i want to create another partition but i can't switch to a different partition

Question

i want to dual boot windows with ubuntu but i need to shrink my partitions. I only have one partition and a total of 1 MB of unallocated space please help i have no idea what i am doing. Here is and screenshot of GParted to show what i have. i haven't really tried anything yet because i am very confused. i have done some research but it looks like i either have to wipe my hard drive or have enough space for another operating system. as i cant do the latter i would like to look for some more solutions before i try the former. i cannot shrink my partition unless i have it unmounted, which i cant do if i dont have any other OSs installed

You can use GParted to shrink the size of a partition and add a new one. Changing the size of a partition is a dangerous operation. If something goes wrong you might lose your data, so creating a backup is a good idea. I suggest to read some documentation or tutorials, e.g. https://www.howtoforge.com/partitioning_with_gparted — Bodo, May 03 '22 at 18:14
yes but gparted wont let me shrink the partition unless i unmount it — caucasianhamburger, May 03 '22 at 18:15
Please [edit] your question and add this information. Run GParted from some rescue system or live system booted from CD/DVD/USB flash drive. — Bodo, May 03 '22 at 18:21

score 0 · Answer 1 · answered May 03 '22 at 19:49

To do this you will have to boot from a USB. Then you will be able to change the root partition size (ie reduce it). However, as has been said, be very very careful. I would backup any data I wanted to keep.

I know its more long winded, but there is a safer way. That is to backup your data. Then delete the boot partition and recreate it as a smaller partition. If all you care going to have is the ubuntu root, then much smaller is just fine, say 16GB? It can be smaller, but it depends on your usage.

I would ALWAYS advocate putting /home on a different partition. That way you can do what you like to the boot partition but still retain your data.

i want to create another partition but i can't switch to a different partition

1 Answers1