Solved: There Is Not Enough Disk Space During Converting Disk

Sometimes a message saying “not enough disk space” appears at the worst moment, such as during a Windows update or while saving an important file. It usually suggests that the system has no room to complete simple tasks, which can slow the PC or cause programs to stop working. This situation is common on devices with limited storage, large cached files, or many installed apps, and it often signals that the drive is reaching its limit. But sometimes the disk still has plenty of free space, so why does this happen?

Why is there insufficient disk space to complete the operation?

Sometimes a message saying “not enough disk space” appears even when the disk still has plenty of free space. This can happen in a few specific situations.

In one case, the conversion process requires a small amount of unallocated space at the end of the disk, usually just a few megabytes, to store temporary data. If there is no unallocated space at the end, the program may show the prompt. To fix this, you can reduce the last partition to create a small unallocated space at the end, or if unallocated space exists elsewhere, move the partitions so that the unallocated space is at the end of the disk.

Another situation occurs when the first partition on the disk starts too early, at a sector less than 34. The program will then show the same prompt. You can check this by right-clicking the first partition in AOMEI Partition Assistant, selecting “Properties,” and then “Partition Info” to see the first physical sector. To resolve it, you can shrink the first partition to create unallocated space at the beginning. After that, the first partition will start at a sector greater than 34, allowing the conversion to proceed.

This way, the disk may have plenty of free space, but specific requirements for conversion can still trigger the “not enough disk space” message.

How to fix there is no enough space on the disk to covert to GPT?

Fix 1. Convert MBR to GPT with AOMEI Partition Assistant

Fixing the message “there is not enough space on the disk to convert to GPT” can be difficult with Windows tools because they cannot move installed programs from the C drive. Even if you uninstall a few apps, the space may still be too limited for the conversion.

AOMEI Partition Assistant offers a practical solution. It is a disk and partition manager that helps Windows users manage storage safely and efficiently. When the C drive becomes too full, you can move some programs to another drive that has enough space. If there are apps you use only from time to time, you can even move them to an external drive to free up more room.

After moving programs, the C drive will have more available space. If the C drive is still too small, AOMEI Partition Assistant can also help by adding free space from another partition. This increases the capacity of the C drive and gives you enough room to continue the GPT conversion and store more files smoothly.

AOMEI Partition Assistant

The Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

Step 1. Right-click on the disk that got the issue, and click “Convert to GPT” or click the disk and choose "Convert to GPT" from the right menu.

Step 2. It will prompt a note to ask you ensure your motherboard supports UEFI if the disk contains a system. Click "OK" > “Yes” to confirm.

Step 3. Click “Apply” on the main console. Wait for a while, the disk will be converted to GPT disk. Then you can continue creating partition on the disk.

Fix 2. Rescan the disk

In most cases, you can fix this issue by selecting the “Rescan Disks” option under the “Action” tab. Once the partitions and volumes are refreshed, you should be able to shrink the volume or perform other operations as usual.

Step 1. Press “Win + R” to launch “Run” program, and type “diskmgmt.msc” to open Disk Management. Click Action at the top, and then select Rescan Disks from the list.

Step 2. Shrink the volume again after the disk is reloaded.

Then wait for it scan disks on your PC, and see if the issue is still there.

Fix 3. Clean the disk

Windows has a program to clean the target drive called “Disk Cleanup”, it can scan useless files and outdated Windows files and allow users to clean them.

Step 1. Open File Explorer and right-click on C: drive and select “Properties”, and then click the "Disk Cleanup" button in the disk properties window.

Step 2. Select the files you want to delete and click “OK”. From there, you can delete previous Windows installation (Windows.old folder), system restore points, Recycle Bin, and other system files.

Fix 4. Check Disk Errors

If the disk has bad sectors, it may also cause you to have enough space but show insufficient space, you can use the "Check Disk" function provided by AOMEI Partition Assistant to check the bad sectors and repair the damaged disk.

AOMEI Partition Assistant

The Best Windows Disk Partition Manager and PC Optimizer

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

Run the AOMEI Partition Assistant on your Windows 10/11. Right click on the drive you want to check and select Advanced > Check Partition. In the pop-up window, you have three options, Check only for errors, Check and fix errors, and Find bad sectors. Choose the one that suits you best.

Conclusion

The “not enough disk space” message may appear for different reasons, even when the drive still has plenty of free space. Once you understand what causes the problem, it becomes easier to choose the right fix, whether it involves creating unallocated space, rescanning the disk, cleaning unwanted files, or checking for disk errors. With the help of AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can manage storage more smoothly and complete tasks like converting MBR to GPT without trouble.