How to convert from GPT to MBR. Converting a GPT disk to MBR in Acronis Disk Director. Video: converting GPT disk to MBR

In one of the previous articles in the section with instructions for Windows 10, we discussed which of these markup standards is best to use on a modern computer with a modern operating system. In short, it is better to use GPT, as it is a newer and more convenient markup standard hard drives. If after reading the article you set out to convert MBR to GPT on your wonderful computer, this article is exactly what you need. Here you will find instructions on how to convert MBR to GPT without third party programs(system tools), as well as how to convert MBR to GPT without data loss.

For reference: All procedures described in this article must be performed on behalf of the Administrator. Therefore, your Account must have the appropriate rights. If there are none, you will need to enter the computer administrator password.

How to convert MBR to GPT without third party programs

To begin with, we must immediately note that the change hard markings disk inside the system is possible only if it No sections in general. In other words, you need to completely delete all existing sections and then convert. This in turn equals deleting information from the disk. Take care to create backup copy all the data you need.

Also note that this method cannot change the markup system disk on which the operating system is installed. If you need to change the MBR to GPT of the system disk, you will have to reinstall Windows and change the partition during the installation process. This procedure is described a little below.

Once the backups are created, proceed with the procedure:

By the way, so as not to return to the interface Disk management, you can complete the conversion procedure directly on the command line.

1. Enter again listdisk, and then selectdisk X. Traditionally, X is responsible for the number of the disk to be changed.
2. Now enter the command convertmbr. Click Enter and wait for the procedure to complete.

After this, you can mark. This procedure can be performed in the Command Line, but the interface will be much simpler and clearer Disk management.

How to Convert MBR to GPT During Windows 10 Installation

This procedure must be done not only at the moment when you purposefully change the layout of the system disk, but also when you encounter the error Installing Windows on this disk impossible. The selected disk contains an MBR partition table. IN EFI systems Windows can only be installed on a GPT disk. In other words, when you try to install Windows on a UEFI system, you will have to change the markup from MBR to GPT. And yes, you will lose all information on this disk.

The process of converting MBR to GPT during Windows installation is essentially the same as in the case of conversion “from under Windows”. Its essence lies in the challenge command line and entering a couple of commands. This is all done very simply:

1. When the Windows installation interface has loaded (or when the above error appears on the screen), press Shift+F10 to launch the command line.
2. In the window that appears, enter the command diskpart.
3. Then comes the command Listdisk to display all connected drives. Look for the drive on which you want to install the operating system. Eg, Disk 0.
4. Enter the command selectdissk X. Replace X with the disk number. For example, the command might look like this: select disk 3.
5. The following command will erase the MBR table. Enter clean and press Enter.
6. Now all that's left to do is convert blank disk in GPT. To do this use the command convertgpt.
7. After the successful conversion message, enter the command exit to exit the command line. Then continue with the installation Windows normal way. When the computer is ready for use, you will see the utility in the interface Disk management, What system partition now uses GPT format markup.

If the disk is not partitioned and you are installing the system on an EFI computer, Windows will automatically select GPT partitioning during installation.

How to Convert MBR to GPT without Data Loss

As you probably already understood, Windows does not have built-in mechanisms that allow you to convert Master Boot Record to GPT without first complete cleaning disk. Fortunately, there is a large number of free applications, which do an excellent job with this task. One of them is called AOMEI Partition Assistant.

Warning: There is always a risk of losing information on your hard drive during such procedures. It's best to always back up your important data to the cloud or other storage. And remember that only you are responsible for the safety of your information.

As you can see, the whole procedure is quite simple and is much easier to do than it might seem to a novice user or simply an inexperienced user.

If you are used to doing things the old fashioned way, i.e. good old BIOS plus regular hard disk with 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 disc is not possible. The selected disk contains an mbr partition table. On EFI systems, 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 is not the best way out due to the fact that the UEFI system is more productive and advanced. 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, none additional tools we don't need it - everything is there 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.

Even if you belong to the category of those users who prefer not to interfere in any processes, life itself may still force you to join the study of some technical issues. The fact is that manufacturers of computer equipment and components are directing their actions towards constant improvement, so it is not surprising to find hard drives overall volume which reaches completely unprecedented values.

How to convert a GPT disk to MBR and vice versa

In addition, the style of the hard drive partitions is also surprising. If previously it was possible to encounter only MBR, now many people purchase hard drives with the GPT style. Everything would be fine; one would not be able to recognize at all what each of these styles represents if they did not interfere with the performance of certain tasks.

