extend C drive in win 11

extend option is gray out!! what is next step?

Hi, @Vishal Muskan

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Q&A forum.

To extend the C drive in Windows 11, you may follow these steps:

Press the Windows key + X and select "Disk Management" from the menu.

In the Disk Management window, right-click on the C drive and select "Extend Volume".

In the Extend Volume Wizard, click "Next".

Select the amount of unallocated space you want to add to the C drive and click "Next".

Click "Finish" to complete the process.

For more details:

https://video2.skills-academy.com/en-us/windows-server/storage/disk-management/extend-a-basic-volume#extend-a-volume-with-disk-management

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From my research on how to solve this issue, bellow are the steps you can follow:

Yes, you can extend your C drive using unallocated space that was shrunk from the D partition on a Windows system. Here's how you can do it:

Steps to Extend the C Drive:

Backup Important Data: Before making any changes to your disk partitions, it's always a good idea to back up any important data.

Open Disk Management:

• Press Windows + X and select Disk Management from the menu.
  • Alternatively, you can search for Disk Management in the Start menu.
  Shrink the D Drive:

  - Right-click on the D drive (or any other partition you want to shrink) and select **Shrink Volume**.
  
     - Enter the amount of space you want to shrink (this space will become unallocated).
  
        - Click **Shrink**.
  
        **Move Unallocated Space (if needed)**:
  
           - If the unallocated space is directly next to the C drive (to the right), you can skip this step.
  
              - If the unallocated space is not next to the C drive, you'll need third-party software to move it next to the C drive (Windows built-in tools cannot move partitions).
  
              **Extend the C Drive**:
  
                 - Right-click on the C drive and select **Extend Volume**.
  
                    - The Extend Volume Wizard will open. Click **Next**.
  
                       - Select the unallocated space to add to the C drive and click **Next**.
  
                          - Click **Finish** to complete the process.
  
                          **Check the C Drive**:
  
                             - After the process completes, the C drive should now show the increased size with the added space from the unallocated area.
  

Notes:

• If the unallocated space is not directly next to the C drive (i.e., there is another partition between C and the unallocated space), you'll need third-party partitioning software (e.g., MiniTool Partition Wizard, EaseUS Partition Master) to move the unallocated space.
• Ensure that your computer is connected to a power source during this process, as losing power could interrupt the disk management operation.

Yes, you can extend your C drive using unallocated space that was shrunk from the D partition on a Windows system. Here's how you can do it:

Steps to Extend the C Drive:

Backup Important Data: Before making any changes to your disk partitions, it's always a good idea to back up any important data.

Open Disk Management:

• Press Windows + X and select Disk Management from the menu.
  • Alternatively, you can search for Disk Management in the Start menu.
  Shrink the D Drive:

  - Right-click on the D drive (or any other partition you want to shrink) and select **Shrink Volume**.
  
     - Enter the amount of space you want to shrink (this space will become unallocated).
  
        - Click **Shrink**.
  
        **Move Unallocated Space (if needed)**:
  
           - If the unallocated space is directly next to the C drive (to the right), you can skip this step.
  
              - If the unallocated space is not next to the C drive, you'll need third-party software to move it next to the C drive (Windows built-in tools cannot move partitions).
  
              **Extend the C Drive**:
  
                 - Right-click on the C drive and select **Extend Volume**.
  
                    - The Extend Volume Wizard will open. Click **Next**.
  
                       - Select the unallocated space to add to the C drive and click **Next**.
  
                          - Click **Finish** to complete the process.
  
                          **Check the C Drive**:
  
                             - After the process completes, the C drive should now show the increased size with the added space from the unallocated area.
  

Notes:

• If the unallocated space is not directly next to the C drive (i.e., there is another partition between C and the unallocated space), you'll need third-party partitioning software (e.g., MiniTool Partition Wizard, EaseUS Partition Master) to move the unallocated space.
• Ensure that your computer is connected to a power source during this process, as losing power could interrupt the disk management operation.

The 'Extend Volume' is greyed out and disabled. Can you please suggest how to enable this option, or is there any other alternative for extending the disk space for C: drive?

If you want to extend your C drive but the option is greyed out, it is likely because there is no unused space on your hard drive. However, you can still extend your C drive by moving data from your D drive to an external drive, deleting the D drive partition from Disk Management, and then expanding your C drive. But be sure to make an important decision here: expand your C drive only to a point where you can recreate the D drive and move the data back to it. I did this on my Windows 11 laptop today and had no issues.