Cant extend c drive with unallocated space windows 7

Are you having this error that the Extend Volume greyed out while trying to increase C drive or other partition space on Windows 11/10? On this page, we'll discuss why is the Extend Volume Option greyed out and how to fix the "can't extend volume" error on Windows 11/10/8/7, and even Windows Server computers.

Check out and find the best solutions to enable extend volume in all your hard drive partitions now:

"Hi there, do you know how to fix the problem that Extends Volume option is greyed out in Disk Management? I planned to expand my system C drive to speed up the computer with Windows 11/10. I opened the Disk Management tool, deleted an extended partition to leave unallocated space so to extend C drive? 

But it won't allow me to do so. Why? The Extend Volume option is greyed out, and how can I fix this issue?"

Are you having the same issue on your PC that the Disk Management tool won't allow you to extend volume? Relax! Reading this tutorial, you will know why is Extend Volume grayed out. Besides, effective solutions are available right here to help you enable extend volume so as to extend partitions in Windows 10/8/7 for free now. How? Let's see.

Prior note: It's impossible to extend or add partition space with free space on a second basic disk. Therefore, please make sure that the free space or unallocated space and the volume which you want to extend are on the same disk. 

Why Is Extend Volume Greyed Out

If you can't extend volume, like cannot extend volume in C drive, don't worry. Open Windows Disk Management, check the state of your disk partition, and the listed reasons below. You'll find why is the Extend Volume option greyed out on your computer:

• There is no unallocated space on your hard drive.
• There is no contiguous unallocated space or free space behind the partition you want to extend. 
• Windows can't extend is a FAT or other format partition.

The Extend Volume option in Disk Management only works to a RAW or NTFS partition. You can't extend FAT or other format partition on Windows PC.

• Windows can't extend a primary partition with unallocated space in an extended partition, or vice versa.
• The partition capacity as reached the 2TB limit on MBR disk.

Now that we know why is Extend Volume grayed out, so how to enable extend volume or increase partition under these circumstances? Here, we've picked up 5 reliable methods for you to try and apply to extend partition for free. 

Your Most Reliable Tool for Fixing "C Drive Extend Volume Greyed Out"

As we've mentioned above, among the reasons why you can't extend volume, Windows limitation is the major reason. Windows disk management cannot extend a specific partition in situations. 

In order to help you out of the "Extend Volume Greyed Out" error and successfully increase partition size, we'd like to recommend you try a reliable tool for extending volume - EaseUS Partition Master.

- EaseUS Partition Master -

Your Smart Windows 11 Update Disk Manager

• MBR to GPT Converter, Make Disk Ready for Windows 11.
• Migrate Windows 11 to New SSD in 1-Click.
• Handy to Extend or Combine Partitions in Windows 11.
• Clone and Upgrade Disks without Data Loss.

It's Resize/Move and Allocate Space feature will effectively fix all the issues, helping you effectively extend volume on Windows 11/10/8/7:

• Fix Can't Extend Volume with no unallocated space
• Fix Can't Extend Volume Error with no adjacent unallocated space
• Fix Extend Volume Greyed Out on FAT or other format partition
• Fix Can't Extend Primary Volume with space on extended partition or vice versa
• Fix Extend Volume Option Greyed Out in MBR 2TB partition
• Video Tutorial 💡- Fix Extend Volume Option Greyed Out In Windows 10

If some of you still prefer to use Disk Management to fix "extend volume is disabled", you may try Method 1 to enable Extend Volume and increase partition space now.

Method 1. Fix Can't Extend Volume Error without Unallocated Space

When your hard drive doesn't have unallocated space, you can't extend a volume. You can either apply Disk Management or apply EaseUS partition manager for help.

You can follow either way to enlarge your target partition on Windows 11/10/8/7 now.

#1. Fix Can't Extend C Drive with No Unallocated Space via EaseUS Partition Master

EaseUS Partition Master with its Allocate Space feature enables you to flexibly move free space from other partitions to extend a target volume.

Step 1. Right-click on the D: partition with enough free space and select "Allocate Space".

Step 2. Select the target partition - C: drive and drag the partition panel rightward to add the free space from D: drive to C: drive. Then click "OK" to confirm.

Step 3. Click the "Execute Task" button and click "Apply" to start the process of moving free space from D: drive to C: drive.

#2. Make Unallocated Space and Extend Volume in Disk Management

Note that if you can't extend C drive space, you can also enable Extend Volume in C drive with the same steps below: 

Step 1. Make Free or Unallocated Space behind Target Volume 

If you don't have free space or unallocated space on the computer drive, you must first delete an empty or useless partition, or shrink a partition to leave free/unallocated space next to the target volume.