In particular, hard disks with MBR style are not welcomed by owners of huge hard drives, since it will not be able to provide optimal use of the entire disk space. This style involves dividing the disks into no more than four partitions, each of which should not exceed 2 TB.

You probably already felt that an MBR style hard drive will be able to use about 8 TB, but unless you purchased a PC with big amount disk space, then the rest will not be easily used. Of course, this is wrong, so the manufacturer developed this a new style. By the way, GPT allows you to split your hard drive into hundreds of partitions, which impresses many users.

However, it is also difficult for many to agree to such a style, since when trying to install the desired operating system, problems will arise. system error. The BIOS version that is installed on your PC can also prevent the introduction of a new style on the hard drive. Considering this, it is not at all surprising that many users are willing to find information on how to convert GPT to MBR, so as not to infringe on their interests when installing their preferred “seven”.

Conversion methods

There are several options, using which you can successfully convert HDD from GPT to MBR. We recommend that you familiarize yourself with all the options to figure out for yourself which method will be preferable. And also, before choosing the appropriate option, we recommend that you set priorities and decide how tragic the consequences of losing content stored on your PC will be for you. We offer you two options, one of which allows you to save everything that you previously placed on your hard drive, and the second, on the contrary, is accompanied by their irreversible destruction.

No erasing files

If you have set a goal for yourself that involves changing your style hard drive, and also be sure to ensure complete preservation of all existing documents, video recordings, audio materials on the hard drive, you will have to use additional software. Excellent options for such programs are:

• Paragon Hard Disk Manager 15 Professional;
• AOMEI Partition Assistant.

The program that comes first on this short list is not free product, so if it inspires confidence in you, you will have to fork out the cash to become its owner. For training or practical evaluation of the capabilities of the Paragon program Hard Disk, you can download a demo version.

We invite you to familiarize yourself with the operating principles of this program. Open on your computer technology Disk Management option. In this window you can see how many partitions you have, as well as estimate their size.

If not one hard drive is installed, but two at once, you will also immediately notice this from the open program window. By clicking on each right key mouse and clicking on the “Properties” line, it’s easy to once again make sure which style your hard drive supports.

Now run the Paragon Hard Disk program, in the window that opens you will again be able to find all the disks that your computer is equipped with. The supported style will be indicated next to each one. Point at the disk with GPT style mouse cursor, right-click, calling extra menu with the necessary options. In it you will easily find such an option as “Convert basic GPT to basic MBR disk”, feel free to choose it. After this, a new window will appear on the screen, in which you will again need to click the “Convert” button, confirming your desire.

This is not the end of your agreement; now in the main program window you need to click on the “Apply” button, and then once again confirm your consent to make such changes. Next, the program will perform all the actions itself, you just have to wait a little. After an entry appears on the screen confirming the completion of the process, you can check your disk to make sure that you managed to make it different, now accompanied by the MBR style.

ADVICE. If you really want to make, on the contrary, a disk with the GPT style, this program can again act as ideal assistant. To achieve what you want, you will have to convert your disk in the same way, only this time you will have to select the “Convert to GPT disk” option.

With file deletions

If you want to use the command line, which also allows you to make your disk with the style that you prefer, you must note that all content stored on the hard drive will be permanently deleted. Of course, taking this into account, you need to analyze what value the stored files represent to you, and if necessary, first transfer them to new drives.

We initially write diskpart on the command line, then we recommend that you write the list disc command, which will allow you to display all available disks.

At the end of the line followed by the disk, you may notice an asterisk or note its absence. It is this asterisk that indicates that a particular disk is accompanied by the GPT style. Opposite each disk there is a numerical indicator; find out which specific disk you would like to convert now. Only then enter next command sel dis 1, correctly indicating the numerical indicator.

Next to clear this disk space, you will only need to enter the clean command. This completes the preparatory part, you can start converting by entering the command convert mbr. Finally, all that remains is to enter the traditional exit command.

Now you can make sure that everything worked out perfectly for you, but only in this case will your disk sparkle with its “purity”, since during the process all information was deleted from it.

So, the process of converting disk space from one style to another is quite doable and anyone can do it. To eliminate any worries, read the instructions, theoretically master the basics, and then proceed to their practical implementation.

