Last updated on April 19, 2024

In this article, you will learn 3 ways to convert dynamic disk to basic disk. The first method ensures a safe conversion. You can convert dynamic disk to basic disk without losing data with this user-friendly software, but it is not free. The second and third methods are free, but you risk data loss. Below are the detailed steps to run Dynamic Disk Converter.

Tip 1: Convert dynamic disk to basic disk without losing data

A reliable partition manager tool - tools Partition Master can assist you in converting dynamic disks to basic disks without losing any data. Simply download this partition management software and utilize its disk conversion feature to change dynamic disks, including simple volumes and mirrored volumes, into basic disks. Additionally, it offers numerous highlights.

Here are the steps to convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk without losing data:

Step 1: Install and launch Partition Master, and then go to “Disk Management”.

Step 2. Choose the disk conversion mode that suits your needs:

  • Convert to Dynamic Disk: Convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk.
  • Convert to Basic Disk: Convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk.

Step 3: Select the target disk - Basic or Dynamic. Make sure you have selected the correct disk and then click "Convert" to start the conversion.

0:00 - 0:18 Convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk; 0:19- 0:36 convert a dynamic disk back to a basic disk.

Tip 2: Convert Dynamic Disk to Basic Disk with Disk Management (Free)

There are many limitations in Windows Disk Management. If you want to convert dynamic disk to basic disk, you must delete all volumes on the dynamic disk first. Thus, it is not a wise choice to convert dynamic disk to basic disk without data loss via Windows Disk Management.

Note: Before proceeding, make sure to back up all data you want to keep.

If you're looking for a free tool to convert dynamic disk to basic disk, you may give this a try.

Step 1. In Disk Management, select (or right-click) each volume on the dynamic disk that you want to convert to a basic disk, and then click Delete Volume.

Delete dynamic volume

Step 2. After you have deleted all the volumes on the disk, right-click the disk and click Convert to Basic Disk.

In some new operating systems, after you delete all the volumes on a dynamic disk, the disk is automatically converted to a basic disk.

Use free tool - Disk Management to convert dynamic disk to basic disk Use free tool - Disk Management to convert dynamic disk to basic disk

If your disk has mirrored volumes, you can proceed as follows.

Step 1: Right-click "My Computer/This PC" and select "Manage" - "Storage" - "Disk Management."

Step 2: Right-click the mirrored volume, and then choose Break Mirrored Volume or Delete Mirror to remove the mirror.

Dynamic Disk Converter

After you select either "Split Mirrored Volume" or "Delete Mirror," the mirrored volume is converted to a simple volume. You can then delete them and convert the dynamic disk to a basic disk by deleting all volumes on the disk.

Tip 3: Convert Dynamic Disk to Basic Disk with CMD (Free)

This method is also free, but requires some knowledge of command prompt commands. This method is more complicated than Method 2 and, when converting to MBR, there is a chance you could lose your data.

1. Type cmd in the search bar, right-click on "Command Prompt," and select "Run as administrator."

Step 2: Type diskpart, and then press Enter to start Disk Management.

Step 3. Enter the following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each:

    • list disk
    • select disk 1 (replace 1 with the number of your dynamic disk)
    • detail disk
    • select volume 2 (replace 2 with the number of the volume you want to delete)
    • delete volume 2

Free Dynamic Disk Converter - Diskpart

Step 4: After detaching all volumes, type the following commands one by one and press Enter:

  • Select Disk 1 (replace 1 with the disk number of your dynamic disk)
  • Convert to Basic disk

Free Dynamic Disk Converter

Conclusions

You have seen three ways to convert dynamic disks back to basic disks. You can also easily convert basic disks to dynamic disks with a few simple steps. The Disk Management tool simplifies file system conversions (from FAT32 to NTFS or from NTFS to FAT32) and disk management tasks.

Frequently Asked Questions About Dynamic Disk Converter

If you have more questions about Dynamic Disk Converter, or want to know how to convert dynamic disk to basic disk, you can find the answers in the questions listed below:

1. What will happen after I convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk?

If you convert a disk to Dynamic Disk using Disk Management or diskpart, all existing partitions on the disk will be removed. Therefore, losing partitions and data is inevitable.

After you convert a disk to dynamic, you cannot install an operating system or program on it.

2. Can I convert a basic disk to a dynamic disk?

Yes, you can convert a hard drive to dynamic. And there are three ways to convert a hard drive to dynamic:

    1. Convert the disk to a dynamic disk using Disk Management 2. Transform the disk to dynamic using Diskpart 3. Utilize the Partition Master tool to convert the disk to dynamic

For a simpler solution, you can use the Partition Master tool, as shown on the previous page.

3. Is it worth converting to dynamic disks?

By converting several data disks from basic to dynamic, you can use multiple dynamic disks as one large disk for storing large amounts of data and files.

However, converting an operating system disk to a dynamic disk can cause some software to fail to start or the operating system to fail to boot.

It depends on what kind of dynamic disk you plan to convert to. Yes, it's worth converting a basic disk to a dynamic disk if it's for data disks or large file storage.