MBR Vs GPT: What Are Master Boot Record &

GUID Partition Table

Last Updated:March 3, 2022
Complete guide to two types of disk partitioning Master Boot Record & GUID
Partition Table. Also learn the key difference between MBR vs GPT:
If you have recently bought a new PC or installed a new operating system, you must have
gone through the process of partitioning the storage drive of your computer. The storage
drive isn’t capable of storing data until partitions are created and formatted to either an
NTFS or FAT file system.

At this stage, most of us face the dilemma of choosing one or the other partition styles. In
this article, we will talk about two styles of disk partitioning- MBR and GPT. Further, we will
also discuss the difference between MBR and GPT.
 What You Will Learn: [hide]
 Understanding MBR And GPT
o What Is MBR
 Features Of MBR
 Structure Of MBR
 Limitations Of MBR
o What Is GPT
 GPT Disk Layout
 Features Of GPT
 Limitations Of GPT
 MBR Vs GPT
 MBR vs GPT SSD
o How To Find If Your Computer Has MBR or GPT
o Frequently Asked Questions
 Conclusion
o Recommended Reading

Understanding MBR And GPT

Let’s get started by gaining a basic understanding of MBR and GPT. Let’s begin with MBR.

What Is MBR
MBR stands for Master Boot Record. To explain it more, it is simply a part of a hard disk
where all the information about the disk can be found. We can find it in the boot sector and
it contains details of types of partitions and also the code which is required at the time
booting the operating system of the computer.
MBR can have a lot of different forms, but what is common for all these forms is that they all
have a size of 512 bytes, a partition table, and bootstrap code.

Let us look at some features of MBR.

Features Of MBR
These are as follows:
1. The maximum number of primary partitions possible on an MBR disk is 4, where
each partition requires 16 bytes space, which makes it a total of 64 bytes space for
all the partitions.
2. MBR partitions can be of three types- Primary partitions, Extended partitions, and
Logical partitions. As mentioned above, it can have only 4 primary partitions. This
limitation is overcome by extended and logical partitions.
3. The partition table in MBR contains details regarding only the primary and extended
partition. Also, it is important to understand that data cannot be saved directly on the
extended partition and therefore there is a need to create logical partitions.
4. Some of the latest types of Master Boot Record may also have additions like disk
signatures, timestamp, and details regarding disk formatting.
5. Unlike the older versions of MBR which could support four partitions, the latest
versions are capable of supporting up to sixteen partitions. As the size of all MBR is
not more than 512 bytes, disks that are formatted with MBR have a cap of 2TB disk
space which is available for use. (Some hard disks are also available with 1024
 bytes or 2048 bytes sector, but this can create issues with the speed of the disk and
therefore is not a wise choice)
6. It is compatible with all the versions of Windows (32 bit and 64 bit) and the latest
version of Windows 10 as well.
Structure Of MBR
Let us look at how a simple structure of MBR looks like. This is explained in the
picture below:

Limitations Of MBR
It also has some shortcomings. These are mentioned below:
1. MBR style of partition can only work with disk space not more than 2TB.
2. It can have only up to 4 primary partitions. In case there is unallocated space after
creating primary partitions, we can make it usable by creating extended partitions
where various logical partitions can be created.
With these limitations of MBR, users often opt for different styles for partitioning. One of the
most common styles of partitioning other than MBR is GPT.

Let us first understand what GPT is before we compare it with MBR.

What Is GPT
GPT stands for GUID Partition Table. It is the latest style of disk partitioning and is known
to be a quick successor of MBR. GPT maintains the data regarding the organization of
partitions and the boot code of the operating system all across the drive.
This ensures that in the event of anyone partition getting corrupted or deleted, data can still
be retrieved and there will be no issues with the process of booting. This is one reason why
GPT has an edge over MBR.

GPT Disk Layout

The below image shows a simple GPT image layout.
In the above image, we can see that the GPT disk is divided into three parts:
 Primary Partition Table: This is where the protective MBR, GPT header partition,
and partition table are located.
 Normal Data Partition: This is the location used for storing personal data.
 Back up Partition Table: This location is utilized to store the backup data for the
GPT header and partition table. This is useful in the event of any damage to the
Primary partition table.
Features Of GPT
These are as follows:
1. GPT disk provides much more storage space as compared to MBR. Users can
create multiple partitions. GPT disk system can create as many as 128 partitions.
2. GPT disk system is a breakthrough when we talk about the limitation of MBR where
only 4 primary partitions can be created.
3. GPT disk style makes recovery of data an effortless task.
 4. GPT can run checks to ensure the data is secured. It uses CRC values to check the
security of data. In case the data is damaged, it can detect the damage and also try
to retrieve the damaged data from other locations on the disk. This makes GPT a
more reliable choice compared to MBR.
5. The usage of GPT is not limited to just Windows OS but is also widely used by other
OS like Mac from Apple.
6. One very interesting feature included in GPT is called “Protective MBR”. This MBR
considers only one partition on the entire drive. In such cases, when users try to
manage GPT with the help of an old tool, this tool will read one partition spread
across the drive. Here is when Protective MBR makes sure that the old tools do not
consider the GPT drive to be not partitioned and prevents any damage to GPT data
with the new MBR. Protective MBR safeguards the GPT data so it is not deleted.
Limitations Of GPT
While GPT is compatible with almost all the 64-bit versions of Windows like Vista,
Windows 8, and Windows 10, but in case GPT has to be used as a boot drive, the
system needs to be based on UEFI. GPT drive cannot work as the primary drive in
the case of a system that is BIOS-based.
When is MBR the right choice to make?
The only reason any user will choose MBR over GPT is when Windows is installed on a
BIOS-based system and the drive is to be used as a boot drive. MBR formatting will also be
a sane choice to make for users who work on drives less than 2 TB or any previous
versions of Windows, as it will maintain compatibility with the system.

