• Convert GPT disk to MBR or MBR to GPT. How to convert GPT to MBR using system tools

    GUID Partition Table (GPT) was introduced as part of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). GPT provides more options than the traditional method MBR partitions, which is common to disks. If you have a hard drive large size, then you might want convert MBR to GPT. This occurs because MBR disks only support four partition table entries. If one wants more partitions, then an additional structure must be created, known as an extended partition.

    Thus, for any hard drive larger than 2 TB, we must use GPT. If you have a disk larger than 2 TB, the rest disk space won't be used if you convert it to GPT. The number of partitions on a GPT disk is not limited by temporary schemes, such as the partition container defined in the MBR Extended Boot Record (EBR).

    Here is an image of the main disk that explains the GPT format.

    Remember that there is also an MBR protected area for backward compatibility.

    Convert MBR to GPT

    One of the central challenges we face in the process MBR conversions The thing about GPT is that conversion can be done from MBR to GPT only if there are no partitions or volumes on the disk, making it impossible to convert without losing data on the disk. I still don't know why Microsoft didn't come up with a simpler solution to this problem. Luckily, there are some solutions that can help you in converting MBR to GPT without losing any data.

    1. Convert MBR to GPT using Diskpart

    To use this method you must do backup copy all your data and delete all partitions and volumes. Then continue with DISKPART commands:

    • Open the window command line and enter DISKPART and press Enter
    • Then enter list disk(Make a note of the disk number you want to convert to GPT)
    • Then enter in select drive Number of disks
    • Finally enter the type convert gpt.

    2. Convert MBR to GPT without data loss using Gptgen

    Using this method, you can convert MBR to GPT without losing data using a command line utility called gptgen. Gptgen is a tool designed to non-destructively convert a hard drive partitioned in a “MSDOS-style” MBR scheme (including extended partitions) that uses a GUID partition table (GPT).

    This is a very comprehensive tool, but a little difficult to implement. According to the read me file of this tool, the syntax of the tool is “ gptgen [-w] \\.\physicaldrive X”, where X is the disk number in the Disk Management console or the “list disk” utility command DISKPART. The -w option causes gptgen to write the generated GUID partition table to disk, otherwise the master table will be written to a file called “ primary.img“ and auxiliary table “ secondary.img“ in the directory from which the program is called. You can then use, for example, DD to write the tables to disk.

    3. Convert MBR to GPT without data loss using Partition Assistant

    The last way is by using a tool called AOMEI Partition Assistant Lite Edition. This is a free multifunctional partition management software. This tool has a feature that can help you convert your data disk to GPT or MBR style without losing data.

    To convert a disk to an MBR/GPT disk:

    • Select the drive you want to convert;
    • Right-click on the drive and select Convert to GPT/MBR Disk;
    • Confirm the operation by clicking “OK” to continue;
    • On the toolbar, click the button Apply - Apply to save changes.

    If you know any other way to safely convert MBR to GPT, please share with us in the comments. Thanks.

    Hello friends, today's article will be devoted to conversion hard drive. I wrote an article about the fact that. The solution to the problem turned out to be quite simple, it was necessary to convert GPT to MBR. We did this using the utility dispart Unfortunately, the disadvantage of this method is that the data on all partitions is completely destroyed. Recently I received a question: how to convert GPT to MBR without losing data? Today we will do this.

    As it turned out, this transformation can be done, but only with the help of third-party software. IN in this case we need to use the software Paragon Hard Disk Manager. I want to say that the program only works in the environment operating systems, therefore, I do not advise you to remove the OS by formatting the partition with the system. First, do the disk conversion, and then perform the operations you need, whatever you want.

    You can download this program from the official website. It is paid, but there is also trial version, which is quite enough for us. In order to download the program you need to register, a download link will be sent to your email. Install the program and launch it.

    The following window opens before our eyes:


    In this window we see all connected disks that are converted to GPT and MBR. As a test disk, I took a regular flash drive converted to GPT. I'll show you how to convert it to MBR. You can do this with anyone hard drive.

    So, there are files on this disk (flash drive), and they will remain after conversion.


    To produce this operation you need to right-click on the disk. It is the disk, not the partition. A context window will pop up in which we select "Convert basic GPT to base MBR".


    A window will appear in which you need to click the button "Convert".

    Once you do this, you need to apply the changes. To do this, click the button at the top of the program window "Apply".



    That's it. We converted a flash drive, but this can also be done with a hard drive. The files that were on the flash drive remained safe and sound.