In order for programs to have access to the disk space of the drive, it is not enough to simply physically connect it to the motherboard. Required condition is to preliminary perform the so-called breakdown and create a certain surface structure. There are currently two available standard(hereinafter we will talk about systems Windows family) - Master Boot Record (MBR, main boot record) and Extensible Firmware Interface (GPT, extensible firmware interface). Regardless of the name, they determine the method of data about the beginning and end of each section, service records, etc.

Comparing “bosom enemies”

The MBR standard has been used since the days of DOS, so it has been studied far and wide. Everyone can work with drives that have a similar format. existing applications, that is, compatibility is 100%. The prerequisites for creating something new were some limitations inherent in MBR. In particular:

It is possible to work with drives with a capacity of no more than 2 TB;

When partitioning, you can create only 4 main/main partitions, and the rest of the space has to be given to extended and;

Since information about partitions and the boot record are recorded in one place, in some cases they may be damaged and require restoration.

All this was successfully overcome in GPT. In addition, the developers have provided a mechanism that allows special effort convert GPT to MBR and vice versa. In theory this task can be solved in a couple of clicks of the manipulator. However, in practice there are a number of nuances that force you to carefully consider the feasibility this decision. Before you figure out how to convert an MBR partition to GPT and vice versa, it is important to remember that the latter version of the partition table requires support from other components for it to work computer system. So, instead of BIOS, more should be used new UEFI(that is, only new motherboards are suitable), and the operating system simply must be able to work with such a breakdown. If we talk about the Windows family, then this is the 64-bit eighth version. Although previous Win 7 and Vista see such disks, they full support there is no question.

Need for transformation

Each user has his own reasons that force him to convert the drive to one or another structure. The question “how to convert MBR to GPT” is most often of interest to curious users who, having read information about supposedly increased performance new system, decide to do something like this. This is perhaps the most common reason.

Well, those who are interested in how to convert GPT to MBR are, as a rule, owners of new laptops who have decided that in their particular case such a forced transition is untimely. It is worth noting that to get by “ little blood"and a GPT disk can not always be converted to MBR while preserving all the data recorded on it. Therefore, before such an operation, all information of any value to the user must be copied to another intermediate medium.

Operating system installation

If you try to install a 32-bit on a GPT partition, you will receive a message stating that such an operation is impossible. There is no way around this limitation. This means that the GPT disk must be converted to MBR. This problem can be solved in several ways. One of the simplest involves using the built-in capabilities of the Windows system itself.

There are two options. The first is to convert a new drive at the stage of installing the operating system. To do this, during installation, on the partition selection screen, you need to press the combination Shift+F10 and type diskpart in the line that appears. Next, in order to convert a GPT disk to MBR, you should use the list disk command. A list of partitions and media is displayed. After carefully studying it, you need to specify select disk X (where X is the number in the list). After this, all that remains is to delete the partitions and recreate the structure, alternately using the clean and convert mbr commands. Actually, on new computers whose hard drives are not “cluttered” with information, it is very easy to get confused about how to convert GPT to MBR, since you can experiment with peace of mind: you won’t be able to “break” anything in this way.

Built-in command line mechanism

In some cases it is necessary to perform a partial conversion GPT partitions in MBR. For example, if several hard drives are simultaneously connected to the motherboard (laptop), one of which has an operating system installed and running Windows versions Vista-8.1, then the user has the opportunity to convert non- system drives into one structure or another.

This method is ideal for those who are looking for an answer to the question “how to convert GPT to MBR”, having several hard drives on hand. This mechanism is analogous to the one you specified, with the only difference being that it requires a running operating system. That is why we emphasized that conversion is only available for those hard drives that do not boot from operating system. So, on the desktop you need to press Win + R and type diskmgmt.msc in the line that appears on the screen. The utility for managing all disks will launch. Here, using the cursor, you need to select the desired partition on the drive and select “Delete volume” through the right-click menu. The operation must be performed for each letter. It is important not to make a mistake with the disk, so you need to check at least the capacity. Next, there is nothing complicated about how to convert GPT to MBR: you need to right-click on the selected hard drive in the list and select the appropriate command that converts to a disk with MBR partitioning.