With the advantages and disadvantages of the two most popular styles for disk partitioning,
the advantages and limitations mentioned above will certainly help make a suitable choice.

MBR Vs GPT
To make things easier for our readers below is a comprehensive comparison table between
MBR and GPT. The table highlights the major difference between MBR and GPT.

Point of Comparison MBR- Master Boot Record GPT- GUID Partition Table

Number of Primary 4 Up to 128 for Windows OS.

Partitions

Maximum Partition 2 TB 18 exabytes (18 billion gigabytes)

size

Maximum hard drive 2 TB 18 exabytes (18 billion gigabytes)

size

Security No check sum on data sector CRC values are used to ensure data
security. Back up GUID partition table.

Specifications BIOS UEFI

Point of Comparison MBR- Master Boot Record GPT- GUID Partition Table

Partition Name Is stored in the partition Has a unique GUID and a 36 character
name

Multiple boot Poor support Boot loader entries are in different

supported partitions

Operating System Windows 7 and other older versions like All major OS like MAC and latest
Support Windows 95/98, Windows XP etc. versions of Windows like Windows 10.

Data recovery Data cannot be recovered easily. Data can be easily recovered.

Data Corruption No way to detect corruption of data. Easy to detect

Method of Partition CHS (Cylinder Head Cycle) or LBS (Logical LBA is the only method of addressing
Addressing Block Addressing) partitions.

Size 512 bytes 512 bytes per LBA. Each partition entry is
128 bytes.

Partition type code 1 byte code 16 byte GUID is used.

Stability Less stable as compared to GPT Offers more security.

Bootable Version of Boots 32 bit operating system Boots 64 bit operating system
OS

Storage Only upto 2TB capacity. Disk size >2TB is Disk capacity of 9.44 million TB
marked as unallocated and cannot be used.

Performance Lower in performance compared to GPT. Offers superior performance if UEFI boot
is supported.
The above table lays down MBR vs GPT performance. Based on the points mentioned
above, GPT is far more superior in terms of performance if UEFI boots are supported. It
also provides advantages of stability and speed and enhances the performance of the
hardware which is largely due to the structure of UEFI.

Let us also look at some other details about MBR and GPT.

The next section of this article talks about finding the most suitable between MBR and GPT
for SSD.

MBR Vs GPT SSD

Users have to make a choice between MBR and GPT styles of partitioning when a drive is
plugged into Windows.
  SSD or Solid-State Drive has a higher price factor attached as compared to Hard
Disk Drives. SSD’s have become increasingly popular for data storage. The choice
of MBR or GPT partition style largely depends on the capacity of SSD.
 MBR has serious limitations in terms of several sectors and capacity. Logical sectors
represent only 32 bits and storage space that can be used for MBR is only up to 2
TB. If space is more than 2 TB, it is labeled as unallocated space and it cannot be
used.
 GPT on the other hand allows 64 bits and storage space is 9.4ZB. This also equates
to the fact that GPT can use up all the space up to any capacity.
 One more factor that is important to consider is that there is a lot of difference in the
working of SSD and HDD. SSD is able to boot Windows far more quickly as
compared to HDD. In order to maximize this benefit of speed, UEFI based systems
are needed, which makes GPT a better choice.
A choice between GPT vs MBR also largely depends on the Operating System. SSDs are
more compatible with the latest versions of Windows- Windows 10. If SSDs are used on
Windows XP, it can bring down the lifespan and performance of the drive. This happens
because the TRIM feature is not available.

So, in order to make a choice between GPT vs MBR for SSD, the above-mentioned factors
have to be considered promptly. GPT clearly makes a more sensible choice for SSDs.

How To Find If Your Computer Has MBR or GPT

Follow the steps mentioned below:
Step 1: Type Disk Management to open the Disk Management tool.
Step 2: Right-click on the disk number.
Step 3: Select “Properties”.

Step 4: Select the “Volumes” tab as shown in the below screenshot.

Frequently Asked Questions