Arch Linux

aayan-arch

Member

Registered: 2025-08-02

Posts: 1

Not able to resize the main partition

https://imgur.com/a/xAVduLV
I'm trying to add space to the /dev/sda6 via Gparted as you can see on the imgur image. Even though I have 26G of unallocated space I still can't seem to resize the partition. For more info i am dual booting from windows 11 so all of the other partitions are from windows.

deanderdog

Member

Registered: 2025-08-02

Posts: 6

Re: Not able to resize the main partition

You can't resize the partition because the free space comes before sda6. You can only resize a partition if there is free space after said partition.
To resize it, you would need to backup the contents, delete the partition, and create a new one that starts on the beginning of the unallocated space.
tbf, I have no experience with GParted, maybe it has some sort functionality that automates those steps for you.

I just realized the partition is mounted, that's why you're having trouble. You need to resize it with e.g. GParted live.

Last edited by deanderdog (2025-08-02 19:16:28)

seth

Member

From: Won't reply 2 private help req

Registered: 2012-09-03

Posts: 75,177

Re: Not able to resize the main partition

GParted … has some sort functionality that automates those steps for you. … You need to resize it with e.g. GParted live.

Regardless, also

backup the contents

Growing a partition to the left does involve moving the filesystem which will take a long-ish time (depending on disk speed and filesystem usage) - DO UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ABORT THAT! - and is generally a great opportunity for data loss.

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cryptearth

Member

Registered: 2024-02-03

Posts: 2,104

Re: Not able to resize the main partition

/dev/Sda 250gb - so it's a SATA drive -> old drive? -> old system?
anyway - storage is as cheap as never - just buy a bigger drive for a couple of bucks
half a tera as sata gets you less than 30 bucks - and a full tera less than 50

close2zero

Member

From: Norway

Registered: 2025-07-14

Posts: 65

Re: Not able to resize the main partition

If you have the archiso on a USB-thumb-drive, and a USB-storage-device of some kind, consider this method:
1. Make an ext4 partition on the USB-storage-device big enough to contain the backup-files.
2. Umount /boot
3. Backup the ext4 root partitions content into the new ext4 partition on the USB-storage-device.  (Rsync - Full system backup)
4. Reboot into archiso.
5. Delete the old ext4 partition and create a new one, utilizing the whole available disk space.
6. Use rsync to restore backup to newly created ext4 partition.
7. Use a tool like tune2fs to set the new partitions UUID to match the root entry in /etc/fstab.
8. Poweroff, remove USBs and Power it on again.

In my view this is the safest way of achieving your goal.

Last edited by close2zero (2025-08-03 04:29:18)

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while true; do mount /dev/close2zero /mnt/clarity; done