How to Free Up Space in the Recovery Partition in Windows 11 (Safe Methods)

If Windows Update keeps failing with errors like 0x800f0922 or “Can’t update Windows RE”, your Recovery (WinRE) partition is likely too small. This guide explains what the Recovery partition does, why it runs out of space, and three safe ways to fix it—with detailed steps and clear explanations for beginners.

What is the Recovery (WinRE) Partition and Why Space Matters

The Recovery (WinRE) partition stores Windows Recovery Environment files that help you repair startup issues, reset your PC, or roll back updates. Windows Update sometimes needs to rebuild those recovery files, which requires extra free space. On many PCs—especially older Windows 10 → 11 upgrades—the Recovery partition was created too small (e.g., 100–450 MB). Once it runs out of space, WinRE can’t be updated, and certain updates fail.

Key point: You generally don’t “clean” the Recovery partition. The correct fix is to give it more room—usually by shrinking C: slightly and extending or recreating the Recovery partition.

Before You Start (Critical Safety Checklist)

• Back up important files to an external drive or cloud storage. Partition changes are safe when done carefully, but a backup is your safety net.
• Suspend BitLocker / Device Encryption (if enabled):
  1. Press Windows + I → Privacy & security → Device encryption → Turn off (or, on Pro/Enterprise: Control Panel → BitLocker Drive Encryption → Suspend protection on C:).
  2. Why: Changing partitions can trigger re-encryption or boot issues if protection stays on during the change.
• Sign in as an administrator.
• Close all apps, especially disk tools or antivirus that might lock the disk.

Quick Decision Guide: Which Method Should You Use?

Step 1 — Inspect Your Partition Layout

Method A: Disk Management (GUI)

1. Press Windows + X → Disk Management.
2. At the bottom map, look for a small partition labeled Recovery (or unlabeled). It’s usually 100–750 MB.
3. Check whether there is Unallocated space directly to its right. If yes, you can likely extend it easily. If not, you may need to shrink/move C: first.

Why this matters: Windows’ built-in tool can only extend into space immediately to the right of a partition. If the free space sits elsewhere, a third-party tool can “move” partitions to place the space where it’s needed.

Method B: Command Line (to confirm WinRE status)

1. Open Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Run: reagentc /info
3. Note whether Windows RE is Enabled and where it points. This helps confirm you’re editing the correct partition.

Method 1 — Shrink C: and Extend the Recovery Partition (Beginner-Friendly)

Goal: Free a small amount of space (e.g., 1 GB) from C:, then add it to the Recovery partition. This is ideal if the Recovery partition is just too small and sits next to C: (or can be moved next to it with a tool).

1) Shrink C: (Disk Management)

1. Open Disk Management → Right-click C: → Shrink Volume…
2. Enter a small value like 1024 MB (1 GB) and click Shrink.
   • Why 1 GB? It gives WinRE room now and for future updates. Many failures occur with partitions under ~500 MB.

2) If the Unallocated Space Is Not Next to Recovery

Windows can’t “slide” partitions. Use a reputable third-party partition manager to move the unallocated block right next to the Recovery partition.

3) Extend the Recovery Partition

1. Once the unallocated space is directly to the right of the Recovery partition, right-click the Recovery partition → Extend Volume… and add 500–1024 MB (or more if available).
2. Restart Windows.
3. Run reagentc /info to confirm WinRE is still enabled.

What you achieved: You expanded the Recovery partition so Windows can update WinRE without running out of space.

Method 2 — Recreate the WinRE Partition (Advanced, but Reliable)

Use this if extending keeps failing or the layout is too fragmented. We’ll temporarily disable WinRE, create a new larger partition, point Windows to it, and re-enable WinRE.

0) Notes Before You Begin

• This method is for comfortable users. Read all steps first.
• Keep BitLocker/Device Encryption suspended until you’re done.

1) Disable WinRE

reagentc /disable
reagentc /info← should now say: Windows RE status: Disabled

2) Shrink C: to Make Space

Shrink by ~1 GB using Disk Management (as shown earlier). You should see Unallocated space appear.

3) Create a New Recovery Partition (diskpart)

1. Open Command Prompt (Admin) and run: diskpart list disk select disk 0 ← choose your system disk list partition
2. Create a ~1 GB partition in the unallocated space: create partition primary size=1024 format quick fs=ntfs label="Recovery" assign letter=R
3. Set the partition type to WinRE (GUID): gpt attributes=0x8000000000000001 set id=de94bba4-06d1-4d40-a16a-bfd50179d6ac exit

Why these commands? The GUID and attribute mark the partition as a hidden WinRE partition so Windows treats it correctly.

4) Populate the New WinRE Folder

1. Create the folder structure: mkdir R:\Recovery\WindowsRE
2. Copy the existing WinRE image: copy C:\Windows\System32\Recovery\Winre.wim R:\Recovery\WindowsRE\

5) Point Windows to the New Location and Enable

reagentc /setreimage /path R:\Recovery\WindowsRE /target C:\Windowsreagentc /enablereagentc /info

Confirm the status is Enabled and the Windows RE location points to the new partition. Finally, remove the temporary drive letter (optional) with Disk Management or:

diskpartlist volumeselect volume Rremove letter=Rexit

Method 3 — Temporary Workaround (Last Resort)

If you only need to install an urgent update today, you can disable WinRE, perform the update, and re-enable WinRE later after fixing the partition size. This isn’t a long-term solution, because future updates may fail again until you expand the partition.

reagentc /disable← install your updates
reagentc /enable ← turn it back on after you expand WinRE

Aftercare: Verify and Re-Secure

• Run reagentc /info one last time: Status should be Enabled.
• Open Settings → Windows Update and check for updates. The previous error should be gone.
• Re-enable BitLocker / Device Encryption (if you suspended it earlier).
• Optionally, create a fresh restore point or full system image now that everything is healthy.

FAQ

Q. How big should the Recovery partition be?
A. Aim for at least 750 MB–1 GB. Windows features and WinRE updates have grown over time; a generous size reduces future failures.

Q. Can I delete files inside the Recovery partition to free space?
A. Don’t. It’s not designed for manual cleanup, and deleting files can break recovery features. Expanding or recreating the partition is the correct fix.

Q. Disk Management won’t let me extend the Recovery partition. Why?
A. It can only extend into adjacent free space on the right. If the unallocated block isn’t next to it, use a third-party tool to move partitions first, or use the recreate method.

Summary (What You Accomplished)

• Confirmed your layout and WinRE status.
• Safely expanded the Recovery partition (or recreated it) to prevent update failures.
• Verified WinRE and completed updates without 0x800f0922-type errors.

✔️You might also find these helpful:

▶︎Fix: Drivers Not Loading After Windows Update (Memory Integrity Issue)

▶︎C Drive Space Disappearing on Windows 11? 10 Real Causes and Fixes

▶︎Windows PC Booting Too Slow? 7 Ways to Fix It for Beginners

💡 Looking for more tips? Check out our full list of Windows Help Guides.

タグ: Windows update, Windows 11, BitLocker, 0x800f0922, Recovery Partition, WinRE, Disk Management