Like other versions, Windows Server 2012 includes the native Disk Management tool to help manage storage devices. With this tool, you can create, delete, format volumes, and change drive letters. In addition to these basic functions, it offers advanced options such as 'Shrink Volume' and 'Extend Volume' to adjust partition sizes. 'Extend Volume' allows you to expand system partition and data volumes without losing data (in most cases). However, it only works under certain conditions. Many users report that the 'Extend Volume' is greyed out in Server 2012 R2 Disk Management. This article explains why 'Extend Volume' is disabled in Windows Server 2012 R2 and provides easy solutions to fix the issue.
Why Extend Volume is disabled in Server 2012 Disk Management
There are 6 reasons why Extend Volume greyed out in Windows Server 2012 R2 Disk Management:
- No unallocated space on a disk
- Unallocated space is non adjacent to the partition
- File System is not supported
- Free space can't be extended to primary partition
- Unallocated space can't be extended to logical drive
- 2TB restriction on MBR disk
I'll explain one by one, then you'll know the exact reason on your server.
Reason 1: No unallocated space on a disk
Explanation:
The size of a physical disk is fixed. Before extending a partition, there must be unallocated space. A 500GB disk can't be decreased to 400GB or increased to 600GB. You can resize a partition, but you can't resize a disk (except virtual disk). To get unallocated space, you may either delete or shrink an existing partition.
If you right click a volume without unallocated space on this disk, of course Extend Volume is grayed out in Server 2012 Disk Management.
Reason 2: Unallocated space is nonadjacent
Explanation:
This is the most common reason why Extend Volume greyed out in Server 2012 r2 Disk Management.
"Extend Volume" function can only extend unallocated space to the contiguous partition on the left. "Shrink Volume" function can only make unallocated space on the right while shrinking a partition.
As you see in the screenshot, unallocated space that shrunk from D is non adjacent to C drive and is on the left of E drive. Therefore, Extend Volume is disabled for C: and E: after shrinking D: drive.
Reason 3: File System is not supported
Explanation:
From Microsoft explanation, Extend Volume function only support expanding the partitions that are formatted with NTFS or without file system (RAW).
If this partition is FAT32 or any other types, Extend Volume option is grayed out even if there is adjacent unallocated space on the right.
Reason 4: Free space can't be extended to primary partition
Explanation:
In most of servers, system partition C is NTFS and primary. If the right contiguous volume D is a logical drive, Extend Volume still greyed out for C drive even after you deleting D.
After deleting a logical drive, its disk space will be changed to "Free space". THis kind of space is still part of the extended partition. To convert it to unallocated, you must delete all other logical drives and the entire extended partition.
Reason 5: Unallocated space can't be extended to logical drive
Explanation:
Similarly, unallocated space that deleted from a primary partition cannot be extended to any logical drive with Disk Management.
Reason 6: 2TB restriction on MBR disk
Explanation:
If you initialized a 2TB+ disk as MBR, you can use only 2TB space, the remaining disk space is unallocated. It can't be used to create new volume or added to other volume in Disk Management. When you right click this unallocated space, all options are grayed out.
As the screenshot shows, F: drive is formatted with NTFS and there is right adjacent unallocated space, but Extend Volume option is grayed out in Server 2012 Disk Management.
How to fix Windows Server 2012 R2 Extend Volume greyed out issue
If you got unallocated space by shrinking the adjacent D drive, you need to move partition D to the right and make unallocated space contiguous to C drive, then Extend Volume will be enabled.
Download NIUBI Partition Editor and you'll see the main window with disk partition structure and other information. There is 20GB unallocated space that is shrunk from D drive with Disk Management.
To address "Extend Volume" greyed out in Server 2012 R2 by moving partition:
Step 1: Right click D: drive and select "Resize/Move Volume", put mouse pointer in the middle of D drive and drag it towards right in the pop-up window:
Then unallocated space is moved to the left side.
Step 2: Right click C: and select "Resize/Move Volume" again, drag right border towards right in the pop-up window.
Then unallocated space is added into C: drive.
Step 3: Click "Apply" on top left to take effect to real disk partition.
When there is contiguous unallocated space either to the left or right of the partition you want to extend, you can combine it with the partition in just one step using NIUBI Partition Editor, regardless of whether the partition is NTFS or FAT32, or a logical or primary partition. If the unallocated space is nonadjacent, you can move it and then merge it with the partition.
Follow the video to fix Windows Server 2012 Extend Volume greyed out issue:
If Extend Volume greyed out for a 2TB partition on MBR disk, follow the steps in the video to convert MBR to GPT and then extend partition with unallocated space.
In Summary
When Extend Volume is grayed out in Windows Server 2012 Disk Management, find out the associated reason on your server and follow the corresponding method above. Besides shrinking, moving and extending partition, NIUBI Partition Editor helps you merge, copy, convert, hide, wipe, defrag, scan partition and much more.
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