Can I clone Windows from MBR to GPT? Absolutely! [Complete 2024 Guide]

As a Windows user, there might be times when you want to take full advantage of your device's capacity, such as 4TB or more, for optimal efficiency. For instance, you have your primary OS partition on an MBR disk, and you wish to clone it to a new NVMe drive. This can be achieved with full UEFI compatibility by employing GPT partitions. First, you need to understand the concepts of MBR and GPT.

MBR (Master Boot Record) and GPT (GUID Partition Table) are two different methods for storing disk partition information. Nowadays, large-capacity SSDs and HDDs are initialized as GPT disks by default. Hence, instead of reinstalling the system, it's more convenient to migrate apps and operating systems directly from the old MBR disk. Moreover, to take advantage of GPT's unique benefits, many users might clone Windows from MBR to GPT.

Key points for cloning Windows from MBR to GPT:

If you want to clone Windows from MBR to GPT, we would like to tell you that it is a complicated process. In addition, to accomplish this task, you need the assistance of efficient and reliable OS cloning software.

Stay tuned to learn how to clone Windows from MBR to GPT. Here, you will be able to perform the task successfully without any booting issues.

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Can I clone Windows from MBR to GPT?  Yes, you can clone Windows from MBR to GPT following this tutorial.

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Preparation Step 1: Check if Your Windows Supports Legacy and UEFI Boot Modes

Before cloning the Windows operating system from MBR to GPT, you need to prepare your computer and disk for this process. Here are some preparatory steps:

• Make sure your computer supports both Legacy and UEFI boot modes. • If not, you'll need to convert GPT to MBR so that Windows can boot after cloning.

How can I check if my computer supports Legacy and UEFI boot modes?

You can check for this by following these steps:

Step 1: From the Start panel, find System Information.

Step 2: If you see "Legacy" in BIOS mode, your computer has a BIOS.

Step 3: If your computer has UEFI, then it has UEFI.

For more details or to check your boot mode, refer to this tutorial:

How to Check if Windows is Using UEFI or Legacy Boot

Wondering how to determine whether your current Windows system boots in UEFI or Legacy mode? Find the answer in this article.

Step 2: Download Windows software to clone MBR to GPT

If you want to clone Windows from MBR to GPT without effort, you need to download software that supports this operation. For this purpose, we recommend using an easy tool like Partition Master.

Partition Master can help you:

• Create and modify partitions, and provide a single license from multiple servers or PCs.
• Support for resizing, merging, deleting, formatting, erasing, checking partitions, and cloning disk partitions.
• Convert NTFS to FAT32 and aid in converting dynamic disks to basic disks.
• Utilize its "Clone" feature to copy the Windows operating system from MBR to GPT.

Download the Partition Master tool and follow the instructions in the tutorial.

Tutorial: How to Clone Windows from MBR to GPT

As a versatile software tool, Partition Master offers features for 4K alignment of partitions and dynamic disk management. It also aids in checking and repairing disk partitions. If you need assistance cloning Windows from MBR to GPT, follow these steps:

• Guide 1: If your computer supports UEFI boot mode.
• Guide 2: If your computer does not support UEFI boot mode.

Guide 1: If your computer supports UEFI, clone Windows from MBR to GPT

If your PC supports UEFI boot mode, you can successfully clone Windows from MBR to GPT following this guide.

1. Clone Windows from MBR to GPT

AOMEI Partition Assistant features a disk conversion function that can help you convert a disk from MBR to GPT without causing data loss. Download this software on your computer now and let it assist you in accomplishing the task.

Steps to follow:

< strong > Step 1. < /strong> Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, go to "Disk Clone" tab, choose "Clone System Disk" and then click "Next".

Step 2. Select the new drive you want to clone your operating system to, then click Next.

Select the target disk to clone the OS to

Click Yes to confirm that you want to continue with the system disk cloning process.

Step 3. Review the disk layout, and click Start to begin the OS cloning process.

Step 4: When the process is finished, you'll see a confirmation message asking if you want to boot from the clone disk.

• Reboot Now: This restarts the computer and boots the operating system from the new disk immediately.
• Finish: Choose this if you want to make the changes later.

