How to use Diskpart to convert a partition to an active primary partition?

A primary partition is a division on your hard drive or SSD that contains the Windows operating system, along with all other important files and data. Your BIOS or UEFI will only recognize this partition and can only set it as active.

This article will teach you how to use Diskpart to activate a partition, along with the best alternative. Let's dive in and see how these methods work.

Here's how to convert a partition to a primary partition using Diskpart in UTF-8 encoding: 1. Open Command Prompt: Click the "Start" button, search for "cmd," and run it as an administrator. 2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and hit Enter: ``` diskpart ``` 3. You'll be prompted to enter the Diskpart tool. Type the command below and press Enter: ``` list disk ``` 4. This will show all the disks. Identify the disk number where the partition you want to modify is located (usually "Disk 0," "Disk 1," etc.). 5. Next, select the disk you want to work with. Replace `disk_number` with the actual disk number: ``` select disk disk_number ``` 6. List all partitions on that disk by entering this command and pressing Enter: ``` list partition ``` 7. Find the logical partition number you want to convert to primary (usually "Partition 1," "Partition 2," etc.). Make sure you choose correctly, as the conversion can't be undone. 8. Select the partition to convert. Replace `partition_number` with the identified partition number and type: ``` select partition partition_number ``` 9. Finally, execute the conversion command: ``` convert primary ``` 10. The system will confirm the conversion. Once done, exit Diskpart: ``` exit ``` Keep in mind that if your disk already has four primary partitions, you won't be able to create or convert more, as each disk can have a maximum of four primary partitions or three primary partitions plus one extended partition. Before making any changes, make sure to back up important data just in case.

`Diskpart` is a utility for configuring and managing hard disk drives (HDDs) and solid-state drives (SSDs). It's easily accessible and straightforward to use. Just open the Command Prompt and enter the `diskpart` command to start working with it.

With Diskpart, users can convert an NTFS file system to FAT32 (or vice versa), or shift from NTFS to exFAT (and the other way around), and even to any other file system. They can also use it to turn a logical drive into an active one (and back).

Now that you know what Diskpart is and why you would want to use it, let's see how to make a partition primary with it:

Step 1. Click the "Start" button, and search for "cmd."

Step Two: Click “Run as Administrator.”

Step 3. Type the following commands, pressing the “Enter” key after each one.

(Image description: Changing a primary partition with Diskpart)

Using Diskpart to convert a partition to primary will result in losing all the files on the drive. But this can be easily avoided. Want to know how? Check out the next part.

Use the Diskpart alternative to convert a partition to a primary partition

When you use traditional methods like diskpart to convert a partition to primary, your hard drive will be wiped clean. Thanks to third-party tools like tools Partition Master, you can easily convert a logical partition to primary without any hassle.

If you want to convert a primary partition to a logical one, you can do that too. Tools Partition Master makes it easier to create, expand, or even delete partitions. Refer to the table below to understand why we chose Tools Partition Master as the best alternative to Diskpart:

With the help of MiniTool Partition Wizard, this operation is much easier and safer. It helps users to successfully convert logical partition to primary without data loss. Download MiniTool Partition Wizard now and convert logical partition to primary with only several clicks.

Step 1: Download and run tools Partition Master, then go to "Partition Manager".

Step 2: Right-click the partition you want to convert, and select "Advanced," then choose the conversion option:

1. Main to Logic 2. Logic to Main

Step 3: Click on the "Perform 1 Task" button and select "Convert" to start the conversion process.

0:00 - 0:30 Convert primary partition to logical partition; 0:31 - 0:50 Convert logical partition to primary partition.

Aside from changing the partition type, Tools Partition Master is a comprehensive tool. Here are some other features of Tools Partition Master:

• Convert MBR to GPT
• Convert Basic Disk to Dynamic or Dynamic Disk to Basic
• Convert NTFS to FAT32
• Hide/Show Partition

Conclusions

This is how you would use Diskpart to convert a partition to primary. While it's easier to do it with Diskpart, it will wipe everything from the drive. Instead, you can use AOMEI Partition Assistant to do the same thing without deleting any files from the drive. Plus, it comes with many other features that will come in handy even in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions about "Change Partition to Primary Diskpart": 1. What is a Primary Partition? A Primary Partition is a basic partition type on a hard drive that allows you to install an operating system and store data. Each hard drive can have up to four primary partitions, or one extended partition with multiple logical drives. 2. Why would I need to convert a partition to Primary? You might need to convert a partition to Primary in situations like installing a new operating system or requiring more available partitions. 3. How do I use Diskpart to convert a partition to Primary? - First, open the Command Prompt (run as administrator). - Type "diskpart" and press Enter to launch the Diskpart tool. - Type "list disk" to view all disks, then select the disk you want to work on, e.g., "select disk 1" (replace 1 with the actual disk number). - Type "list partition" to see all partitions on that disk, then choose the partition you want to convert, e.g., "select partition 2" (replace 2 with the actual partition number). - Input "convert primary" to convert the selected partition to a primary one. 4. Can all partitions be converted to Primary? Not all partitions can be directly converted. If there are already four primary partitions on the disk, or if the partition is an extended partition, it cannot be directly converted. In such cases, you might need to delete an existing primary or extended partition to free up space. 5. Does converting a partition affect my data? Data loss may occur if you haven't backed up your data beforehand. Thus, always back up important files before performing any partition operations. 6. Are there other tools that can perform this task more safely? Yes, there are third-party disk management tools, such as tools Partition Master, MiniTool Partition Wizard, which provide a graphical user interface, making the partition conversion process more intuitive and secure. Please note that these steps might vary slightly depending on your operating system. Always ensure you understand your system environment before proceeding.

Here are the answers to some common questions about converting a partition to a primary partition.

How can I change my partition to primary?

You can use Partition Master to convert a partition to primary without losing data:

Step 1. Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard, right click the partition you want to convert and choose “Advanced”.

Step 2: Select "Advanced" and convert the logical partition to a primary one.

Step 3: Click "Run one task," and then select "Application."

2. How do I create a primary partition in DISKPART?

`Diskpart` serves multiple purposes. If you want to create a primary partition but are unsure how to use `Diskpart`, let me guide you through the process step by step:

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as an administrator and type in and enter the command diskpart.

Step 2. Type the following command and press Enter:

• List disks
• Select disk 1
• Create primary partition, size=20000
• Assign letter=E

How do I change a partition from dynamic to primary?

No need to go anywhere else and waste your precious time. You can change the drive partition from dynamic to primary with just a few clicks using the Partition Master Tool. Or, you can also change the partition from dynamic to primary using the Command Prompt. The method is as follows:

Step 1: Open Command Prompt as an administrator.

Step 2: Type diskpart, and press Enter.

Step 3: Type the following command and press Enter:

• List Disks
• Select Disk 1
• Select Partition 1
• Delete Partition
• Convert to Basic Disk