How to Check if Disk is MBR or GPT in Windows
GPT (GUID Partition Table) and MBR (Master Boot Record) are two different partition styles that can be used for a disk.
MBR disks use the standard BIOS partition table. GPT disks use unified extensible firmware interface (UEFI).
This tutorial will show you different ways on how to check if a disk is using a MBR or GPT partition style in Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.
MBR vs GPT Basic Comparison:
MBR GPT Older partition style. Newer partition style. All Windows support as data drive. Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 support as data drive. All Windows can boot from. Windows can't boot from unless installed with 64-bit and UEFI.
Supports up to 4 primary partitions, or 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition with up to 128 logical volumes. Supports up to 128 primary partitions. Supports up to 2TB for a partition. Supports up to 256TB for a partition. Removable media is MBR by default. Removable media cannot convert to GPT.
Contents
- Option One: To Check if Disk is MBR or GPT in Disk Management
- Option Two: To Check if Disk is MBR or GPT in Device Manager
- Option Three: To Check if Disk is MBR or GPT in Command Prompt
- Option Four: To Check if Disk is MBR or GPT in PowerShell
1 Press the Win+R keys to open Run, type diskmgmt.msc into Run, and click/tap on OK to open Disk Management.
2 Right click or press and hold on the far left box of the Disk # you want to check, and click/tap on Properties. (see screenshot below)
3 Click/tap on the Volumes tab, and look in Disk Information to see if the Partition style for this disk is GUID Partition Table (GPT) or Master Boot Record (MBR). (see screenshots below)
4 When finished, you can close the Properties window and Disk Management if you like.
1 Open Device Manager.
2 Expand open Disk drives, and double click/tap on the disk you want to check. (see screenshot below)
3 Click/tap on the Volumes tab, and click/tap on the Populate button. (see screenshot below)
4 Look in Disk Information to see if the Partition style for this disk is GUID Partition Table (GPT) or Master Boot Record (MBR). (see screenshots below)
5 When finished, you can close the Properties window and Device Manager if you like.
You must be signed in as an administrator to do this option.
1 Open an elevated command prompt.
2 Type thediskpartandlist diskcommands into the elevated command prompt one at a time, and press Enter for each command. (see screenshot below)
3 Look to see if a Disk # has a * (asterisk) in its GPT column or not.
If a Disk # has a * in its GPT column, then the disk is GPT.
If a Disk # does not have a * in its GPT column, then the disk is MBR.
The Get-Disk command is only supported in Windows 8 and Windows 10.
1 Open PowerShell in Windows 10, or an elevated PowerShell in Windows 8.
2 Type theGet-Diskcommand below into PowerShell, and press Enter. (see screenshot below)
3 Look to see if a disk Number or Friendly Name has GPT or MBR in its Partition Style column .
That's it,
Shawn Brink
Related Tutorials
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- How to Check BIOS or UEFI Firmware Version in Windows 10
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Check if Disk is MBR or GPT in Windows
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New #1
The table says removable media cannot be converted to GPT but MiniTool Partition Wizard accepted the command to convert a removable external Seagate USB drive from MBR to GPT. Why is there such a restriction anyway?
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New #2
Under option three, the two commandsdiskpartandlist diskcan be combined into a single command:
(Echo List Disk)|DiskPart
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New #4
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New #5
Diskpart shows ONLY unallocated (not partitioned) space as free. It does not show free space within partitions. To show free space in a partition with diskpart, you have to list volume, then select a particular volume, then detail volume.
Code:C:\Windows\system32>diskpart Microsoft DiskPart version 10.0.22000.1 Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. On computer: JOHN-DESKTOP DISKPART> list volume Volume ### Ltr Label Fs Type Size Status Info ---------- --- ----------- ----- ---------- ------- --------- -------- Volume 0 F DVD-ROM 0 B No Media Volume 1 L Libraries NTFS Partition 447 GB Healthy Volume 2 S Storage NTFS Partition 931 GB Healthy Volume 3 D Data NTFS Partition 930 GB Healthy Volume 4 R RECOVERY FAT32 Partition 1524 MB Healthy Volume 5 G Games NTFS Partition 931 GB Healthy Volume 6 C NTFS Partition 118 GB Healthy Boot Volume 7 FAT32 Partition 100 MB Healthy System Volume 8 NTFS Partition 522 MB Healthy Hidden Volume 9 E Server 2019 NTFS Partition 238 GB Healthy DISKPART> select volume c Volume 6 is the selected volume. DISKPART> detail volume Disk ### Status Size Free Dyn Gpt -------- ------------- ------- ------- --- --- * Disk 4 Online 119 GB 1024 KB * Read-only : No Hidden : No No Default Drive Letter: No Shadow Copy : No Offline : No BitLocker Encrypted : No Installable : Yes Volume Capacity : 118 GB Volume Free Space : 69 GB
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Check if Disk is MBR or GPT in Windows
How to Check if Disk is MBR or GPT in WindowsPublished by Shawn BrinkCategory: Hardware & Drivers
14 Jul 2021
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