2. Change from legacy BIOS to UEFI boot mode for Windows

After confirming that your system is capable of running a traditional BIOS and backing up your data, you can begin the conversion process. The steps to enable UEFI may vary depending on your computer. You can configure your device with the following steps:

Step 1: As your computer begins to boot into the EFI setup menu, press a specific key immediately and hold it down. For desktops, this is usually the Del key, while on laptops, it's typically F2. If you're unsure which key to use, try pressing Esc to display the full menu, then choose the BIOS Setup option.

Step 2: You can usually find the UEFI boot or legacy mode configuration under the "Boot" tab. From here, you can disable legacy mode and enable UEFI.

Step 3: Press the “F10” key to save the settings and exit.

Guide 2: How to Clone Windows from MBR to GPT if Your PC Doesn't Support UEFI

If your computer doesn't support UEFI, you can convert the target GPT disk to MBR with a partition tool like MiniTool Partition Wizard and then clone the system.

1. Convert GPT to MBR First

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant on your computer, then go to "Disk Conversion".

Step 2. Select “Convert to MBR” and click “Next” to proceed.

Step 3: Select the GPT disk that you want to convert to MBR, and then click "Convert" to start the conversion.

2. Clone Windows Across Two Disks

Please note that the process is identical to the one shown in Guide 1. Thus, you can refer to the respective guide to successfully clone Windows.

Additional Tip: Enabling Windows to Boot from a GPT Disk

Once you've confirmed that your computer supports UEFI, you can change the boot order in BIOS to boot from the cloned drive. For example, you could directly boot the cloned Windows operating system as the primary drive and initialize the new disk as GPT. A crucial step here is making the cloned SSD bootable on your Windows computer. To begin this process, you'll need to change the boot order in BIOS.

You can follow the steps outlined here:

Step 1: First, restart your computer by pressing the F2, F8, or F11 key. You can also press Del to enter BIOS.

Step 2: In the BIOS boot section, set the cloned SSD as the boot drive.

Step 3: Save your changes and restart your computer to complete the process.

Your computer should now boot successfully from the SSD.

Additional Tip: Why and When You Need to Clone Windows from MBR to GPT

But before we proceed, let's understand why one would want to clone Windows from MBR to GPT:

• Migrate the operating system from a smaller MBR disk to a larger GPT disk.
• Replace the OS disk for improved computer performance.
• Change the OS disk for a better gaming experience.
• Use GPT as a boot disk for UEFI-based PCs.
• Get up to 9.4 ZB of disk and partition capacity on GPT, far beyond MBR's 2 TB limit.
• GPT allows an unlimited number of primary partitions (limited to 128 in Windows), while MBR has four primary and multiple logical partitions.
• GPT's CRC check can detect damage to GPT headers and partition tables, making it more secure.
• Windows 11 can only be installed on a GPT disk.

Final Award

If you want to clone Windows from MBR to GPT, you have to go through a series of complex operations on your PC. In this case, having reliable and user-friendly software can make the task much easier. AOMEI Partition Assistant offers a suite of trustworthy features that help you seamlessly clone Windows from MBR to GPT in one go without complicating the process. This makes it our top choice.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cloning Windows from MBR to GPT

We hope you find our guide valuable and that it provides the information you need. Want to learn more about this topic? Check out our popular FAQ section.

< b > 1. Can I convert MBR to GPT without reinstalling Windows?

Yes, you can convert from MBR to GPT without reinstalling Windows. Boot your computer from installation media and click "Repair your computer." You'll see some on-screen steps.

Follow the prompts to continue converting the MBR to GPT during the installation process. Then press Shift + F10 to open the Command Prompt. Enter the following command:

• diskpart
• list disk
• select disk 1
• clean
• convert gpt
• exit

Then close the Command Prompt and let the installation proceed.

2. Can I clone an MBR boot drive to GPT?

You can use the tool Partition Master to clone the boot drive from MBR to GPT. You can directly follow the tutorial guide on this page to accomplish the task successfully.

< b > 3. Can I copy files from MBR to GPT?

Yes, you can use the Partition Master tool to copy files from MBR to GPT. It's a reliable software for this purpose.