To many computer users, disks are not strange, but seldom of them know MBR or GPT, actually, Whatever MBR or GPT, they are format of disk, but there are many different characters between them.

About MBR

MBR, whose full name is master booted record, is current disk partitioned mode. The standard of MBR partition decides MBR only support hard disk whose storage under 2TB. If the storage of hard disk is over 2TB, the space MBR can manage is only 2TB as well. MBR disks support only four partition table entries. If more partitions are wanted, a secondary structure known as an extended partition is necessary. Extended partitions can then be subdivided into one or more logical disks.

About GPT

GPT is the abbreviation of GUID Partition Table. GUID is globally unique Identifier, GPT is a part of EFI (extended firmware interface, the substitute of PC BIOS) scheme, but it doesn’t rely on EFI main board. GPT can be used in PC that install BIOS main board.   The number of partitions on a GPT disk is not constrained by temporary schemes such as container partitions as defined by the MBR Extended Boot Record (EBR). The GPT disk partition format is well defined and fully self-identifying.

The advantage of GPT over MBR

Comparing with MBR, GPT has such advantages:

  •  There is no limited to GPT in partition volume, but windows only support a maximum of 128 GPT partition. The disk volume of GPT can manage can reach 18EB (1EB=1024K=1,048,576TB), but NTFS format supports a maximum of 256TB.
  • unlike MBR whose partition information is on the master booted sector, the partition information of GPT is on the partition.
  • GPT can support the hard disk whose storage volume is over 2TB, but, MBR only support hard disk whose the biggest storage volume is 2TB.

As mentioned above, GPT has more advantages in many aspects, if you want computer for more storages or other features, you should use GPT partition style instead of MBR disk.

How to use GPT partition style instead of MBR

Based on so many advantages, many people want to convert MBR format of a disk to GPT partition style, but seldom of them know how to operate it. In computer, there is a function to convert GPT to MBR, but, you have to clean up all data in your disk you want convert, and it is very complicated and annoying to operate. With software developing, it becomes easy to make an interconvert between MBR and GPT without any loss of data now. Just set AOMEI PA (Partition Assistant) as an example, the process of convert is very convenient.

Download freeware, install and start, the interface displays like the picture below.

There displays two disks in computer. Choose disk 2 as the target to convert MBR to GPT. Disk 1is system disk and it can’t be converted by AOMEI PA Standard Edition. If you want to use GPT instead of MBR in system disk, you can buy AOMEI PA Pro, which has more functions than this Edition.

interface-of- aomei-partition- assistant

As the picture below showing, click right button of mouse on the disk 2’bar and the option ‘convert to GPT Disk’ shows up.

clicking-right-button-of- mouse-make- convert-option- appear

A pop-up window appears that prompts you whether convert the selected disk from MBR to GPT. If you are sure, click option ‘OK’.

confirm-your- decision-to- convert

After finished the steps above, you will see the preview that the format of disk changed from MBR to GPT. Click option ‘Apply’ in the upper left corner of the interface. And then, all process of convert will start.

preview-of- finishing- converion

After clicking the option ‘Apply’, some pop-up windows appear, and it ask you to confirm that the program is ready to proceed. When you click that, operation progress will start. Only thing you can do is waiting, but it won’t waste your much time. I promise.

If you want to know more details, you can click this.