MBR to GPT: How to Convert MBR to GPT in Windows 11/10/8/7 [2021 New]

How do I change a disk from MBR to GPT in Windows 10? This page includes three practical and reliable methods to assist you in converting MBR to GPT with ease.

MBR to GPT Conversion Tools:

#1. Qiling Partition Master - Easiest, No Data Loss & No Partition Loss
#2. Disk Management - Windows Built-in Tool, Requires Deleting Partitions
#3. DiskPart - Complex & Windows Built-in Tool, Requires Deleting Partitions

If you are trying to change your disk partition style, pick up any method listed here to which your disk from MBR to GPT without losing any data now.

When Do You Need to Convert MBR to GPT

As Windows partition styles, both MBR (Master Boot Record) and GPT (GUID Partition Table) are widely used in storage devices like your computer hard drives. Nowadays, more and more users are changing their disks from MBR to GPT.

However, many users are not quite clear about when do they need to convert MBR disk to GPT disk. Here is a list of unique moments or situations that you need to convert MBR to GPT:

1. To create more than four primary partitions on a disk.

2. To make full use of a disk with more than 2TB space.

3. To install Windows on an EFI/UEFI disk.

4. Receive error message: "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI system, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks" as shown in the below image.

When you encounter any of the above-provided cases, you will need to change your disk from MBR to PGT.

Whether you want to change a data drive from MBR to GPT without losing data or convert a boot drive from MBR to GPT during Windows installation, follow any method below to accomplish the task with ease now.

Method 1. How to Convert MBR to GPT Using Qiling Partition Master

Applies to: Converting both data and OS drive from MBR to GPT without data loss nor Windows reinstallation.

Reliable disk conversion tool - Qiling Partition Master enables you to convert your disk from MBR to GPT directly in only a few clicks. It exceeds both Disk Management and DiskPart in the following two aspects:

Keep All Partitions: Qiling Partition Master doesn't delete any partitions for disk conversion.
No Data Loss: Qiling Partition Master keeps all data safely stored on the disk while converting it from MBR to GPT, or vice versa.

Free Download

Notice:

To convert a boot disk to GPT (the disk contains your system), make sure the motherboard supports the UEFI boot mode.

Otherwise, you will encounter boot failure on your computer after MBR to GPT conversion.

Steps to Convert MBR to GPT Without Data Loss:

Step 1. Download and launch Qiling Partition Master on your Windows computer.

Step 2. Click the MBR disk that you want to convert.

Step 3. Click "More..." and click "MBR -> GPT" to convert partition.

Optional Steps: Enable UEFI Mode After Convert System Boot Disk to GPT

If you converted a Windows system disk to GPT, remember to enable the UEFI boot mode on your computer to make the OS bootable. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Restart PC and press F2, F8, F12, Del to enter the BIOS boot menu.

Step 2. Locate the boot options menu and enable the UEFI mode.

Set Launch CSM to Enabled. If CSM is set to Disabled, you can skip to Step 4 below
Set Boot Device Control to UEFI Only
Set Boot from Storage Devices to UEFI driver first

Step 3. Set the USB UEFI OS Boot option is at the top of the Boot Priority List.

Step 4. Save the changes and exit BIOS, reboot PC from the GPT disk.

After this, wait patiently. Your computer will automatically reboot from the GPT disk by then.

Important

Note that both Method 2 and Method 3 only work to change a data disk to GPT. If it's a boot disk, you may encounter OS boot failure error.

Also, the below two methods require you to delete all partitions on your disk. If you have useful files on the disk, back them up in advance.

For quick and free backup software, Qiling Backup is fast and effective to help.

Method 2. How to Change MBR to GPT via Disk Management

Applies to: Change a data disk from MBR to GPT, deleting partition and data is required.

To change a data disk to GPT, you must delete all the partitions on the MBR disk in Disk Management. Otherwise, the "Convert to GPT Disk" option will be greyed out in Disk Management. You will see it choosable after removing the existing partitions.

Steps to Change an MBR disk to GPT in Disk Management:

Step 1. Righ-click on "This PC" or "My Computer", choose "Manage", and select "Disk Management".

Step 2. Right-click each partition on the target MBR disk and choose "Delete Volume".

Step 3. Click "OK" to confirm the deletion, and repeat Step 2 to delete all partitions on the disk.

Step 4.When the whole disk displays as unallocated, right-click on the MBR disk and choose "Convert to GPT Disk".

Close Disk Management when the disk conversion process finishes. You may use your new disk to create as many partitions as you want or install a new OS on the disk now.

Method 3. MBR to GPT Conversion using DiskPart

Applies to: Convert data disk MBR to GPT using DiskPart command, cleaning partitions is a must-to-do step.

As MBR to GPT conversion using DiskPart requries to clean up the whole disk, remember to back up your disk data first. And then follow the steps below to convert your MBR disk to GPT:

Step 1. Click the "Start" button and type cmd.

Step 2. Right-click "Command Prompt" and choose "Run as administrator".

Step 3. Type diskpart and hit Enter.

When you see a dialog box asking you for permission, click "Yes".

Step 4. Enter the following commands one by one and hit Enter each time:

list disk
select disk 2 (Replace 2 with the disk number of your MBR disk.)
clean
convert gpt

DiskPart will delete all the partitions on your disk and then convert it to GPT during the process.