The nuances of using third-party programs

Of course, converting GPT partitions to MBR is not limited to the above methods. There are much more “flexible” and convenient software tools. For example, the same Acronis DD, Paragon HDM, Minitool PW, etc. The peculiarity of working with them is the need to load the operating system from another hard drive, the so-called “Liv SD-DVD”, or a prepared flash drive that has the corresponding program. Since most often the need to convert basic GPT to MBR arises among owners of new laptops, Live DVDs are in demand. You must first download this on another computer ISO image from the Internet and burn it to a CD, making the latter bootable. Then the laptop needs to boot from this Live DVD, run the partitioning program and perform the conversion operation. In general, such disks often turn out to be very useful if, for example, you need to “cure” your computer from viruses or restore information.

Flash drive or disk

The downloaded Liv DVD/SD image can be written not only to a CD. Cost of flash drives USB interface is constantly decreasing, so you may well consider purchasing a low-cost, low-volume model designed specifically for emergency or recovery loading. Write down ISO file and you can make the flash drive bootable using Rufus programs. After launching, you need to select the device and click on the CD icon, which opens the explorer to indicate the location of the ISO. Additional changes no need to enter. All that remains is to press “start” and wait for the flash drive to be prepared.

How to boot from prepared media

If the “Live DVD” was recorded correctly, then you need to insert it into the drive and immediately after turning on the computer, frequently press F12, which leads to the display of the boot source selection menu. Sometimes this function can be assigned to F8. Usually, a hint for this hot key always appears on the screen. The ideal option is to open the instructions for the board.

You can also select the boot source in the BIOS itself (UEFI). To do this, after turning on the power, press the Delete button, and then in the settings find the item that allows you to select First Boot Device(main or first boot device). Regardless of which method is used, you need to select CDROM or USB-Flash (if a flash drive is used instead of a disk).

Famous Paragon

People who had the opportunity to partition disks in those days when a 40 GB hard drive seemed huge are probably familiar with the Paragon program Partition Magic. Its capabilities made it possible to do a lot with the drive. A lot has changed since then, and the application has evolved into Paragon Hard Disc Manager (PHDM). And not at the expense of functionality. It can be used to easily convert GPT to MBR. Paragon performs this operation so that all data on the drive remains safe. A great opportunity! However, it is recommended to avoid conversion if possible and perform the breakdown from scratch. This ancient rule is still true today. So, after launching the application, a panel with disks will be displayed. The target one is called “base GPT”, the model is usually unknown. Having selected this line with the cursor, you need to select “Convert to MBR” in the “Hard Disk” menu. After that in the left top corner press green tick to start the process. The time until completion will also be displayed here. The data is saved. Note that in some combinations of “drive + configuration” motherboard» Using Paragon to solve this problem is impossible. It is also worth considering that PHDM version 15 at the time of writing will cost the buyer almost 3 thousand rubles.

"Immortal" analogue

There are still ongoing debates about which is better - Paragon or its twin brother Acronis. Both programs have similar capabilities, so which one to use depends on the preferences of the computer owner. true only if test period use or “pirated” copies. The licensed version of Acronis-12 costs 1,600 rubles. With this program you can easily convert GPT to MBR. Acronis Disc Director, like Paragon, performs conversion without deleting user data from the hard drive. After launch, the window displays the detected drives. The one you are looking for will be designated as “base GPT”. You need to click on it right click mouse and select the item that, after confirmation, starts the conversion process to MBR. It's that simple. In principle, the algorithm of actions is almost the same as for Paragon.

Free alternative

An excellent analogue to the above programs is MiniTool Partition Wizard Professional. Although the ninth version costs almost $40, it is now available for free as part of a promotion. We will not compare the functionality of the applications, since they all cope perfectly with the described task - converting GPT to MBR. After the main program window appears, you need to select the desired GPT disk and perform the conversion through the menu.

Configuration

A prerequisite for using a disk with GPT partitioning is the UEFI system (evolutionary development of BIOS). By default, its settings are made for a GPT disk. For the conversion to MBR to be successful, you need to go to the UEFI settings ( Delete button), select the Boot section, and in the Mode sub-item set the Legacy mode. It should also be banned use of Security Boot.

GUID Partition Table (GPT) was introduced as part of the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI). GPT provides more options than traditional method MBR partitions, which is shared between disks. If you have a hard drive big 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 2TB, the rest of the disk space will not 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 of converting MBR to GPT is that the 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 to help you MBR conversion to GPT without data loss.

1. Convert MBR to GPT using Diskpart

To use this method, you must back up all your data and delete all partitions and volumes. Then continue with DISKPART commands:

• Open a command prompt window and type 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 convert MBR to GPT safely, please share with us in the comments. Thanks.