Fix: Extended volume grayed out on Windows 11

You will receive a low disk space warning on your Windows 11 PC when there is not enough storage space to save a new program or install a new update on a specific drive.

In this case, the option to expand the volume comes in handy. There are many ways you can easily expand your drive and create additional storage space on it.

However, several Windows 11 users have reported that the Extend Volume option is grayed out in the Disk Management console for them.

This will restrict users from continuing to expand the volume and get rid of low disk space warnings on Windows 11 PCs.

If you are also one of the users who are facing grayed out Extend Volume option on Windows 11, then you are at the right place.

Because this tutorial lists all the effective solutions that you can follow and possibly solve the problem. Let’s look at the solutions one by one.

Why is the Extend Volume option grayed out in the Windows 11 Disk Management console?

You open the Disk Management console to fix low storage space on your disk drive, only to find that the Extend Volume option is grayed out in Windows 11. This can be really frustrating.

Just like any other Windows 11 issue, there could be multiple reasons or one specific reason why this option is grayed out or unavailable to you.

• This may be because the partition you want to extend is in FAT or FAT32 format. Microsoft only allows the expand volume option for NTFS partitions in the Disk Management console.
• There is no adjacent unallocated space behind the primary partition you want to extend.
• Also, this issue may pop up if there is no unallocated space available in any other dynamic disk.
• MBR partitions cannot be expanded beyond 2 TB.

One of the above mentioned reasons might be one of the reasons triggering the issue and the Extended Volume option has been disabled in Windows 11 PC.

The good thing is that you can easily fix this problem with the below mentioned solutions and then expand the volume without any difficulty.

How to fix grayed out Extended Volume option in Windows 11?

1. Convert FAT to NTFS

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Search Disk Management and open it.
3. Right-click the drive and select Format.
4. Under File System, select NTFS.
5. Click OK. Do not change any other settings.
6. Click OK again to confirm the operation.

This will initiate the conversion of FAT to NTFS format. Once the formatting is complete, you can go ahead and try to see if the extend volume option is available.

2. Delete adjacent volumes

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Search Disk Management and open it.
3. Right-click on the disk drive and select Delete Volume from the context menu.
4. Click Yes on the confirmation dialog box.
5. The volume will be deleted and is now available as Unallocated.
6. Right-click the volume you want to extend and select Extend Volume.
7. Select the number of disks in the Available section and click Add.
8. Click Next.
9. The wizard will start the expansion process.
10. Click FinishClose the disk management tool.

Now, after deleting the volume and adding unallocated space to the volume, you will be able to see the Extend Volume option fully working.

3. Expand to external disk

Notes Once a disk is converted to dynamic, you will not be able to restore this option because the disk cannot be converted back to a basic disk. You need to completely reformat the disk before you can convert it again.

1. Shut down your PC and connect the external hard drive.
2. Open the Start menu.
3. Search Disk Management and open it.
4. The new hard drive will be connected. Right-click on the disk with partitions and select Convert to Dynamic Disk.
5. Check the box next to the correct disk and click OK.
6. ClickConvert.
7. Click to confirm the operation.
The hard drive will now be converted to dynamic.
8. Right-click the volume you want to extend and select
9. Extend Volume.
Select the number of disks in the Available section and click
10. Add.
Click
11. Next.
On the last screen, click
12. Finish.

Before performing the above steps, please note: This method only applies to non-boot partitions. This means that you cannot extend the system volume using this method.

The best part about this method is that even if the disk expands to 2 different disks, it will appear as one under File Explorer.

4. Use shrink volume

to open the
1. Start menu.
Search
2. Disk Management and open it.
Right-click on a disk drive that has enough space and select
3. Shrink Volume.
Enter the amount of space you wish to shrink.
4. Click
5. shrink.
Select
6. OK to confirm.
Right-click the volume you want to extend and select
7. Extend Volume.
Select the number of disks in the Available section and click
8. Add.
Click
9. Next.
On the last screen, click
10. Finish.

If you don’t want to delete the volume as mentioned in method 2, you can use shrink volume option.

5. Use a third-party tool

Download
1. AOMEI Partition Assistant.
to install the software on your PC.
2. Open
3. AOMEI Partition Assistant.
Right-click a drive that has enough free space and select
4. Allocateavailable space.
Specify the space size and select the target partition.
5. 
Click
6. OK.
Select Continue and click the
7. Apply button at the top.

Expert Tip: Some PC problems are difficult to solve, especially if the repository is corrupted or Windows files are missing. If you are having trouble fixing errors, your system may be partially corrupted. We recommend installing Restoro, a tool that can scan your machine and determine where the fault lies. Click here to download and start repairing.

AOMEI Partition Assistant is one of the trustworthy third-party tools that can help you manage different tasks related to disk management on your Windows 11 PC.

The tool comes with many features, including the option to easily expand, shrink or merge partitions in just a few clicks. All this happens without any data loss.

What can I do to prevent the disk drive from becoming full on my Windows 11 PC?

It's important to keep your PC with plenty of storage space available to ensure it runs properly and has enough space to install new applications.

There are several ways to prevent your disk drive from becoming full.

➡ Check for viruses and malware

A PC with viruses or malware will generate useless files and occupy storage space. In this case, it is necessary to check for viruses or malware and remove them from your PC.

1. Click the Up Arrow button on the taskbar in the lower right corner.
2. Select Windows Security.
3. Select Virus and Threat Protection.
4. Click the Quick Scan button.
5. Alternatively, you can select the Scan Options button.
6. Under Scan Options, select Full Scan to deeply scan your PC for viruses or malware.

➡ Run Disk Cleanup

The Disk Cleanup tool is a great way to clear all unnecessary files from your disk storage.

1. Open the Start menu.
2. Search Disk Cleanup and open it.
3. SelectC drive from the drop-down menu.
4. Check all the boxes you want to delete.
5. You will be asked to confirm.
6. Click the OK button.

➡ Repair Disk Drive

If the disk drive has errors and the file system is corrupted then it will also show you that your hard drive has been corrupted for no reason. Fill up.

To resolve this issue, you can use the Chkdsk command in Command Prompt.

1. Open Command Prompt.
2. Type the following command and press Enter:chkdsk C: /f /r /x
3. Once the process is complete, enter the following command and press Enter:DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth
4. You will see the "Operation completed successfully" message.
5. Restart your computer.

➡ Move large files to another drive

If you have multiple large files on your disk drive, then we recommend that you move them to on another drive with enough space.

Additionally, you can transfer all your large files to an external hard drive and save PC space for more important files.

The above solutions will help you fix grayed out Extended Volume option on Windows 11 PC.

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