type the following command to open DiskPart:
diskpart- List all disks connected to your system:
list disk- Select your OS disk by running:
sel disk [OS disk index]- Reconfirm the selected disk:
list disk- Select the OS partition that you want to shrink:
sel part [partition index]- Shrink the drive by executing this command (adjust the values as necessary):
shrink desired=250 minimum=250- To delete the WinRE partition, type the following command:
delete partition override
Step 3: Create a New Recovery Partition
In this step, you will create a new WinRE partition. Follow these instructions:
- Verify the partition style (GPT or MBR) by typing:
list disk- If you see an asterisk (*) under the “Gpt” column, run the following command for GPT:
create partition primary id=de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac- If it is MBR, use this command:
create partition primary id=27- Now, you need to format the new partition. Execute this command:
format quick fs=ntfs label="Windows RE tools"
Step 4: Confirm Partition and Enable WinRE
The final step is to confirm that the new WinRE partition has been created successfully and enable WinRE again:
- Check the volume list to confirm the creation:
list vol- Exit the DiskPart utility:
exit- Re-enable WinRE using this command:
reagentc /enable- Finally, confirm WinRE is enabled:
reagentc /info
Extra Tips & Common Issues
Before you get started, consider the following tips to ensure a smooth process:
- Always back up important data before modifying disk partitions.
- Ensure you run the Command Prompt as Administrator to avoid permission issues.
- If you encounter errors at any step, double-check for typographical errors or commands that may be outdated.
Conclusion
By following these steps, you should now have a larger WinRE partition on your Windows 11 system, accommodating necessary updates without any issues. For additional resources and technical issues, feel free to explore our other guides.
