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Can’t Convert Disk to GPT? Fix It in 3 Simple Steps

To convert a disk to GPT, you need to delete all partitions

4 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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If you’d like toupgrade your PC from Windows 10 to 11orswitch from BIOS to UEFI, you need to convert your MBR disk to GPT. However, some users have reported they are unable to convert the disk to GPT.

Should you struggle to convert your basic disk to GPT, this article will provide you with three steps to help you resolve the error.

Why can’t I convert my drive to GPT?

Why can’t I convert my drive to GPT?

Converting MBR to GPT is required if you’re aiming to upgrade a Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 or to move from BIOS to UEFI. However, you might find it hard to convert your drive to a GPT if there areexisting partitions on the drive.

Conversion of MBR to GPT requires an empty drive that has no partitions. You must delete the partitions first before you can convert the drive.  The Windows Disk Management tool can only convert an empty non-system disk file.

If you’re unable to convert your MBR drive to GPT, it’s likely your drive has been previously partitioned or contains files.

If you intend to convert the disk to GPT on a drive that has been partitioned, you’ll have toback up all critical dataon the disk first.

If you can’t convert Disk to GPT, here are a couple of steps you can attempt.

What can I do if I can’t convert a disk to GPT?

What can I do if I can’t convert a disk to GPT?

1. Convert Basic Disk to GPT with Windows Management

Disk Management in Windows comprises a set of Utility tools that help manage Disk data in a computer. With Disk Management, you can partition devices,create bootable devices, and bootable format disks.

With Disk Management, you should be able to convert your MBR disk to GPT.

2. Use a third-party disk partitioning software

One of the best and probably easiest ways to convert MBR to GPT without data loss is to use dedicated partition software.

For this purpose, we have a selection of thebest partition manager softwareyou can use right now.

All you need to do is download and install the software, then launch the application to begin the disk conversion. With such tools, you can convert your disk without any data loss.

An excellent partitioning software option you can definitely try is the AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, as it is a multiskilled application that lets you manage disk partitions cautiously.

This tool helps you convert MBR to GPT without affecting the core data, including your operating system. A worth-mentioning detail of converting with this app is that it doesn’t require deleting all partitions before conversion.

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional

3. Use Diskpart

Diskpart is Windows’ dedicated command interpreter, which handles dedicated computer drive management. It is used for Disk Partitions,Virtual Disks, Volumes, etc.

Using Diskpart to convert your Disk deletes all data from the storage. It is critical to back up all important files before beginning the process.

You should, however, note that you’ll automatically lose all pre-existing data on the MBR disk.

If you’re unable to convert your MBR Disk to GPT, following the above steps should help you resolve the problem. This can be an issue, especially if you want toaccess GPT protective partition, but hopefully, you managed to fix that.

If you’ve got alternative solutions that helped you resolve the error, you can let us know in the comments below.

More about the topics:disk management

Vladimir Popescu

Being an artist his entire life while also playing handball at a professional level, Vladimir has also developed a passion for all things computer-related.

With an innate fascination for research and analysis, and realizing many other people share his passion for this subject, he delved into writing Windows-related articles, so other people can also benefit from the acquired information.

When not writing kick-ass articles, Vladimir likes to spend his time doing Crossfit and creating art.

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