Fixed: Can't Extend Volume or Extend Volume Greyed Out in Windows

Theo Lucia

Sep 23, 2024 • Filed to: Windows Computer Solutions • Proven solutions

Extending a drive’s volume is usually done to unload a particular drive from a heavy load of data. If a drive becomes saturated, it may sacrifice your computer’s speeds. Thus, many users resolve to extend volume on the drive.

Overview

When you’re trying to extend volumes, you may encounter the problem of the Extend Volume option being greyed out, meaning it’s not activated or you basically can’t use it.

One of the possible reasons for the said error is that there is simply no adequate unallocated space next to the partition that you are planning to extend. It’s also important to take note that Disk Management is unable to extend volumes if the target volume is in FAT32. This only applies to NTFS and RAW volumes.

How to Fix Cannot Extend Volume in Windows 10

No matter the reason for your issues with extending volumes, there are ways to remedy it. Below, we will provide a solution on how to fix Cannot Extend Volume in Windows 10

Solution 1: Disk Management Extend Volume

1. Press on Windows key + R your keyboard and type in diskmgmt.msc. This will launch Disk Management.
2. Back up the partition to be deleted to an external drive.
3. Right-click on the said partition beside Drive C. (This is usually Drive D) and select Delete Volume.
4. Confirm to apply all the changes. After the Drive C is unallocated, right-click on the chosen partition and you will find an Extend Volume option.
5. Select Extend Volume and proceed to the process of extending the volume

Extend Volume Problems

You may encounter problems regarding Extend Volume. This may be because there’s no longer free space within your computer or you don’t have external storage for the back up of the partition to be deleted. And if you do have the storage space, the process of backup and restoring the data is very time-consuming especially if the data is very large. Sometimes, the Extend Volume option would still not be available even after locating the space.

These are just some of the many problems you could encounter. Below, we will show you an alternative fix.

Solution 2: The alternative solution to Fix Can’t Extend Volume

If all else fails, you can always make use a third-party partition software. Here are 5 of the best partition manager softwares you can download for free.

1.Paragon Partition Manager

One of the most highly recommended partition softwares is Paragon Partition Manager. It’s packed with endless features while remaining user-friendly. With this software, you can move, resize, copy, and delete partitions. All you’ll have to do is to make a few clicks and Paragon Partition Manager will do all the work. It’s also capable of converting HFS to NTFS or the other way around. If you choose to go with the paid version, you’ll even have access to more features.

2.Acronis Disk Director

Acronis Disk Director is one of the most powerful disk partition management applications you can use. It not only allows you to rename, copy, delete, move, and resize partitions, it also has the feature that can recover any damaged partitions. Another unique feature of this software is the ability to create bootable media.

3.AOIMEI Partition Assistant

If you’re after a full-featured, reliable disk management application, AOMEI Partition Assistant is your best pick. It boasts of all the usual features you’d expect any disk partition management program to have like re-sizing, renaming, copying, deleting, merging partitions. Most importantly, it allows you to recover any lost or corrupted partitions or damaged volumes. Another unique feature of this program is the Quick Partition. It’s a specially-designed tool by the program created to re-partition hard disks in just one click of a button. Despite its many powerful features, it remains user-friendly so there is no need to worry if you’re not familiar with disk partition management softwares.

4.Macrorit Disk Partition Expert

Lastly, but surely won’t disappoint, is the Macrorit Disk Partition Expert. It may look like any other disk partition manager software but it’s packed with many essential features. It’s capable of performing tasks such as conversions of file systems, OS migrations, conversions from NTFS to FAT32 and vice-versa, MBR to GPT conversions. These can all be done with ease. If you’re looking for paid versions of disk partition softwares, consider Macrorit for its relatively cheaper price than most similar softwares.

Volume extension is a relatively easy task to do. However, if you encounter any errors, it’s better to make use of programs that ensure that the task gets done. Any of the third-party softwares recommended above can help you make the process of extending volumes easier.