Windows system uses a Master Boot Record (MBR) or GUID Partition Table (GPT) depending on the age, operating system, and system firmware. Sometimes it is necessary to convert MBR to GPT. EaseUS Partition Manager Free is your best choice to convert MBR to GPT without losing data. Select the disk to convert > Right-click the MBR disk and choose 'Convert to GPT' > Click 'Apply' to commit the changes. It doesn't require partition deleting or formatting before MBR to GPT converting process.
Convert GPT to MBR without data loss using AOMEI Partition Assistant As we have just discovered, the only way to avoid data loss when using command prompt to convert between GPT and MBR is to backup all of your data beforehand as it will delete all partitions during the conversion. If you use Diskpart CMD command to convert GPT to MBR, it will delete all partitions with data on the disk. Therefore, back up data without booting into Windows in advance. To convert GPT to MBR without operating system and data loss, the best way is applying EaseUS Partition Master with bootable USB for help.
Users want to convert MBR to GPT for various reasons. Usually, people convert MBR to GPT due to three reasons: disk replacement, system upgrading, and personal willingness.
A GPT disk supports larger than 2TB volumes while MBR cannot. If your bigger MBR disk is larger than 2TB, you'll need to convert it to GPT. Then you can break the 2TB limitation to make full use of the disk.
GPT does not have limitations that MBR suffers from. GPT can hold a nearly unlimited number of partition and there is no need to create an extended partition to make them work. As a result, most people would like to convert MBR to GPT. But the problem is how to convert MBR to GPT without data loss? Here, you can learn the way to convert to GPT easily and quickly.
You must identify the disk type before you are going to convert to the target type. The easiest way to identify the disk type is by using Disk Management. Under Windows Disk Management, you can check the partitioning scheme of a hard drive:
Step 1. Right-click 'This PC' and choose 'Manage'.
Step 2. Go to 'Disk Management'.
Step 3. Right-click the disk you want to check and choose 'Properties'.
Step 4. Go to the 'Volumes' tab and you will see the partition style under the disk information.
Windows Disk Management can change MBR to GPT disk for free, but it only supports to convert a non-partitioned hard disk. That is to say, you must delete all your partitions on the disk before the converting process, which will result in data loss. Windows Disk Management is not the best choice. You can use free third-party partition management software to convert a hard disk from MBR to GPT. EaseUS Partition Master is our recommendation.
This free program enables you to convert MBR disk to GPT disk without deleting the partitions. So, you can avoid the data loss problem. This wonderful and considerate feature makes this program stand out all other partition management software. Besides, the quick partitioning capabilities allow you to resize disk space without data loss. This tool is useful for all computer users - home, business, and service providers.
It only takes three steps to easily convert an MBR disk to GPT disk with EaseUS Partition Master Free. Read on and convert to GPT with this converter. By the way, This partition magic software also supports to convert GPT disk to MBR disk, you can try at any time you have a need.
Note: If you want to convert your system disk from MBR to GPT, you need to upgrade to EaseUS Partition Master Pro version.
Step 1. Download and launch EaseUS Partition Master on your Windows computer.
Step 2. Right-click the MBR disk that you want to convert and choose 'Convert to GPT'.
Step 3. After that, find and click the 'Execute 1 Operation' button on the toolbar and choose 'Apply' to start the conversion. You need to restart your device to enable this change.
If you don't want to download third-party software, you can also convert MBR to GPT using manual solutions.
Step 1. Right-click on 'This PC', choose 'Manage', then head to 'Disk Management'.
Step 2. Right-click the volumes on your target disk and choose 'Delete Volume...' (If you accidentally deleted a volume in Disk Management, you can recover the partition and the files on it referring to the linked article.
Step 3. When your disk becomes empty (shows as unallocated space), right-click your disk and choose 'Convert to GPT Disk'.
You need to know the number of your MBR disk. If you don't know, you can refer to Part 2. Then, take these operations: open command prompt, type the following commands in Command Prompt, and press Enter after each command.
There are some hot topics about MBR and GPT on the internet. You can find the answers here:
1. Can MBR be converted to GPT?
Yes. If you are using Disk Management, you can change a disk from MBR to GPT partition style as long as the disk contains no partitions or volumes. If you want to convert the system disk to GPT, you need to get EaseUS partition software.
2. How do I change from MBR to GPT in Windows 10?
In general, there are 3 ways to convert MBR to GPT.
3. What is GPT format?
GPT, GUID Partition Table, the format used to define the hard disk partitions in computers with UEFI startup firmware. The GUID Partition Table (GPT) replaces the previous master boot record (MBR) method. While the MBR supported partitions as large as 2.2TB, GPT partitions can be up to 18 exabytes.
4. What is UEFI boot mode?
UEFI stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. It's a modern solution to be gradually replacing the legacy BIOS on PCs since the introduction to Windows with Windows Vista Service Pack 1 and Windows 7 in 2007. It can do a lot more than a BIOS. It may be stored in flash memory on the motherboard, or it may be loaded from a hard drive or network share at boot. Different PCs with UEFI will have different interfaces and features.
5. Should I use MBR or GPT?
It depends on your disk space. If your hard disk is larger than 2TB, GPT is better than MBR. If your computer is BIOS-based, choose MBR for the system disk instead; If you use a disk under 2TB for data storage, both GPT and MBR are OK.