Easy & Safe Disk Management Tool for Windows 11

Windows 11 comes with a built-in software called Disk Management that offers extensive options for controlling the drives and partitions on your computer. You can create, delete, format, shrink, extend, and clone partitions, among other things, with this function. Assigning drive letters and altering partition styles are also possible. Many Windows users are eager to learn about Windows 11’s Disk Management because of its usefulness. Below, we will provide a detailed overview of this tool. To open Disk Management in Windows 11, there are two commonly used methods:

1. Right-click on the Start button and select “Disk Management” from the menu.
2. Press “Windows + R” simultaneously, type “diskmgmt.msc” into the search box, and press “Enter” to launch Disk Management.

When you open Disk Management, you will see an overview of your computer’s disks and drives, allowing you to start certain tasks. While this program can help with some disk and partition difficulties, it has significant limits. For example, users frequently face the “Extend/Shrink Volume grayed out” error because the tool can only extend partitions if there is contiguous unallocated space immediately following the partition to be extended. If you face these issues, consider using third-party disk management tools for more flexibility. Continue reading to learn more.

Easy & Safe alternative to Disk Management in Windows 11

To overcome the limitations of Disk Management, consider using AOMEI Partition Assistant, a powerful and user-friendly Windows partition manager compatible with Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. Its comprehensive features and intuitive interface make it an ideal choice for users of all levels to efficiently manage disks. Here are some standout features of this Windows 11 disk management tool:

Create and Delete Partitions

Easily create new partitions from existing ones or unallocated space, and quickly delete unwanted partitions.

Format Partitions

Format partitions to NTFS, FAT32, or exFAT file systems with ease.

Resize/Move Partitions

Extend or shrink partitions flexibly, allowing for changes in partition size and location.

Merge Partitions

Merge unallocated space with any partition, simplifying the expansion process without needing contiguous space.

Clone Disks or Partitions

It can smoothly migrate or backup data by cloning disks or partitions including transferring from HDD to SSD, copying partition to another drive, moving only OS to SSD.

Convert MBR and GPT Data Disks

Convert between MBR and GPT without data loss to accommodate various needs. AOMEI Partition Assistant provides a robust solution for disk management beyond the built-in capabilities of Disk Management.

How to extend partition using this disk management tool

In the following section, you’ll find a step-by-step tutorial to successfully extending partitions with this disk manager Windows 11, covering two scenarios.

Case 1. Extend partition when there is non-contiguous unallocated space

In this case, we advise use the AOMEI Partition Assistant’s “Merge Partitions” function. With this function, two nearby or discontinuous unallocated spaces are combined into an already-existing partition. Step 1. Download and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. Right-click on the partition you need to extend and choose Advanced > Merge Partitions.

Step 2. Tick the checkbox before the unallocated space and then click OK.

Step 3. Now you can preview the unallocated space that has been added to C drive. To save the change, please click Apply button in the top left corner.

Case 2. Extend partition when there is no unallocated space

If there is no unallocated space on the disk, another method is to utilize the “Allocate Free Space” feature to transfer the available free space directly from one partition to another. Step 1. Open this software, right-click a partition that has enough space (here is D partition), and then choose Allocate Free Space.

Step 2. Enter the size of free space you would like to add into another partition (here is C drive), and then click OK.

Step 3. Now you can preview that some free space has been allocated to C drive from D partition. Click Apply to save the changes. Then you will extend partition C.

Conclusion

Windows 11 Disk Management is sufficient for basic hard disk partition tasks. However, for more advanced needs, AOMEI Partition Assistant stands out as a superior choice. Since 2010, it has been advancing global data security, serving a diverse community of more than 60 million users worldwide. While AOMEI Partition Assistant offers exceptional functionality, some advanced features may require a paid version, which could be seen as a minor drawback.