How to Extend Server 2022 System Partition Size Easily and Securely

User case: the “Extend volume” option greyed out

“I’m a Windows Server 2022 user and recently I find the system partition on my computer is nearly full. So, to avoid unnecessary errors and glitches, I ran Disk Management in the hope that it would help extend the system volume. However, the option “Extend volume” was somehow greyed out. Thus, how can I extend Server 2022 system partition size when Disk Management stops working? Is there any alternative?”

Why extend Server 2022 system partition size?

Windows Server 2022, built on the strong foundation of Server 2019, has been finally released on August 19, 2021. This new Windows Server version comes with many innovations in respect to security, Axure hybrid integration, management, and app platform. To install Server 2022, the partition should be at least 32GB and many people notice that after the installation, the storage space is insufficient, and the computer becomes slow; or over time, as more and more programs are installed, the storage space becomes smaller. In these cases, Server 2022 system partition size extension becomes imperative.

How to extend Server 2022 system partition size?

It’s necessary to extend Server 2022 system partition size since the performance of your computer could be badly affected when there’s no sufficient storage space left. However, you may have the question “How can I extend the C drive space in Server 2022?” Actually, there are many ways to get it done as both Microsoft and some third-party companies have their own products for partition resizing.

▶ With Disk Management

Disk Management is a Windows built-in program that’s able to perform a decent number of operations including partition format and deletion, disk type conversion, volume extension, etc.

Note: Make sure there is a piece of unallocated space contigously to the right side of the system partition. Otherwise, the Extend Volume option will be grayed out.

1. Select, right-click on “This PC” on the desktop and hit “Manage” in the dropdown list.

2. Go to the “Storage” tab and select “Disk Management”.

3. Select and right-click on the system partition (usually the C drive) and select “Extend Volume”.

4. Follow the onscreen wizard to finish the rest steps.

▶ With Diskpart

Can you extend system partition with other tools besides Disk Management? Yes. Windows also has another built-in disk management program called Diskpart. This program uses command lines to execute different orders and is able to do nearly what Disk Management can do.

Note: A piece of unallocated space is still required to be located contiguously to the right side of the system partition. Otherwise, the extend command will fail.

1. In the search bar on the bottom left of the desktop, type “cmd” and hit “ENTER” to bring up Command Prompt

2. In the Command Prompt window, type “diskpart” and hit “ENTER” to run Diskpart.

3. Type “list volume” and hit “ENTER” to list all partitions on the selected hard disk.

4. Type “select volume *” and hit “ENTER” to select the system partition

5. Type “extend” and hit “ENTER” to assign the entire unallocated space to the system partition

▶ With a third-party disk manager

Both Windows Disk Management and Diskpart help extend the system partition on condition that there’s a piece of unallocated space contiguously to the right of it. Or else, the “extend volume greyed out” issue will appear when you use Disk Management and Diskpart isn’t able to execute the order either.

So, how to extend Server 2022 system partition size without limit? This time, I recommend AOMEI Partition Assistant Server. It’s a multifunctional and easy-to-use disk manager that’s able to extend Server 2022 system partition size with unallocated regardless of their positions, combine it with another partition, or allocate free space to the system partition. What’s more, this powerful software supports other features including app mover, hard drive clone, and partition wiping. 

Now, download the demo of the impressive partition manager to have a try.

● Way 1. Merge partitions

In this way, you can either combine the Server 2022 system partition with unallocated space or with a contiguous data partition.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Server, on the home interface, select and right-click on the Server 2022 system partition and select "Advanced" and choose “Merge Partitions”.

Step 2. Tick unallocated space or the partition you want to combine and then, hit “OK”.

Step 3. In the “Pending Operations” window, you’ll notice that the size of the system partition has been enlarged. To commit the operation, click on “Apply” as the screenshot shows.

● Way 2. Allocate free space

In this way, you can directly transfer free space to the Server 2022 system partition from another partition that has sufficient storage.

Step 1. Run the AOMEI product, select and right-click on the partition where you want to extract some free space and then, select “Allocate Free Space”.

Step 2. In the “Allocate Free Space” window, preset how much storage you want to allocate and choose the destination drive to allocate the storage space to. After that, hit “OK”.

Step 3. Follow “Apply > Proceed” to commit the pending operation.

Conclusion

When the system partition is full, the computer becomes sluggish and less responsive. Thus, it’s imperative to extend Server 2022 system partition size. But how? Above, both Microsoft and AOMEI give their answers. By comparison, the third-party disk manager – AOMEI Partition Assistant Server – is more user-friendly, versatile, and easier. It not only allows you to merge the system drive with unallocated space or another partition, but also, helps allocate free space from other partitions to the system drive. What’s more, other features including partition moving and OS to SSD migration are also contained.