How to Convert Primary to Logical or Logical to Primary?
Need to convert primary to logical partition, so that you can create more partitions on MBR disk? You can turn to AOMEI Partition Assistant, which can help you achieve this goal without efforts.
Overview of primary and logical partition
Primary partition: A partition type that can be created on a basic disk. It is a part of a physical disk and works like a physically dependent disk. As for MBR (Main Boot Record) disk, 4 primary partitions or 3 primary partitions plus 1 extended partition which contains more than one logical partitions can be created. For GPT (Globally Unique Identifier Partition Table) disk, up to 128 primary partitions can be created.
How to convert between primary and logical partition
Before you do
- Download and install AOMEI Partition Assistant on a Windows computer.
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If there are other applications running on the partition which you are going to perform, AOMEI Partition Assistant will notice you to close those applications or to execute this operation in PreOS Mode.
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Though convert primary to logical won't influence your data on the disk, it would be advisable to make reliable backup for your valuable data to the external media such as networks, CD/DVD or external hard disk drive. The professional backup software – AOMEI Backupper may help you out. It is always better to be cautious than sorry.
This tool is very useful for you to convert a partition between primary and logical. If you would like to use this feature, please upgrade to a paid version of AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, Server, or above versions.
How to convert primary partition to logical with Partition Assistant
4. Wait for the operation to finish and then the primary partition will be converted to logical successfully.
How to convert logical partition to primary with Partition Assistant
1. Load Partition Assistant, right-click the logical partition you want to convert and then choose "Advanced" and "Convert to Primary Partition".
2. Click "OK" to confirm the operation in the following pop-up window.
3. You can preview the conversion operation by viewing the "Pending Operations". To commit the "Pending Operations", please click "Apply" and "Proceed".
4. Wait for the operation to finish and then the logical partition will be converted to primary successfully.
Conclusion
Following the above steps, you can use AOMEI Partition Assistant to easily and safely convert a primary partition to logical or from a logical partition to primary. After you convert the partition, you can create more partitions on the drive to make full use of the drive space.
The feature to convert between primary and logical partition is mainly used on a basic MBR disk, especially on a MBR disk already with 4 primary partitions. In this case, it is unable to create new partition on the drive. After you convert one primary partition to logical, you will be allowed to create more partitions on the drive. This feature is very useful to achieve your goals.
Notes:
- Convert primary to logical partition is mainly used on basic MBR disk.
- You’re not allowed to convert a boot partition to logical. Otherwise, your computer will likely to stop working.
- The location and the size of the primary partition will be slightly different after converting due to the fact that the logical partition is 63 sectors bigger than primary partition.
Q: I want to convert a partition from primary to logical, but the option is greyed out. Why and how could I solve it?
A: The partition cannot be converted to logical in some cases, please click here for more information.
Q: Will the operation cause data loss after a primary partition is converted to logical partition?
A: Normally, it will not cause data loss after conversion. However, for data security, it is still recommended to make a backup of important data in advance.