#Size of available shrink space how to#

Inside the virtual machine, search the Start menu for вЂњDefragmentвЂќ and launch the вЂњDisk DefragmenterвЂќ or вЂњDefragment and Optimize DrivesвЂќ tool.

If you have Windows installed inside the virtual machine, you should now boot the virtual machine up and defragment its disks. For example, if you have a fixed disk of 50 GB in size with only 20 GB of data on it and you convert it to a dynamic disk, you should be able to shrink it to take up only 20 GB of space. If you have a fixed size disk you want to shrink, you can first convert it to a dynamic disk and then follow the below instructions.

#Size of available shrink space how to#

RELATED: How to Convert Between Fixed and Dynamic Disks in VirtualBox Fixed size disks will always be their maximum size. Dynamic disks may be up to a certain maximum size-50 GB, for example-but they only actually grow to that maximum size when they contain that much data. This process only works for dynamic disks, which can grow and shrink in size. Step One: Ensure YouвЂ™re Using a Dynamic Disk But, if youвЂ™ve created a dynamic disk, downloaded 10 GB of data into it, and then deleted that 10 GB of data afterwards, you should be able to shrink the disk by about 10 GB. So, if you just created a dynamic disk, this wonвЂ™t shrink it. Remember that this will only shrink the disk if itвЂ™s grown in size and youвЂ™ve since removed data. RELATED: Beginner Geek: How to Create and Use Virtual Machines But you can manually shrink a dynamic disk using a hidden command. However, if you delete data from the virtual machine later, youвЂ™ll notice that the disk doesnвЂ™t automatically shrink. By default, VirtualBox creates dynamic disks that grow over time as you add data.