In order to take advantage of the additional storage, you will need to adjust your partition layout to give you access to your new and increased storage.

How to Change Your Partition Layout on a VPS or VDS

You may need to change your partition layout after a VPS or VDS upgrade, for example to create a new partition or extend an existing one.

Warning: Changes to the partition table carry a risk of data loss. Make sure to back up all important data before proceeding.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Changing partition layout in Linux
• Changing partition layout in Windows

Changing partition layout in Linux
Step 1: Boot into the rescue system

Boot your VPS or VDS into the rescue system via your Customer Control Panel, then connect via VNC and log in as `root`.

Step 2: Launch GParted

In the VNC console, start the graphical interface:

```

startxfce4

```

Once the desktop loads, open Applications → Run Program, type `gparted`, and press Enter.

Step 3: Resize an existing partition (if needed)

GParted will display all existing partitions on the disk. If there is no free space available, you will need to shrink an existing partition before creating a new one.

Right-click the partition you want to resize and select Resize/Move.

Note: LVM partitions (used by default on CentOS) cannot be shrunk. If your root partition uses LVM, see the LVM section below.

If you only want to extend an existing partition rather than create a new one, skip to Step 5.

Step 4: Create a new partition

Right-click the unallocated space and select New. Configure the partition settings and confirm. Repeat this step for each additional partition you want to create.

Step 5: Apply changes

No changes are written to disk until you confirm them. To apply, click the green tick (✓) in the GParted toolbar.

A warning will appear confirming that data loss is possible - confirm and wait for GParted to finish. Depending on partition size and the amount of data stored, this may take several minutes.

Step 6: Reboot and verify

Boot your VPS or VDS back into the regular operating system and verify the new layout:

```bash
fdisk -l
```

LVM: Additional steps

If your server uses LVM (common on CentOS), resizing the partition in GParted is not enough — you must also extend the logical volume. Connect via [SSH](https://contabo.com/blog/wiki/ssh/) and run the following commands.

If needed, switch to root first:

```bash
sudo -i
```

1. Bring the logical volume online:

```bash
lvchange -a y cos
```

2. Check available free space in the volume group:

```bash
vgs
```

Example output:

```
VG #PV #LV #SN Attr VSize VFree
cos 1 1 0 wz--n- 599.02g 300.00g
```

3. Extend the logical volume to use all available space:

```bash
lvextend /dev/cos/root -l +100%FREE
```

Example output:

```
Size of logical volume cos/root changed from 300.00 GiB (76800 extents) to 599.02 GiB (153349 extents).
Logical volume root successfully resized.
```

Changing partition layout in Windows

Step 1: Connect via RDP

Connect to your server using Remote Desktop (RDP).

Step 2: Open Disk Management

Right-click the Windows icon in the taskbar and select Disk Management. Alternatively, press Windows + R, type `diskmgmt.msc`, and press Enter.

Step 3: Select the partition to resize

You will see an overview of all installed drives. On a VPS or VDS there is typically one drive; on a Dedicated Server there may be more.

Right-click the partition you want to resize and select Shrink Volume to free up space, or Extend Volume if unallocated space is already available.

Step 4: Shrink and create a new partition

Enter the amount of space to free up and click Shrink. Once complete, you will see unallocated space on the disk.

Right-click the unallocated space, select New Simple Volume, and follow the wizard to create and format the new partition (e.g., NTFS or FAT32).

Step 5: Verify

Once the wizard completes, the new partition will appear in Disk Management and in File Explorer, ready to use.