If using MBR disk format, you might receive the message that the disk space beyond 2TB will be unusable. How to resolve this problem without data loss? Freeware AOMEI Partition Assistant can be of great help.
When you connect a disk larger than 2TB on your computer, the hard drive only shows 2TB in Disk Management and the option New Simple Volume is grayed out. While creating a new partition on a large disk with third party software, you may receive a message that the disk space beyond 2 TB will be unusable or something like that.
There are two different partition styles, one is MBR (Master Boot Record), and the other is GPT (GUID Partition Table). While you initialize a hard drive, Windows will ask you to choose the partition style. An MBR maximum disk size is 2 TB(Terabytes) and holds at most 4 primary partitions. Therefore, you can't create a new volume on unallocated space beyond 2 TB on an MBR disk.
However, GPT disk partition style supports maximum volume for 18 EB (Exabytes) and the limitation for partition size depends on your operating system (Windows allows up to 128 partitions on a GPT disk. Since the problem is caused by the limitations of the partition style, you can convert MBR disk to GPT disk to solve it.
Windows has its built-in partition tool Disk Management that can convert a blank MBR disk (shown as unallocated space) to GPT disk. To do this, you have to delete all the volumes. It is recommended to backup disk before the conversion.
1. Open Disk Management. Then right-click the partition on the disk you want to covert and select Delete Volume.
2. You can see the whole disk shown as two separate unallocated spaces. Right-click the disk and select Convert to GPT disk.
3. After the conversion, you will be able to use the whole disk.
If you want to convert to GPT disk without deleting volume, you can use third-party software AOMEI Partition Assistant, which is compatible with Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7. If you want to convert the non-system disk, you can free download this tool to see how it works.
Tips: ✍ If you want to convert the system disk to GPT, you need to upgrade to the Professional Version. ✍ For Windows Server users, please turn to AOMEI Partition Assistant Server, which is designed for Windows Server 2025/2022/2019/2016/2012, 2003.
1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant.
2. Right-click the disk and select Convert to GPT and click OK.
3. Click Apply to run the operation. Then you are able to create a new partition with the unallocated space.
Warning: If you want to convert system disk to GPT disk, make sure your motherboard support UEFI Boot Mode, and enable UEFI boot mode after the conversion.
Having solved the problem that the disk space beyond 2tb will be unusable, AOMEI Partition Assistant can also be useful to many other matters as it provides multiple features, such as Migrate OS to SSD, Disk Copy, NTFS to FAT32 Converter, Windows to Go Creator, and more. In addition, there are some frequently asked questions about disk space beyond 2TB will be unusable that you can refer:
Q: Can my computer or device support disk space beyond 2TB?
A: Whether your computer or device can support disk space beyond 2TB depends on its hardware and the operating system it uses. Older systems may have limitations in recognizing or utilizing capacities beyond 2TB.
Q: What happens if I try to use a drive with more than 2TB on a system that doesn't support it?
A: If you attempt to use a drive with more than 2TB on a system that doesn't support it, the excess space beyond 2TB may not be recognized or utilized. This means that you won't be able to access or store data on the unallocated portion.
Q: Can I upgrade my system to support disk space beyond 2TB?
A: In some cases, you may be able to upgrade your system to support disk space beyond 2TB. This may involve updating the BIOS or UEFI firmware, as well as ensuring that your operating system and file system are compatible with large capacities.
Q: Are there any special considerations for using disk space beyond 2TB in a network or server environment?
A: Yes, in network or server environments, it's important to ensure that all hardware, including motherboards, RAID controllers, and network interfaces, supports capacities beyond 2TB. Additionally, compatible software and drivers may be required for seamless operation.