Step 5. Type exit when the conversion process completes.

After this, you can use the new GPT disk to create partitions, install new UEFI system, etc. withou out any obstacles.

Tip: If you forgot to back up files and want to undo the clean command, Qiling partition recovery software can retrieve your partitions and files.

Bonus Tip: How to Convert MBR to GPT without Operating System

Some people may also want to know how to convert MBR disk to GPT without operating system or during Windows installation. Compared to the above solutions, to convert MBR to GPT without OS is more complicated.

To do so, you have two ways out:

1. Boot the computer from a Windows installation media and then apply CMD command to convert disk. However, it's too complex for most ordinary people.
2. Run PC from a USB bootable disk created by Qiling Partition Master and complete the task. Even a biggner can give it a try.

For an easier way out, Qiling Partition Master with bootable disk is a better way out:

Free Download

To do so, you need to install this software to another healthy computer first. Then create a bootable disk on a USB drive, boot PC from the disk, and convert MBR to GPT without operating system or during Windows installation on your own.

Here are the detailed steps for you to follow:

Step 1. Prepare a disc or drive, like a USB drive, flash drive, or a CD/DVD disc. Correctly connect the drive to a bootable computer. Then, launch Qiling Partition Master, find the "Create bootable media" feature and click on it.

Step 2. Choose USB or CD/DVD according to the device you connect to the computer, then click "Proceed".

Step 3. Connect the WinPE bootable disk to the computer. Restart your computer and press F2/Del at the same time to enter BIOS. Set to boot the PC from "Removable Devices" (bootable USB disk) or "CD-ROM Drive" (bootable CD/DVD) beyond Hard Drive. Press "F10" to save and exit.

Step 4. Launch Qiling Partition Master again. Click the MBR disk that you want to convert and click "More..." and select "MBR -> GPT" to convert the MBR disk to GPT.

You May Also Interest In:

Convert GPT to MBR Without Operating System

If you are installing a Windows system like Windows 11/10/8/7 but received the error message "The selected disk is of GPT partition style...", stay calm. Try methods on this page for help.

It's Your Turn. Take Action to Convert MBR Disk to GPT Now

This page uncovers 3 major solutions for you to try and convert MBR to GPT disk successfully.

To convert data or OS disk from MBR to GPT without data loss or OS boot issue, Qiling Partition Master is the best choice. Its "Convert to GPT" feature doesn't require partition deletion, which as a result, no data loss will occur.

Free Download

For a free tool to convert a data disk, either Disk Management or DiskPart is worth to try. Do remember to back up your data before deleting partitions so as to convert MBR to GPT.

Some people also recommended Windows built-in utility - MBR2GPT.EXE to convert MBR to GPT. However, it is only available in Windows Creator's Update and later and it's much more complicated than using the methods above. You can refer to the related Microsoft MBR to GPT conversion solution to get what you want for more details.

Apart from answering the question of "Should I use MBR or GPT" and "How do I change from MBR to GPT", at the end of this page, we also collected another 3 top concerned questions about MBR to GPT conversion that you may interested in.

FAQs About MBR to GPT Conversion

Read on and check the answer to your question here now:

1. Is GPT or MBR better?

Here is a comparison table of MBR vs. GPT, from which you will learn which partition style you should use for your disk:

MBR vs. GPT, Which Is Better?

Comparison	MBR (Master Boot Record)	GPT (GUID Partition Table)
Maximum Partitions	4 Partitions.	128 Partitions.
Maximum Disk Capacity	2TB (for 512B sector), 16TB (for 4Kn sector)	No disk capacity limit (2^64 logical blocks for 512B or 4Kn sector)
Boot Mode	BIOS	UEFI

Conclusion: GPT Disk Exceeds MBR Disk in Many Aspects

According to the comparison table, it's clear that the GPT disk exceeds MBR disk in the many aspects, for example:

Faster Boot Speed: GPT UEFI can load the operating system faster than traditional MBR BIOS boot mode.
Better Operating System Compatibility: GPT has better OS compatibility than MBR as it supports most operating systems, including Windows Server and macOS.
Advanced Data Protection: GPT contains the backup of the primary GPT header and partition entries that protects data on the disk better.

In a word, if you need to install the latest operating system on your disk with a fast boot speed, GPT is better. GPT supports UEFI boot mode which loads the operating system faster than the traditional BIOS mode on MBR disk.

2. Should My SSD be MBR or GPT?

According to the MBR vs. GPT comparison table at the beginning of this page, we have reasons to believe that GPT is more suitable for an SSD disk.

GPT supports more than four primary partitions on SSD. It supports more than 2TB storage (compare to MBR). Also, it is more compatible with the newer UEFI-based systems.

3. What Happend If I Convert MBR to GPT?

Basically, when you convert MBR to GPT is highly based on which method you would like to use for MBR to GPT conversion.

If you use Qiling Partition Master as recommended in Method 1 on this page, you'll see that only the partition style changes. Your data and partitions are all the same as before.

However, if you used Windows Disk Management or DiskPart to change MBR to GPT disk for free, three things will happen to your disk:

1. Data loss;

2. Partition loss;

3. Partition style change: from MBR to GPT.