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How to check if drive uses GPT or MBR partition style on Windows 10
Windows 10

How to check if drive uses GPT or MBR partition style on Windows 10

December 20, 2023

On Windows 10, you can find two partition style types, including the legacy “Master Boot Record” (MBR) or the newer “GUID Partition Table (GPT).”

A partition describes how data is stored on the hard drive and its boundaries (start and end), and it includes the instructions to make the partition bootable. On Windows 10, the Master Boot Record (MBR) is the older style, and it is the most compatible, but it has some limitations, such as support for drives of up to 2TB of storage per portion.

The GUID Partition Table (GPT) is the newer style that overcomes the limitations, which includes support for larger capacity drivers and an unlimited number of partitions. In addition, other advantages include data integrity check and self-recovery and partition and boot data are stored in multiple places within the drive.

If you have the 64-bit version of Windows 10 on a device using Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) firmware, you should be using the GPT style. However, MBR should only be chosen if you need a more compatible system using older hardware.

Check MBR or GPT partition style from Disk Management

To check the partition style of a drive Windows 10, use these steps:

  1. Open Start on Windows 10.
  2. Search for Disk Management and click the top result to open the app.
  3. Right-click the disk (not the partition) and select the Properties option.

    Disk Management properties

  4. Click the Volumes tab.
  5. Check the “Partition style” field to confirm if the drive is formatted using the “Master Boot Record (MBR)” or “GUID Partition Table (GPT)” style.

    Check MBR or GPT

Once you complete the steps, you will know which partition style the drive uses on Windows 10.

Check MBR or GPT partition style from Command Prompt

To determine if the drive uses GPT or MBR from Command Prompt, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
  3. Type the following commands to determine the drive partition scheme and press Enter on each line: 
    Diskpart  List disk
  4. If the drive uses “GPT,” you’ll see an asterisk character (*) under the “Gpt” column. If you don’t see the asterisk character (*), the drive uses the “MBR” scheme.

    Command Prompt check MBR or GPT

After you complete the steps, you will know which partition style the drive uses on Windows 10.

Check MBR or GPT partition style from PowerShell

To use PowerShell to determine whether the drive uses MBR or GPT, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.
  2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
  3. Type the following commands to determine the drive partition scheme and press Enter: 
    Get-Disk
  4. Under the “Partition Style” column, determine if the drive uses the MBR or GPT scheme.

    PowerShell check MBR or GPT

Once you complete the steps, you will understand the partition style the hard drive uses on Windows 10.