When attempting to designate a partition as active using the Disk Management utility, some users have noticed that the option to “Mark Partition as Active” is grayed out. In this post, we will address this issue and provide potential solutions.
Why is the “Mark Partition as Active” option grayed out?
The “Mark Partition as Active” option will appear grayed out if the disk is not set as primary. To make a partition active, it must first be designated as primary. Follow the steps outlined below to resolve this issue.
Solution: Resolve “Mark Partition as Active” Grayed Out
If the “Mark Partition as Active” option is grayed out, try the following solutions:
- Set the Partition as Primary
- Uninstall Windows Update
Let’s review each solution in detail.
1] Set the Partition as Primary
Typically, the operating system and bootable file should reside on the same drive, marked as an active primary partition. If a partition is not set as primary, it cannot be marked as active. To resolve this, we will use the Diskpart tool to convert a logical partition to a primary partition.
Note: Before converting a logical drive to a primary partition, it is recommended to create a backup of the drive.
- Press the Windows key.
- Type Command Prompt in the search bar, right-click, and select Run as administrator.
- Click “Yes” when prompted by the User Account Control (UAC).
- Type diskpart in the command prompt and press Enter.
- Type list disk in the DISKPART prompt to identify the disk number.
- Type select disk n (where “n” is the disk number).
- To free up space, delete the partition by typing delete partition,.
- Type create partition primary.
This solution should resolve the issue.
2] Uninstall Windows Update
A bug in the operating system’s code can cause various issues. Some users have reported encountering the grayed-out “Mark Partition as Active” issue after a Windows OS update. Uninstalling the Windows Update may help resolve the problem. If any updates were partially downloaded, consider deleting the downloaded, failed, or pending Windows updates.
With these solutions, you should be able to fix the problem.
Related: All options grayed out in Disk Management
How to enable “Mark Partition as Active”?
To mark a partition as active, follow these simple steps using the Disk Management utility:
1. Press the Windows key.
2. Type “Disk Management” in the search bar and press Enter.
3. Once the Disk Management window opens, right-click on the partition you wish to make active.
4. Select “Mark Partition as Active.”
That’s it!
Also Read: exFAT drive not appearing on a Windows computer.
