Logical vs Primary | What's the Difference and Which Is Better

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Disk partitioning refers to dividing the overall storage space of a hard drive into multiple independent areas, each used for installing an operating system, applications, and storing data files. Logical partitions and primary partitions are two common types of partitions. Users often get confused with their definitions and differences. Therefore, it's crucial to understand what logical partitions and primary partitions are before partitioning a new HDD or SSD.

What is a primary partition?

A primary partition is a hard drive division that can store both the Windows operating system and other data. It's also the only kind of partition that can be set active so that BIOS can locate it for booting. In other words, you can only boot from a primary partition. Generally speaking, a disk drive can contain up to 4 primary partitions, or 3 primary partitions plus 1 extended partition.

What is a logical partition?

Logical partitions, or LPARs, are a logical division of a mainframe's memory and other resources, allowing each partition to run its own copy of an operating system and associated applications. On an MBR disk, the number of logical partitions is unlimited.

A tree diagram illustrates the relationship among primary partitions, extended partitions, and logical partitions on an MBR disk.

What is the difference between a primary partition and a logical partition? In computer storage, disk partitioning involves dividing a hard drive into separate areas for managing and organizing data. Primary partitions and logical partitions are two different types of disk partitions: 1. Primary Partition: - A primary partition is an independent section directly created on the hard drive, used for installing an operating system or storing data. - A hard drive can have up to 4 primary partitions, or it can have one extended partition, but not both simultaneously. - Each primary partition has its own unique boot sector, allowing it to directly boot an operating system. 2. Logical Partition: - Logical partitions are partitions created within an extended partition and are not subject to the limit on primary partitions. You can create multiple logical partitions within an extended partition. - Since there's a restriction on the number of primary partitions, logical partitions offer a way to expand storage space, especially when needing multiple partitions. - Logical partitions cannot directly boot an operating system; they must be accessed through a boot manager within the extended partition. In summary, primary partitions are the fundamental partition type on a hard drive and can directly boot an OS, while logical partitions are created within an extended partition for additional storage purposes. If you need more than 4 partitions, you can create an extended partition and then create any number of logical partitions within it.

The difference between them lies in two aspects, due to the hierarchical structure between logical and primary partitions.

• Importance

From the above, you can see that traditional MBR boot loaders can boot only from primary partitions. Thus, one major difference between primary and logical partitions is that primary partitions are essential for an MBR disk. Without a primary partition, you cannot boot your computer.

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On an MBR disk, you can have a maximum of 4 primary partitions, and no logical partitions. Alternatively, you can have 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition. The extended partition can be divided into multiple logical partitions. The number of partitions depends on your needs. If you require more than 4 partitions to store data separately, you can set up your MBR disk with 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition, then create as many logical partitions as needed.

In GPT disks, the concept of logical partitions doesn't exist. You can create more than four primary partitions. Technically, up to 128 primary partitions can be created on a GPT disk.

Logical partitions vs. primary partitions | Are logical partitions better than primary partitions?

It's not a simple yes or no comparison between logical partitions and primary partitions. There's no better choice between the two because you have to create at least one primary partition on a disk. Otherwise, your computer won't boot.

Logical AND main

There is no difference in their ability to store data.

2. When you need to create more than 4 partitions on an MBR disk, it's better to create logical partitions on the disk.

How to Check the Partition Type on Your Computer

You can check how many primary and logical partitions are on your computer under Disk Management.

Step 1. Right-click on "This PC" and select "Manage."

Step 2: Open “Disk Management.”

Step 3. Here, you can view the number of primary and logical partitions. You can also see the disk type, file system, and partition status.

How to Convert Between Logical and Primary Partitions

Converting from a primary partition to a logical partition or vice versa.

When creating a partition in Disk Management, you might sometimes see an error message that says, "Can't create a new volume in this unallocated space because the disk already contains the maximum number of partitions." This is because the hard drive already has 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition. You can resolve this issue by converting one of the primary partitions into a logical partition.

Error message

Over here, we recommend you use a Windows partition manager called AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. This tool makes it easy to convert partitions and maximize your hard drive space. With AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can move the System Reserved Partition to another drive, partition new hard drives on your computer, and resize partitions on your Windows 10 PC, among other things.

Alright, you can now download the software and follow the guide below to see how to convert a primary partition to logical, or vice versa.

Step 1: Download and run Partition Master, and then get into the Partition Manager.

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

1. 1. Primary to Logic
2. 2. Logic to Primary

Step 3: Click the "Run 1 Task" button, and then choose "Apply" to start the conversion.

0:00 - 0:30 Translating the main into logic; 0:31 - 0:50 translating logic back into the main.

Additional tip: MBR and GPT

For those who are not clear about what MBR is, we will briefly introduce the definitions of MBR and GPT here. You can continue reading if you are interested in learning more related information.

MBR: Master Boot Record

MBR and GPT are two types of partition styles used on Windows computers. MBR stands for Master Boot Record, an older disk type that was first introduced with IBM PC DOS 2.0 in 1983. It gets its name from the boot sector called the MBR, which is located at the beginning of the drive (the first sector).

GPT stands for "Generative Pre-trained Transformer," which is a large language model developed by OpenAI.

GPT stands for GUID Partition Table. It's a newer standard compared to MBR, initially introduced as part of the UEFI initiative. It's more flexible than MBR and has better compatibility with modern hardware.

For more information about MBR and GPT, check out the article MBR vs GPT.

Bottom line

By now, you should have a comprehensive understanding of both logical partitions and primary partitions. With the information provided above, you'll be able to make informed decisions when partitioning a new disk.