Users often encounter the “Extend Volume greyed-out” error in the Microsoft community, preventing them from extending their drive C volume. The issue arises due to a few common factors:
- Insufficient unallocated space
- Unallocated space not contiguous with the target volume
- Target partition is beyond NTFS or RAW format
To address this issue, EaseUS Software offers guidance on resolving the extended volume greyed-out error.
Fix 1. Use EaseUS Partition Master to Extend Volume
To extend a volume successfully, the target partition must have adjacent unallocated space and be in NTFS format. The quickest solution is to use EaseUS Partition Master Free, a third-party tool, to create and move unallocated space to the target partition.
Step 1. Download and open EaseUS Partition Master, then select the target partition under the “Partition Manager” tab and choose “Resize/Move.”
Step 2. Drag the partition panel to incorporate unallocated space and confirm the action by clicking “OK.”
Step 3. Click “Execute Task” and “Apply” to initiate the transfer of free space from D: drive to C: drive.
Fix 2. Convert The File System Format To NTFS And Extend The Volume Again
Due to Windows limitations, extending a partition beyond NTFS format is not possible. To overcome this, use EaseUS Partition Master or Disk Management to convert the partition format from FAT/exFAT/EXT to NTFS.
Step 1. Open Disk Management by right-clicking the Windows icon.
Step 2. Right-click the target device, select “Format,” specify the volume label, and choose the NTFS format.
Step 3. If the “Extend Volume” option is enabled, proceed to extend the partition by specifying the amount of unallocated space to be added to the C drive.
Fix 3. Create Unallocated Space To Fix Extend Volume Greyed Out Error
To address insufficient unallocated space, consider deleting unnecessary partitions or shrinking existing partitions on the target disk.
Step 1. Open Disk Management by right-clicking the Windows icon or using the Windows + R keys.
Step 2. Select the empty partition next to the target labeled volume and choose “Delete Volume.”
Step 3. If there’s adequate space in the neighboring partition, select “Shrink Volume.”
Step 5. Once unallocated space is created, right-click the target partition and extend it as needed.
Note: If the disk uses MBR partition, the Extend Volume option may be disabled. In this case, consider converting MBR to GPT to enable volume extension.
Final Words
Extending volumes using Disk Management can resolve many issues, but it’s crucial to ensure sufficient unallocated space and the partition formatted in NTFS. Using third-party tools like EaseUS Partition Master offers further flexibility, allowing extension even when there’s no adjacent unallocated space or the partition is not in NTFS format.
