Handling Unmovable Files When Shrinking Volume in Windows 11
So, here’s where I got stuck—trying to shrink a partition on Windows 11 and hitting a wall because it kept telling me there were unmovable files in the way. If that sounds familiar, you’re not alone. The built-in Shrink Volume feature bites when it can’t shuffle system files around easily. Stuff like hiberfil.sys, pagefile.sys, or restore points can stubbornly refuse to be moved, and that prevents shrinking the partition further. Usually, these files are locked as part of Windows’ prevention measures to keep your system stable. But if you’re trying to free up space—say, to upgrade or just tidy things up—these can really get in the way.
Why Do Unmovable Files Block Volume Shrinkage?
The real reason? Windows keeps these files locked down, almost as if they’re anchors. Files like hiberfil.sys (the hibernation file), pagefile.sys (virtual memory), and restore points are often marked as unmovable. They’re critical for Windows to run smoothly or to restore the system if something goes wrong, so Windows tends to keep them in fixed locations—sometimes in sectors or areas of the drive where they won’t be moved easily. In MFT (Master File Table) terms, they’re flagged as non-movable to avoid corruption or stability issues. This is especially annoying after Windows updates or if you’ve enabled features like hibernation or system restore, which create these files automatically.
Trust me, I’ve seen it after enabling hibernation or creating restore points—suddenly, shrinking a partition is a no-go because these files just won’t shift. And sometimes, they’re hidden in plain sight, protected by Windows, with no obvious way to free them up unless you do some prep work.
Disabling Hibernation to Free Up Space
For me, the biggest relief came from turning off hibernation. Since hiberfil.sys can take several gigs if you’ve got a lot of RAM, it often became the main obstacle blocking resizing. Disabling hibernation removes this file entirely, which is a quick win. After that, I could shrink the volume more easily, and it helped with other files that were refusing to move.
How I did it: opened Command Prompt as admin (search “cmd”, right-click, run as administrator), then typed:
powercfg /h offThis command turns off hibernation and deletes hiberfil.sys. Sometimes, I needed to restart afterward to see the file disappear, but once I did, the disk space freed up. Keep in mind, if your system uses hybrid sleep, or if you’ve got fast startup enabled, you may need to disable fast startup in Control Panel > Power Options. That’s because fast startup re-enables hybrid shutdown, which keeps things like the hiberfil in place.
Turning Off the Page File
Next, I looked at the page file (pagefile.sys)—the virtual memory. Windows manages it automatically, but it can be huge, and it tends to be locked in place for system stability. To shrink the partition, turning off the page file was necessary.
Here’s what I did: right-click This PC > Properties > then clicked Advanced system settings. Under the Advanced tab, I clicked Settings in Performance. Again, go to Advanced and hit Change… under Virtual memory. From there, uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives, select drive C:, then choose No paging file. Hit Set, close everything, and restart.
After the reboot, the pagefile.sys was gone and the lock was removed from that part of the drive. It’s worth mentioning, though, that disabling the page file can impact performance and crash dumps. So, I recommend re-enabling it after resizing: just flip the same switches back to System managed size.
Disabling System Protection to Remove Restore Points
Restore points—those snapshot backups—can also be eating up space and blocking shrinkage. I decided to disable system protection temporarily, which cleared out restore points and freed up locked space—but, yeah, this meant losing all previous restore points. For me, that was a fair trade to get the size I needed.
To do this, went to Control Panel > System and Security > System, then clicked System Protection. In there, I selected the drive (usually C:), clicked Configure, then ticked Disable system protection. Confirmed, then rebooted. This clears the restore points, freeing the space, but remember—no more easy rollback options unless you enable protection again later.
Third-Party Partition Tools — The Hackers’ Playgrounds
If Windows’ own shrink tools are just stubborn, I’ve found that third-party partition managers like EaseUS Partition Master, MiniTool Partition Wizard, or Paragon Partition Manager are sometimes the only way. These tools operate outside of Windows, directly manipulating the partition table, so they’re not bound by the same restrictions. They often can move or resize even those unmovable files—assuming they’re supported in the free versions.
Be sure to back up everything first, because working at this level can be risky. I recommend cloning the disk or making a system image if possible. Then, just follow the software’s instructions—usually, select the partition, choose resize/move, and apply. It often prompts for a reboot and takes some time. Patience is key—interrupting this process will just risk corrupting the partition.
Tip:
- Always back up data — disk operations are risky!
- Make sure the software supports resizing your specific partition type.
- Run a full disk check after resizing, just to be safe.
Last Resort: Reinstall Windows or Clean Disk
If all else fails, and you are dead-set on a clean and flexible approach, reinstalling Windows from scratch is an option. A fresh install lets you partition the disk exactly how you want, without fighting those stubborn files. But — big warning — you’ll need to back everything up first, create install media, and be prepared for reinstallation and setup.
During the Windows setup process, you can delete existing partitions and create new ones as needed. This is pretty much the last step when dealing with stubborn disk issues, but it guarantees a clean, unencumbered disk state — no more unmovable files blocking your resizing attempts.
Final takeaways
TL;DR—if you’re trying to shrink a Windows 11 volume and get blocked by unmovable files, start by disabling hibernation and the page file, then consider disabling system protection. If that doesn’t work, third-party tools are your friends. And if you’re really desperate, a clean reinstall will do the trick—but back everything up first! It’s been a frustrating ride, but these steps finally got me there.
Hope this helped — it took way too long for me to figure all this out. Anyway, good luck, and I hope someone else can save themselves some late-night frustration by reading this.