1. 1.Press Windows + X keys, click "Disk Management".
2. 2.Right-click an empty partition next to the target volume, select "Delete Volume". Click "OK".

• 3. You can also right-click a neighbor partition that has enough free space, select "Shrink volume".
• 4. Specify the amount of space to shrink, click "Shrink" and "OK" to confirm.

You are now good to go and follow the steps below to enlarge a hard drive partition without the "can't extend volume" error any longer.

Step 2. Enable Extend Volume, Increase Partition Size

1. 1. In Disk Management, right-click the target partition that you want to extend.
2. 2. Select "Extend Volume" and adjust the size that you want to add to the target volume.
3. 3. Click "OK" to confirm.

Method 2. Fix "Can't Extend Volume Windows 10" with No Adjacent Unallocated Space

If you have unallocated space on your disk but it's not next to your target volume, the Extend Volume option will display as greyed out in Disk Management. You can use EaseUS Partition Master to extend the partition with its Resize/Move feature.

Step 1. Locate the Target Partition.

Go to Partition Manager, locate the target partition and select "Resize/Move".

Step 2. Extend the Target Partition.

Drag the partition panel rightward or leftward to add the unallocated space into your current partition and click "OK" to confirm.

Extra Option: Get Space from Another Drive

If there is not enough unallocated space on your disk, right-click on a big partition with enough free space, select "Allocate space".

Then select the target partition that you want to extend at the allocate space to column.

Step 3. Execute Operations to Extend Partition.

Drag the dots of the target partition into the unallocated space and click "OK".

Then Click the "Execute Task" button and click "Apply" to keep all the changes. 

Method 3. Fix Extend Volume Greyed Out on FAT or Other Format Partition

Due to the Windows limitation, you can't directly use Disk Management to extend FAT, exFAT, EXT partitions. Here you have two options o fix this error:

1. #1. Extend FAT or Other Format Partition Using EaseUS Partition Master

EaseUS Partition Master breaks the limit in Windows PC, and you can directly follow steps in Method 1 or Method 2 to extend your target partition with ease.

1. #2. Convert FAT to NTFS and Extend Partition in Disk Management

To convert FAT partition to NTFS, you'll need to format or delete the partition, which will cause file loss. Therefore, we don't recommend you try this method. It's time-consuming and risky.

Method 4. Fix Can't Extend Primary Volume with Space on Extended Partition or Vice Versa

Windows also doesn't allow you to extend a primary partition with unallocated space in an extended partition, so it is to extend a logical partition with space in a primary partition. 

Therefore, to fix this issue and extend a volume, you'll need to turn to third-party partition manager software for help. EaseUS Partition Master can help. 

Video Tutorial: Extend and Partition Hard Drive

The following video tutorial shows how to partition a hard drive on Windows 10 and you can learn how to extend volume in this video:

Method 5. Fix Extend Volume Option Greyed Out in MBR 2TB Partition

This is a rare case but happens sometimes on an MBR partition. If you create a single volume that reaches 2TB capacity, you can't continue extending the partition. Then the Extend Volume Option will grey out.

In this case, you can convert the MBR disk to GPT disk to break the limit. We don't suggest you use Disk Management to execute the operation as it requires deleting all partitions to convert a disk. 

EaseUS Partition Master with its disk conversion feature will do the work. You may refer to Convert MBR to GPT for help.

Also Read: How to Partition A Hard Drive in Windows 10

Video Tutorial - Extend Volume Greyed Out In Windows 10

The video tutorial released by Sandeep Singh shows to fix extend volume option greyed out in Windows 10 while using Disk Management.

Manual way to create unallocated space next to C drive in Disk Management - 0:34 - 3:33

Cannot Extend Volume Windows 10/11? 5 Solutions Help!

On this page, we offered 6 reliable methods to help you fix the "Extend Volume greyed out" error and extend partitions successfully no matter whether you have free or unallocated space on your computer hard drive.

If you prefer a reliable & free tool to extend partition, EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition is more reliable. As it doesn't require deleting partition even if you don't have unallocated space. Also, no data loss will occur by extending volume using this free partition tool.

Can't Extend C Drive FAQs

1. Why can't I extend partition C in Windows 10 (why is extend volume greyed out)?

Disk Management extend volume greyed out? Unallocated space next to C drive can cause an extended volume greyed-out issue. If you are trying to extend the c drive, a free partitioning tool can do the partition management.

2. How do I fix extend volume greyed out?

The best way is to create an unallocated disk space to the right of the target partition. To make unallocated space, you can delete the adjacent volume (data loss!). Or try EaseUS Partition Master to manage and extend disk space freely.

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