    Disks described in the MBR had maximum size 2 TB and their number did not exceed 4. Possibilities of modern hard drives demanded improvement software and MBR was replaced by GPT.

    GPT is an abbreviation for GUID Partition Table, which has a limit of 128 partitions and a disk size of 9.4 zettabytes. But in order to boot the OS from a GPT disk, the computer must operate in UEFI (United Extensive Firmware Interface) mode, which replaced the BIOS.

    Why convert MBR and GPT on Windows 10?

    From the above, it is clear that MBR supports partitions up to 2 TB. What does this mean? For example, if the size logical drive is 3 TB, then 1 TB will be defined as unallocated space in Windows 10 and you will not be able to use it. To overcome this limitation, users need to convert MBR to GPT.

    In addition to hardware limitations, 32-bit operating systems (Windows XP, Windows 2003, Windows 2000, Windows NT4) also do not support GPT disks. On these operating systems, the GPT disk will be shown as protected, and you will not have access to the data on it until you convert it to MBR.

    However, progress does not stand still and many Windows users 10 will have the ability to convert MBR to GPT and vice versa, depending on their needs.

    How to convert MBR and GPT on Windows 10?

    For Windows 10 users, there are two ways to convert MBR to GPT and vice versa. Let's look at it in detail.

    Disk management

    Disk Management ( Disk Management) is built-in Windows tool 10, which gives you the ability to modify (create, delete, increase, shrink) partitions, convert them to GPT or MBR.

    Use this tool:

    • Open the window by clicking “This PC” > “Manage” > “Disk Management”;
    • Right-click on the drive you want to convert (for example, “Disk 0”). In the pop-up window, you will see the “Convert to GPT disk” function inactive.

    With this tool you can convert to MBR or GPT only if there are no partitions on the disk. You need to delete all partitions on Disk 0 and then convert MBR to GPT and vice versa.

    Command line

    Command Prompt is a built-in Windows 10 tool that can organize partitions and convert MBR to GPT. The command line allows you to convert MBR to GPT and vice versa only if the disk you plan to work with does not have partitions.

    So, we do the following:

    • Click “Start” > type “Command Prompt” in the search bar and press “Enter” to open the window;
    • Enter "diskpart" and press "Enter";
    • Type "list disk" and press Enter;
    • Type "select disk N" and press Enter. "N" is the number of the disk you want to convert (for example, "Disk 0");
    • Type "clean" and press "Enter" to delete all partitions or volumes on the selected disk;
    • Enter " convert mbr" and press "Enter" to complete the conversion from GPT to MBR format.

    Both of these methods make it possible to convert an MBR disk to GPT and vice versa. But both methods require deleting all partitions from the disk, and you are at risk of losing data. Therefore, before you start the conversion process, make a backup of all the data that will be deleted and then restore it.

    Reasons for data loss

    There are a number of programs from different manufacturers that allow such conversions without data loss. They do not require deleting all partitions. But nevertheless, the risk of data loss still exists, and you need to be prepared for it. After all, there is a possibility of information loss during any operations with partitions and/or disks. For which, as stated above, it is necessary to at least make a backup copy of the data.

    But if you do not have the opportunity to use such programs or you realized too late that you made a mistake by not using them, you can restore your files using special programs for data recovery. And in this case it will suit you perfectly Hetman Partition Recovery! After all this program finds all previously created disk partitions and displays them to the user for further analysis and search for deleted information.

    Reasons why your data will not be accessible after converting from MBR to GPT:

    • You need to install a 32-bit OS, which will not install on a GPT disk;
    • The computer uses “old hardware” with a BIOS, and you plan to install a 64-bit OS on this hard drive;
    • You plan to use an external USB drive as a boot drive for computers with a BIOS system;
    • You have several operating systems installed on your disk with a bootloader that does not support GPT;
    • Are you planning to use USB disk as file storage with a router, TV, car radio, etc.;

    Reasons why your data will be lost after converting from GPT to MBR:

    • Partitions larger than 2 TB cannot be described in the MBR;
    • If the disk is split into more than 4 logical partitions, you won’t be able to convert it to MBR;

    Therefore, our advice is to approach the issue of converting disks from MBR to GPT and vice versa, thoughtfully and with understanding.

    If you are used to doing things the old fashioned way, i.e. good old BIOS plus regular hard disk with an MBR table, then when installing operating Windows systems 8 and Windows 8.1 on modern computer With UEFI BIOS you may encounter this error: “ Windows installation on this disk impossible. The selected disk contains an mbr partition table. In systems EFI windows can only be installed on a GPT disk."
    There are two ways to solve this difficulty.

