Hard disk: change GPT to MBR

If you want to change a GPT hard disk to MBR, you can either use Windows Disk Management or a special partitioning program. In this guide, we show you how to proceed in both cases.

Change GPT to MBR with the disk management

Converting the partition table of a hard disk from the modern GPT to the older MBR standard can be useful, for example, if you want to use the disk in a Windows XP-based system. You can use Windows Disk Management for this. Keep in mind that all files on the disk will be lost and hard drives with a capacity of more than 2 TB will only work under the GPT standard.

1. Open the "Administrative Tools" item in the Windows Control Panel. Then select the "Computer Management". Users of the category view must first click "System & Security".
2. In the left pane of the window, select "Disk Management".
3. If the disk still contains volumes or partitions, these must now be removed. To do this, right-click on the corresponding volume, then select "Delete Volume ..." or "Delete Partition ...".
4. Right-click the disk you want to convert. Select "Convert to MBR disk" from the context menu.

Change GPT to MBR with the MiniTool Partition Wizard

Alternatively, you can change from GPT to MBR using a partitioning program such as the free MiniTool Partition Wizard. Theoretically, the change should then take place without loss of data. We recommend that you back up all important data. Also note that you can only switch to MBR if the hard drive is no larger than 2 terabytes and contains a maximum of four primary partitions.

1. You can download the MiniTool Partition Wizard here. Then install and start the program.
2. Right-click on the data medium to be converted. In the context menu go to "Convert GPT Disk to MBR Disk".
3. Select the "Apply button" to start the conversion.