In case you don’t know, two types of disk partitioning exist on Windows: MBR and GPT. Considering the importance of partitions in disk management, it’s no surprise to see Windows users asking about how to check MBR or GPT. Nowadays, people who own Windows PC could determine the types of their partitions via Disk Management, Device Manager, Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Windows Settings. Continue reading if you want to grasp types of partitions on your computer.
Table of Contents
Ways To Check Disk Partition Style: Summary
Via Disk Management
- Step 1: Press the Windows key, type diskmgmt.msc and hit Enter to open Disk Management.
- Step 2: Right-click the disk you want to check then pick Properties.
- Step 3: Proceed to go to the Volumes tab and look for Partition style. There, your disk should be labeled as either MBR or GPT.
Via Device Manager
- Step 1: Right-click the Start menu then pick Device Manager.
- Step 2: Expand Disk drives, right-click your disk and pick Properties.
- Step 3: Make your way to the Volumes tab then hit Populate
- Step 4: Once the process completes, your style is going to be displayed next to Partition style.
Via Command Prompt
- Step 1: Press the Windows key, type cmd and hit Run as administrator.
- Step 2: In Command Prompt (Admin), run each of the commands down below:
- diskpart
- list disk
- Step 3: If your disk is partitioned using GPT, you would see an asterisk in the GPT column. On the other hand, if there is no asterisk, the partition style of your disk is MBR.
Via PowerShell
- Step 1: Press the Windows key, type PowerShell and hit Run as administrator.
- Step 2: In PowerShell (Admin), run the command Get-Disk.
- Step 3: After the command finishes running, you should be able to see the partition style of your disk in the Partition Style column.
Via Settings
- Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Settings.
- Step 2: Select System, choose Storage then hit Manage Disks and Volumes under More storage settings.
- Step 3: Right-click the disk you want to check and pick Properties. Next, scroll down to the Partition Style section to view how your disk is partitioned and the partitioning style.
Disk Management On Windows: Lessons
- If you need a faster device, go for SSD instead of HDD. You have to spend more bucks though.
- Before initiating Diskpart commands, contact your disk manufacturer to avoid damage.
- Set the Optimize and Defragment Drives utility to defrag your drive weekly.
What Are MBR And GPT?
MBR, Master Boot Record, is a disk partition style that uses a standard BIOS partition table. GPT, short for GUID Partition Table, is a disk partition style that uses Unified Extensible Firmware Interface. Of the two styles, MBR is the older one and it’s usually used by classic devices. Still, MBR is well-known for its software and hardware compatibility.
Is It Necessary To Convert My Partition Style?
As the old adage goes, don’t fix it if it is not broken. In most of the cases, you do not need to convert your partition style unless circumstances require you to do so. One of the scenarios where you must convert is when your Windows installation fails.
How Can I Convert From MBR To GPT And Vice Versa?
You can convert from MBR to GPT and vice versa using Command Prompt as well as Disk Management. As a precaution, before converting the partition style, back up all important information.
Via Command Prompt
- Step 1: Open Command Prompt (Admin).
- Step 2: Run these commands in Command Prompt (Admin):
- diskpart
- list disk
- Step 3: Note down the disk you want to convert then continue to run the command down below in Command Prompt (Admin). Remember to substitute the noted number for #:
- select disk #
- clean
- Step 4: After you finish, it’s now time to convert. All you have to do is to run the command GPT in Command Prompt (Admin) to initiate the conversion. In the case that you want to convert from GPT to MBR, you need to run the command convert MBR instead.
- Step 5: Assuming that the conversion is a success, use Disk Management to create partitions to your liking.
Via Disk Management
- Step 1: Launch Disk Management.
- Step 2: Right-click the disk you want to convert then pick Delete Volume. Repeat the process till all the partitions have been cleaned.
- Step 3: Right-click your disk again then pick Convert to GPT Disk/Convert to MBR Disk. Following the conclusion of the conversion, feel free to create partitions on your disk.
How To Create Partitions Using Disk Management
- Step 1: Open Disk Management, right-click the disk you want to add a new partition and pick New simple volume.
- Step 2: Select Format this volume with the following settings then choose the following options:
- File system: FAT
- Allocation unit size: Default
- Volume label: New volume
- Step 3: Hit Next and wait as Windows prepares your partition.
