How to Tell If Windows Is GPT or MBR [Your Guide Is Here]

When it comes to upgrading the Windows operating system or replacing an old drive or a bigger or newer HDD/SSD, it's highly necessary that you keep the new disk type the same as the source disk.

So how do I tell if my Windows 10 or Windows 7 is GPT or MBR? Follow this page, and you'll learn why it's important to learn the disk partition type and detailed steps that you can follow to check the Windows disk partition style. So let's get started here.

Benefits of Checking Which Disk Partition Table Your Disk Is Using

Knowing which disk partition table your source disk is using clearly, it'll effectively save your time and energy when it comes to making use of a disk drive on your computer.

Here is a list of benefits that will explain why it's important to tell which disk partition table is your drive using on Windows 11/10/8/7:

• It helps to configure the target disk as the same as the source disk while migrating Windows to a new HDD/SSD.
• It avoids Windows boot issues after migrating Windows or switching the OS disk.
• Learning the disk partition table will assist you in quick partitioning disks.

Knowing the disk partition table, you'll learn how many partitions you can create on the target drive: MBR - 3 primary partitions + 1 logical partition; GPT - unlimited partitions.

So how can I tell if a drive is GPT format or MBR format? Here in the next two parts, you'll get three simple ways to check if the disk is MBR or GPT on your Windows computer.

Method 1. 1-Click to View Disk Partition Type with Partition Manager Software

To help you quickly view the disk partition type, you can apply a reliable disk partition manager software - Qiling Partition Master for help.

Step 1. Launch Qiling Partition Master.

Step 2. Find the target disk and view its disk partition type in the Type section.

Your disks will be listed as:

• Basic, MBR
• Basic, GPT

Aside from viewing disk types, Qiling Partition Master can assist you in managing and optimizing disk performance on Windows 11/10/8/7 and even Windows Server computers:

• Convert MBR to GPT or GPT to MBR without losing any data.
• Migrate OS to HDD/SSD.
• Clone Windows to a bigger or smaller HDD/SSD.
• Initialize disk to MBR/GPT.
• Quick partition new disk in 1 click.

Method 2. Check If Windows Disk Is GPT or MBR Using Disk Management

Disk Management is a Windows built-in disk utility that helps you to manage disk partitions with some basic features. You can apply it to view the disk properties and then tell the disk partition table of your current Windows disk or data drive.

Here are the steps: 

Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon and select "Disk Management".

Step 2. Locate and right-click the target drive that you want to check its partition table, and select "Properties".

Step 3. Go to the Volumes table, and next to the Partition style section, you'll be able to see the disk partition table: 

• Master Boot Record (MBR)
• GUID Partition Table (GPT)

Method 3. Check Disk Partition Type Using Diskpart

The last tool that you can try is to run commands in Diskpart to view the disk type. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Press Windows + R, type "diskpart" and click "OK" to open Diskart.

Step 2. Type list disk and hit Enter.

You'll see all disk partition types of the existing disks on your computer. If you see a table listing your connected disks, the GPT disk will be marked as * under the Gpt column.

MBR disks will be listed without any marks below the Gpt column.

Telling The Disk Partition Type Is Easy

On this page, we listed the benefits of knowing the Windows disk type, and we showed you three effective methods that you can follow to view and check a disk type effectively.

After knowing the disk type of your existing drives, you can then convert your target drive to MBR or GPT or even set the correct disk type - MBR or GPT for SSD with ease.

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