Methods to Fix the Greyed Out Extend Volume Option in Disk Management
Summary: Insufficient space on the storage drive, incompatible file system of the adjacent partition, etc. can prevent you from extending a volume, making the Extend Volume option no longer available (greyed out). Free up some space or resize boot partitions to extend a volume. Try more methods discussed in the post.
Windows offers many actions to simplify various aspects like storage, settings, etc. Extending a volume or partition on a drive is one such action, which is performed via the Disk Management utility – allowing users to easily create more space in a partition.
Why do We Need to Extend a Volume?
When we run out of space for storing data in a specific volume/partition, we use the extend volume option via disk management. In rare cases, we also require extending the boot partition. Here are some more reasons for extending extend a drive volume –
- No space in the current partition
- The partition size is unreasonably large or small.
- To create a new partition
- Add unallocated space to the volume in use
Why is the Extend Volume Button Greyed Out?
A greyed out extend volume button in Windows typically means that it is unavailable. There are many reasons that lead to users encountering the greyed out extend volume option in Disk Management. This could be due to –
- Insufficient storage space on the drive
- Full utilization of the drive
- Corrupted partitions
- The Recovery Partition on the right of the boot partition
Methods to fix Extend Volume Greyed Out Option
Once you have successfully taken a backup of all your data and important files, start applying the methods to fix the extend volume option not available.
Method 1: Make Free or Unallocated Space Behind the Target Volume
This is the simplest and quickest way to fix the extend volume greyed out option on a Windows computer. While extending a partition, it expands towards the right. Hence, you will need to create unallocated or free space on the right side of the target volume. Carefully follow the steps depicting the process –
- Press WINDOWS + R to open RUN.
- Type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter.
- It will open the Disk Management window.
- Locate an unrequired partition next to the target partition and right-click on it.
- Click on the Delete Volume button.
- This will create unallocated space right next to the target drive.
- Now, right-click on the drive that you want to extend. You will now be able to click on the extend volume option.
- It will open the Extend Volume wizard. Click on Next.
- On the next screen, you will see the unallocated space selected completely.
- You can click on Next to extend the drive by the selected value.
- If you want to extend the target partition by some other amount, you can enter the desired value in the box against the Select the amount of space in MB.
- Once done, click on Next to proceed further.
- On the final screen, click on Finish to extend the target volume.
Method 2: Format & Delete the Partition Having a Different File System
If the extend volume option is not available, chances are that the adjacent partition is formatted with a different file system. In this scenario, you can back up the data of that partition and format it with the file system of the target volume. This will make it compatible, thus allowing you to click on the extend volume button. To do this –
- Right-click on the volume that has a different file system.
- Click on Format.
- From the dialog box, select the file system similar to the target volume.
- Click on OK.
- Once you have formatted the drive, right-click on it again, and click on Delete Volume.
This will make the space occupied by the partition unallocated. Now, you will be able to extend the target partition without any hiccups.
Method 3: Need to Resize the Boot Partition
This is a typical case where you try to extend the boot partition, but the extend volume option is greyed out. Generally, we never extend the boot partition as enough space is already allocated to it during Windows installation.
However, the boot partition (C:\ drive) can run out of space due to the installation of various third-party applications installed in it.
Usually, if you look in the disk management, you’ll notice a healthy recovery partition right next to it. While inside the disk management, this partition can neither be deleted nor moved. Because of this, the extend volume option becomes unavailable.
There is a workaround for this, though. You can use a third-party partition manager software like AOMEI Partition Manager, which allows you to easily resize and move partitions.
Note – Carefully read the instructions or watch the tutorial video to use it for extending volume without losing data.
Accidentally Deleted a Partition While Extending a Volume. Now What?
As tinkering with drive partitions or volumes can sometimes lead to data loss, you should do it carefully. In case you accidentally delete or format a partition, you should stop using the drive immediately.
While this situation might seem difficult to deal with, you can use a partition recovery software like Raminfotech Data Recovery Professional to recover lost/deleted partitions along with their data.
Extend Volume, Not Your Worries
Disk management is a great utility that helps users easily manage storage devices and partitions for ease of use. However, while doing so, we sometimes come across the extend volume button not available and greyed out from the menu.
This happens when you run out of space on a partition, but using the methods explained above, you can easily resolve this problem and extend the volume without any issues.
FAQs
Q. Why can’t I extend my volume?
A. If the extend volume button is greyed out in disk management, it could be due to insufficient free space, incorrect file system of the unused partition, or unavailability of a usable partition adjacent to it.
Q. Can I delete the Recovery Partition?
A. While it is not possible to delete the Recovery Partition through disk management, it can be forcefully removed using the override command of the diskpart command. However, we advise you not to delete it, as doing so will cause you to lose access to the default factory settings and WinRE.
Q. Is it safe to resize a partition?
A. There is a slight risk of data loss in resizing a partition, if not done carefully.
Q. What will happen if I try to shrink a partition with some data in it?
A. If you try to shrink a volume with data in it, the wizard will shrink it to only a point where unmovable files, like data, page files, etc., are located. You will not lose the data in the process. Nevertheless, always take a backup of your data before shrinking a volume.
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