How to Check the Partition Style of a Disk on Windows 10

To check the partition style of a disk on Windows 10, use Disk Management and open the disk's Properties > Volumes tab. The Partition style field will say either GUID Partition Table (GPT) or Master Boot Record (MBR). You can also check the same information with DiskPart or PowerShell without installing any third-party software.

GPT and MBR are disk partitioning schemes, not file systems such as NTFS or exFAT. Microsoft describes MBR as the older BIOS-oriented scheme and GPT as the modern UEFI-oriented scheme. GPT also supports disks larger than 2 TB and more than four partitions. See Microsoft's GPT and MBR partition scheme documentation.

Method 1: Check the partition style in Disk Management

This is the easiest graphical method if you only need to inspect one disk.

1. Press Windows + R.
2. Type diskmgmt.msc and press Enter.
3. In the lower pane, find the physical disk you want to inspect. Look for the label on the left, such as Disk 0 or Disk 1. Do not right-click only the C: or D: volume.
4. Right-click the disk label and select Properties.
5. Open the Volumes tab and read the value next to Partition style.

The Disk Management window identifies each physical disk separately from its volumes, which helps you avoid checking the wrong drive.

If the value says GUID Partition Table (GPT), the disk uses GPT. If it says Master Boot Record (MBR), it uses MBR. Microsoft documents this same Properties and Volumes workflow when verifying a disk's partition scheme.

Method 2: Check GPT or MBR with DiskPart

DiskPart is useful when you are already working in Command Prompt or need to check several disks at once.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run diskpart.
3. At the DISKPART> prompt, run list disk.

diskpart
list disk

Look at the Gpt column. An asterisk (*) in that column indicates a GPT disk. If the GPT column is blank for a disk, it is using MBR. Microsoft states that list disk displays whether disks use the MBR or GPT partition style in the DiskPart list command reference.

When you finish, type exit to leave DiskPart.

Method 3: Check the partition style with PowerShell

PowerShell provides the clearest one-command view because the output includes a Partition Style column.

Get-Disk

Match the disk number or friendly name to the disk you want to inspect, then read Partition Style. For a more compact output, you can run:

Get-Disk | Select-Object Number, FriendlyName, PartitionStyle

The Microsoft Get-Disk documentation confirms that the cmdlet returns disks visible to Windows. One limitation is that Get-Disk does not return dynamic disks in the same way as ordinary basic physical disks.

GPT or MBR: which result should you expect?

Checking the partition style is read-only; the methods above do not erase or reformat the disk. Do not confuse checking a disk with converting it.

Can you change a disk from MBR to GPT?

Yes, but the conversion method matters. Microsoft's standard Disk Management and DiskPart conversion procedures require you to back up the disk and remove existing partitions or volumes before changing its partition scheme. That is very different from simply checking the current style.

For eligible Windows system disks, Microsoft also provides MBR2GPT.exe, which can convert an MBR system disk to GPT without deleting the data when the disk meets the tool's requirements. Read the official MBR2GPT documentation before attempting a conversion.

A note about Windows 10 support

Windows 10 reached the end of general Microsoft support on October 14, 2025. PCs can still run Windows 10, and the built-in disk tools described above remain useful, but Microsoft recommends moving to a supported Windows release or using an applicable Extended Security Updates option. See Microsoft's Windows 10 end-of-support guidance.