    First— switch UEFI to Leagcy Mode compatibility mode. But it's not the best way out due to the fact that UEFI system more productive and perfect. In addition, now there are disks with a capacity of 3-4 TB, and MBR cannot work with partitions larger than 2 TB. By the way, if you have a regular BIOS, you won’t be able to install Windows on a GPT disk at all.
    Second— convert the partition table from MBR to GPT and install the system on it. This is a more correct solution, which is why we will now consider it. In principle, we don’t need any additional tools - everything is on the installation disk. The instructions below are relevant for both Windows 8 and Windows 10. The only note is that you need bootable USB flash drive for UEFI.
    We insert a bootable USB flash drive into the connector, boot and begin installing the system. In principle, all actions are performed as usual until you get to the point where you select a partition to install the system, where you receive the error “Windows cannot be installed on this disk.”
    Now, to change MBR to GPT you need to run the conversion. To do this, use the Shift+F10 buttons (on laptops sometimes you also need to press function key Fn, i.e. Fn+Shift+F10) launch the command line. You need to type the command in it diskpart to call the built-in utility for working with disks and partitions.

    Recruiting a team list disk to view available drives:

    Select the disk that we will convert using the command select disk. In my case this is Disk0, so the command would look like this:

    We clear it using the directive Clean:

    To convert the partition table from MBR to GPT, type the command convert gpt:

    If the conversion is completed successfully and the disk is converted, close the DiskPart utility with the command Exit:

    Press the button Update and continue installing the system further. Separately, I would like to note that with the help of Diskpart you can repartition all hard disk, but most often this is easier and much more convenient to do using graphic menu Windows installer.

    In this tutorial, I will talk about how you can convert a GPT disk to MBR without losing data. Most often, this may be needed if you decided to reinstall Windows, but when you tried to start the installation, instead of starting the installation of the system, you received a notification that says “It will not be possible to install Windows on this disk because the disk has a GPT partition style.”

    In principle, I have already published instructions on how to convert a disk from GPT to MBR on our website, it is located here. I won’t tell you what GPT and MBR are separately; you can read it in the same instructions, the link to which I left above.

    In the previous guide, I gave an example of conversion with complete removal and saving data on the hard drive. So, the method of converting a GPT disk with saving data in Paragon seemed somehow outdated to me and I decided to update this information.

    Well, the update will be that I will show you a few more options for converting a disk from GPT to MBR without losing data, which I myself use.

    Converting disk partition style from GPT to MBR in MiniTool Partition Wizard

    Programs that can work with hard drives, including converting their partition table, there are very, very many. In principle, in essence they are all the same and can perform all the tasks you need, they probably only differ appearance interface and that some of them are freely available, while others are paid.

    Today, my favorite program for converting disks from GPT to MBR and vice versa is MiniTool Partition Wizard. I like it for its simplicity, convenience and quality of performing the assigned tasks, and the most important thing is that you can download it absolutely free.

    This program is distributed in two versions, for working in normal Windows interface And boot image, which can be burned to a flash drive like a LiveCD. In this case, to convert a disk from GPT to MBR without losing data, we will use bootable version which you can download from this link.

    While the program is downloading, start copying necessary information With system disk"C:\" to drive "D:\".

    Converting a GPT disk to MBR in Acronis Disk Director

    In the second method we will use Acronis. I chose it not because I have some incredible sympathy for it, no, most likely because it can be found on almost every LuveCD disc.

    You can download it without problems on the Internet by indicating search query like "download" boot disk with Acronis Disk Director"or simply "Boot CD Acronis Disk Direcror". In general, let's load ISO image we write it to a flash drive, reboot the computer and boot from the drive.

    Don't forget to move the data you need from drive "C" to drive "D".

    IN boot menu select the version of the program we need, for me it looks like this.

    In general, in order for us to be able to convert GPT to MBR or vice versa, we will have to delete the reserved partition (which is 100 Mb) and system partition, that is, drive C.

    To do this, select the partition and click on the “Delete volume” button, and do the same with the “C” drive.

    Now click " Apply expected operations" and wait until the utility finally gets rid of the volumes you have selected.

    Let's return directly to the transformation. So, right-click on the disk to open context menu and select "".

    After we have chosen the conversion, we confirm the execution and in the window that appears, click “Continue”.

    After a few moments, you will receive a full-fledged disk on which you can install anything you want.

    But despite this, my favorite way to convert GPT to MBR is normal conversion using the command line. Reset necessary files onto a flash drive, quickly converted and installed, the same . In general, in my opinion, much less time is spent on this.

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