[Simple and Efficient] How to Successfully Clone MBR to GPT SSD

How can I clone an MBR disk to a GPT SSD?

"My current 2TB computer hard drive was failing, so I purchased a replacement 3TB SSD that requires GPT partitioning. Now, I need to transfer the entire content of my old drive to this new SSD while maintaining bootability. Is there a method to clone an MBR-partitioned drive to a GPT-partitioned SSD?"

The scenario above describes a user who wishes to clone a 2TB hard drive with an MBR partition to a 3TB SSD that requires a GPT partitioning scheme, but is unsure if this is possible. Fortunately, the answer is yes. If you find yourself in a similar situation, you can refer to this article to learn how to clone from MBR to GPT.

Three Steps to Clone MBR to GPT Without Boot Issues

When your old hard drive is running out of space, you might consider upgrading the system disk or replacing it with a newer or larger HDD or SSD to enhance performance. To clone an MBR to GPT without any boot issues, you can follow just three simple steps.

1 - Convert GPT to MBR

Many users want to clone disks from MBR to GPT due to the benefits of GPT disks. Nowadays, hard disk drives are increasing in capacity, and disks larger than 2 TB are commonly utilized in computer builds. Consequently, many large hard drives or SSDs are defaulted to be initialized as GPT disks to maximize the utilization of the available space on these large drives.

However, you cannot clone MBR to GPT because the cloned disk cannot boot. If you want to clone the MBR disk to the GPT disk, you must convert GPT to MBR first.

2 - Clone the MBR to the "GPT" Disk

After converting the GPT disk to MBR, you can clone the old MBR to the new "GPT" (now MBR) disk. A third-party disk cloning software, like tools Todo Backup, can assist you in this process by cloning HDD to SSD or a new HDD.

But in some special cases, for example, your old hard drive is an MBR partitioned boot disk and your new HDD or SSD is GPT partitioned disk, in this case, you will be required to clone MBR disk to a GPT disk or SSD. It is a little bit difficult to manage the job as a bootable issue will happen in high chances if you simply clone MBR HDD to HDD or SSD with a GPT partition table. Do remember to convert the GPT to MBR first and start the cloning process.

Step 1. Launch Todo Backup and click "Tools" in the top right corner, where you'll find Clone and other utilities.

Step 2. Select the source disk or partition and the target disk (make sure the target disk has more space than the source disk or partition).

Step 3. The clone will permanently erase all data on the target disk/partition. If you have backed up your data, click "Continue".

Step 4. Click "Proceed" to begin cloning.

3 - Revert the "GPT" Disk Back to GPT Format

Once you've successfully cloned the old MBR disk to the "GPT" disk, restart your PC and boot from the "GPT" disk.

Extremely Important:

To ensure a smooth transition without any booting issues before you convert MBR to GPT, familiarize yourself with the following information:

• Your operating system is 64-bit.
• Your computer supports UEFI mode.
• Switch the boot mode to UEFI before booting from the GPT disk.

Upon familiarizing yourself with these notices, you can proceed to convert the MBR disk to GPT. However, before you can boot from this GPT disk, you need to access the BIOS and switch the boot mode from legacy to UEFI.

Migrate Operating System from SSD to M.2 SSD with Cloning Software

"If you're looking to clone your SSD to an M.2 SSD but aren't sure how to begin, this page is here to assist. It's a perfect beginner's guide, walking you through the entire process step by step. Most notably, we recommend an excellent tool - Todo Backup. With its cloning feature, you can streamline the migration process.

Bonus Tip: How to Verify Your Computer's Boot Mode To determine whether your computer is booting in UEFI or Legacy BIOS mode, follow these steps: 1. **Windows Users:** - Restart your computer and enter the BIOS or UEFI setup utility. This is usually done by pressing a specific key during the initial startup process, such as F2, F10, F12, Del, or Esc. The key to press is typically displayed on the screen briefly. - Once inside the BIOS, look for options related to "Boot," "Boot Options," or "Startup." - Find an entry that says "Boot Mode," "UEFI Boot," "Legacy Support," or "CSM" (Compatibility Support Module). If "Boot Mode" is set to UEFI or "UEFI Only," your computer is using UEFI. If it's set to "Legacy" or "CSM Enabled," it's using Legacy BIOS. 2. **Mac Users:** - Restart your Mac and immediately press and hold the `Option` key until you see the Startup Manager. - In the Startup Manager, you'll see icons representing available boot devices. If they appear with a colorful icon, your Mac is using UEFI. If they have a monochrome icon, it's using Legacy BIOS. 3. **Ubuntu/Linux Users:** - Open a terminal by pressing `Ctrl + Alt + T`. - Enter the command `grep -i secure /etc/fstab`. If the output contains "secureboot," your system is using UEFI. If there's no output or the term "secureboot" is absent, it's likely using Legacy BIOS. 4. **BIOS/UEFI Identification via Software:** - You can also use software tools like "bcdedit" on Windows or "efibootmgr" on Linux to check the boot mode. However, these methods require some technical knowledge and may vary depending on your operating system. After identifying your boot mode, you can make any necessary changes to enable or disable UEFI or Legacy BIOS according to your needs. Remember that changing the boot mode might require re-installing the operating system or having the appropriate boot media available.

If you're unsure about your computer's boot mode, follow the guide below to check it.

Step 1. Press Windows + R keys to open the Run box, type msinfo32, and press Enter.

Step 2. Next, you should see the System Information window.

Step 3. Look for the BIOS Mode item, and the value displayed on the right side will indicate whether your computer's BIOS Mode is Legacy or UEFI.