Converting your disk from MBR to GPT can bring numerous benefits, including support for larger disks and more partitions, without losing your precious data. This guide walks you through the process for both operating system and data disks, utilizing tools like MBR2GPT and DiskGenius.
Part 1: Convert MBR to GPT without Losing Data for OS Disk
Method 1: Using MBR2GPT from Windows Recovery Environment
Access Advanced Startup:
- Go to the Start Menu, click the Power button.
- Hold the Shift key and click Restart to access the Advanced Startup screen.
Open Command Prompt:
- Click on "Troubleshoot".
- Click on "Advanced options".
- Click on "Command Prompt" and choose an account to continue.
Validate the Disk:
- In Command Prompt, type:
mbr2gpt /validate
or
mbr2gpt.exe /validate /disk:0
- then hit enter.
- Disk:0 is to specify the disk number of the disk to be converted to GPT, where 0 is the disk number. If the disk number is not specified, the system disk is used by default.
- If you get "Validation completed successfully", you are ready for the next step.
Convert the Disk:
- Type:
mbr2gpt /convert
or
mbr2gpt.exe /convert /disk:0
- then hit enter.
- Now, you should see the conversion completed successfully. Restart the computer, enter the BIOS or UEFI, and change the boot mode to UEFI.
- Our articles on "How to Enter BIOS or UEFI by Manufacturer" and "How to Change Boot Mode from Legacy to UEFI" might help you.
Method 2: Using MBR2GPT from Windows OS
Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
- Go to the Start Menu or search bar and type "cmd".
- Right-click on Command Prompt and choose "Run As Administrator".
Validate the Disk:
- In Command Prompt, type:
mbr2gpt /validate /allowFullOS
or
mbr2gpt /validate /disk:0 /allowFullOS
- then hit enter.
- Disk:0 is to specify the disk number of the disk to be converted to GPT, where 0 is the disk number. If the disk number is not specified, the system disk is used by default.
- If you get "Validation completed successfully", you are ready for the next step.
Convert the Disk:
- Type:
mbr2gpt /convert /allowFullOS
or
mbr2gpt /convert /disk:0 /allowFullOS
- then hit enter.
- Now, you should see the conversion completed successfully. Restart the computer, enter the BIOS or UEFI, and change the boot mode to UEFI.
- Our articles on "How to Enter BIOS or UEFI by Manufacturer" and "How to Change Boot Mode from Legacy to UEFI" might help you.
And that's it!
Part 2: Convert MBR to GPT without Losing Data for Data Disk
Download DiskGenius:
- Go to your browser of choice, search for DiskGenius, navigate to the official website, download and install the program on your computer, and open it.
Identify and Convert the Disk:
- In the DiskGenius interface, identify the system disk you want to convert. Right-click the MBR disk you want to change partition table type and choose "Convert To GUID Partition Table".
Confirm and Save Changes:
- Click "OK" when asked whether to convert the partition table to GPT.
- Click the "Save All" button from the toolbar and click "Yes" to save changes to the disk.
And that's it! By following these steps, you can convert MBR to GPT without losing data.