There are two partition styles of the hard disk, and they are MBR and GPT. In computer usage, sometimes you may want to convert MBR disk to GPT disk since GPT disk has more advantages than MBR. For example, you can create more than four primary partitions on a GPT disk to install multiple operating systems with ease. Besides, the GPT disk has larger capacity support than the MBR disk does. For more information about MBR and GPT, you can read “MBR VS GPT”.
So how to convert the MBR disk to a GPT disk? Usually, you can do the conversion using the Disk Management utility and Diskpart.exe, but you need to delete all the partitions on the MBR disk first. That is to say, doing these will lead to data loss if you have no backups in advance.
Another way to convert MBR disk to GPT disk without data loss is to use reliable partition manager software. With such tools, you don’t need to delete any partitions, and it is much more convenient to operate the conversion. Here you can follow the guide below to change the partition style from MBR to GPT without data loss.
How to Convert MBR Disk to GPT without Data Loss
As Lifewire suggests, a safer way to change disk from MBR to GPT is to employ a professional partition manager such as MiniTool Partition Wizard. Let’s see how it helps.
Convert Non-system Disk from MBR to GPT
If the MBR disk to be converted is a non-system disk, the operation is very easy. You can directly download MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition and install and launch it to get its main interface.
From the disk map area, you can select the MBR disk you want to convert and choose the Convert MBR Disk to GPT Disk option from the action panel. Then click Apply to make the change happen. The MBR disk will be converted to a GPT disk in minutes.
See! Using software to help is easy. But if you are more intent on using Windows built-in functions, you can also try these two ways.
Warning: Please be aware that the operations below will lead to data loss. So please make necessary backups before you go.
Way 1: Press Win + R and input “diskmgmt.msc” to go to the Windows Disk Management tool. Then locate the MBR disk which you want to convert to GPT and delete all the partitions on it. To do this, right-click a partition on it and choose Delete Volume. Repeat this until all the partitions on the disk are removed. Finally, right-click on the whole disk and choose the Convert to GPT Disk option. All Done.
Way 2: Run “diskpart” with administrator privilege and execute the following commands in the elevate command prompt window.
- List disk (you will see all the hard drives connected to your computer)
- Select disk n (where n is the disk number of the target MBR disk, be sure to type the actual disk number instead of n)
- Clean (this will remove all partitions and the partition table on the target disk)
- Convert GPT (this is to change the partition style to GPT)
- Exit (exit diskpart window)
Either way, you choose, you will get a clean and blank GPT disk. At this time, you need to create new partitions on it and transfer backup files to the new partitions you just created.
Convert System Disk from MBR to GPT
Converting an MBR disk containing an operating system to GPT is a little more complex because any operations towards the running operating system may cause your computer to be unbootable. So, if you want to convert a system disk from MBR to GPT, using the MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro edition is a good idea.
Note: Before your start, please follow the tips below to check whether your computer supports or has completed these operations.
- Ensure your computer is running a 64-bit Windows operating system. A 32-bit operating system cannot be installed on a GPT disk.
- Make sure your computer supports and can be switched to UEFI boot mode. This is to ensure that your computer can boot successfully after the conversion.
- Back up any important files on your computer if any accidents happen without an alert.
Once done, continue with the steps below.
Step 1. Get a MiniTool Partition Wizard Pro edition, install and launch it to get its main interface. Then insert a USB drive into the computer and click Bootable Media on the Tool Bar.
Step 2. Click WinPE-based media with MiniTool plug-in and select the USB Flash Disk option. Please note that the selected USB drive will be formatted, so please confirm that there are no important files on it.
Step 3. Wait patiently until the bootable media creation process is finished, and you can still use the computer to do other things in this process. Once complete, restart the computer and set it to boot from the USB drive.
Step 4. After booting your computer from the USB, the MiniTool Partition Wizard will automatically launch and display the disk map and corresponding features. Now right-click the MBR system disk that you want to convert and then choose the Convert MBR Disk to GPT Disk function.
Step 5. A warning window pops up; click OK. Then click the Apply button and Yes accordingly to confirm the operation.
Step 6. Reboot your computer to enter its BIOS and set the boot mode to UEFI. Also, set the converted GPT disk as the first boot option.
Step 7. Then restart the computer to get into the desktop of your operating system. You will see the MBR to GPT conversion is completed, and all the original partitions and files are still there, if nothing else.
Now, how to convert MBR disk to GPT disk (including system and non-system disk) are all explained. If you are trying to find a way to do this, just choose one to proceed by yourself.