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To create a larger EFI System Partition (ESP) during a fresh Windows 11 Pro installation, boot the installer in UEFI mode and use DiskPart at the first Setup screen to create the ESP with an explicit size. A 300 MB ESP is a conservative choice supported by a newer Microsoft deployment sample, though Microsoft’s published minimum-size guidance conflicts for some drive types. The procedure below erases the selected disk, so use it only when you intend to start with a blank disk layout.
Choose an ESP size before installing
The ESP stores UEFI boot files. It must be formatted as FAT32 and should not be used for ordinary files or Windows Recovery Environment tools. Microsoft’s documented partition order is ESP, Microsoft Reserved partition (MSR), Windows, then recovery.
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Microsoft’s UEFI/GPT requirements page specifies an ESP minimum of 200 MB for 512 native and 512e drives, and 300 MB for 4K native drives. However, a Microsoft deployment sample updated in May 2026 recommends 300 MB across all three drive types. Because those Microsoft pages differ for 512 native and 512e media, 300 MB is a conservative larger choice, not an uncontested universal minimum. If you want additional headroom, you can intentionally choose 512 MB or 1 GB instead; Microsoft’s DiskPart reference confirms that the size parameter is in MB and gives 1000 MB as a command example.
Sources: Microsoft’s UEFI/GPT partition requirements, Microsoft’s sample scripts page, and the DiskPart create partition efi reference.
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Prepare for a clean installation
- Boot Windows Setup in UEFI mode. For a Windows boot disk installed in UEFI mode, Microsoft’s documented layout uses GPT.
- Back up files you need. The
cleancommand removes the selected disk’s partition information; it is not an in-place resize operation. - Identify the target disk by its capacity and model in DiskPart. If feasible, disconnect other drives to reduce the chance of selecting the wrong one.
Microsoft documents the UEFI/GPT workflow and the use of Shift+F10 and DiskPart in Windows Setup. See Windows Setup: Installing using the MBR or GPT partition style.
Create the larger EFI partition with DiskPart
At the first Windows Setup screen, press Shift+F10 to open Command Prompt. Enter the commands below, replacing <target disk number> with the disk number shown by list disk. The clean command is destructive: run it only after confirming that the selected disk is the one you intend to erase.
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diskpart
list disk
select disk <target disk number>
clean
convert gpt
create partition efi size=300
format quick fs=fat32 label="System"
create partition msr size=16
create partition primary
exit- Use
list diskto inspect available disks, then select the intended target. - After confirming the selection, use
cleanto remove that disk’s existing partition information, and convert the disk to GPT. - Create the EFI partition with the desired size in MB. The example uses
size=300; change it tosize=512orsize=1024if you deliberately want a 512 MB or 1 GB ESP. - Format the ESP as FAT32, create the 16 MB MSR, then create the primary Windows partition.
- Exit DiskPart, close Command Prompt, and return to Setup. Refresh the disk list if needed, then select the newly created primary partition as the Windows installation target.
Microsoft’s documentation describes the ESP, MSR, Windows, and recovery roles and order. The DiskPart MSR reference documents the reserved partition command; Microsoft’s requirements page specifies the 16 MB MSR in its current layout.
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What happens to the recovery partition?
The commands above create the ESP, MSR, and Windows partition; they do not manually create a recovery partition. Microsoft’s deployment sample places a separate recovery partition after Windows, while ordinary Windows Setup may create additional partitions during installation. Do not use the ESP for recovery tools.
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If you need to keep existing data
Stop before running clean if the disk contains partitions or data you need. The sequence here is for a deliberate clean install on a disk you are willing to erase; it is not a safe procedure for resizing an existing Windows installation. The cited Microsoft documentation supports the clean-install partition sequence, but does not establish a GUI-only Setup sequence for specifying a custom ESP size.
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