How Can I Convert MBR Disk to GPT
I want to expand a disk that has been getting full. I expanded the disk in the VM settings and then expanded it inside the OS. But I could only expand it to 2 TB, and then I realized that it was an MBR disk. It's a data disk, not a boot disk. I have no idea why it's set to MBR. This disk is for a file server hosting home drives and department drives, so there is a user impact. The disk is currently using 1.74 TB. What should I do to convert my MBR disk to GPT? Can anyone help me? Thanks in advance.
Best Answered by
Roxanne· Answered on Jul 31, 2023
Based on your description, I can learn that your disk is an MBR disk, so you can only expand it to 2TB. Therefore, if you want to successfully expand the disk to more than 2TB, you need to convert the disk from MBR to GPT.
You may think, "How can I convert the MBR disk to GPT?" Do not worry. I would like to share my experience with you by providing some useful ways.
The first way is to use third-party software: EaseUS Partition Master. It is a perfect solution for you to convert MBR to GPT without any data loss. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you should choose the conversion tool.
You can follow the steps below:
Step 1. Download EaseUS Partition Master on your computer and launch it.
Step 2. Go to Disk Converter, choose the option Convert MBR to GPT, and click Next to continue.
Step 3. Choose your MBR disk that you tend to convert to GPT, and click Convert to start the conversion.
Besides that, by using the EaseUS Partition Master, the GPT disk can also be converted to MBR. Some other features are as follows:
- Help users clone system partitions
- Help users convert NTFS to FAT32 quickly
In a word, the EaseUS Partition Master can help you achieve a quick conversion without any data loss. You can try this software to convert your MBR disk to GPT, and then you can expand the disk to more than 2TB in a successful way.
The second way is to use disk management to convert your MBR disk to GPT. But this way has a big disadvantage: you need to delete all your partitions on the MBR disk. If you do not want to lose all your data, you can refer to the first method. When selecting the second method, you need to make a backup before the conversion process. And here are some steps for you:
Step 1. Go to the Manage option in This PC and choose Disk Management.
Step 2. Open the target MBR disk and select each partition. Select Delete Volume.
Step 3. Select OK to confirm the volume deletion.
Step 4. Repeat Step 2 and Step 3 until all the different disk volumes are deleted.
Step 5. The whole disk should show as unallocated after deleting all volumes. Then, click on the MBR disk and select Convert to a GPT disk.
Step 6. Exit the disk management option when the disk conversion process is complete.
The above are the steps of the second method. Compared with the first method, the second one is more complicated, time-consuming, and risky. Therefore, it is suggested that you can choose the easiest way to fix your issue. Now you can try to convert the MBR disk to GPT.
Read More: MBR to GPT: How to Convert MBR to GPT in Windows 11/10/8/7 [2023 New]
