How to Fix Unrecognized (GPT) Hard Disk Partition in Windows 11/10

Updated by

Linda 

Written by

Linda 

Last updated on April 22, 2024

If your hard drive partition is not recognized or showing up in Windows 11/10, don't worry. On this page, we summarize three common issues of an unrecognized or invisible hard drive partition in Windows and list the reasons behind them, along with corresponding solutions to help you get your hard drive partition visible and working properly again.

Please inspect the issues occurring on your computer and proceed with the corresponding solutions to restore normal functioning.

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Error: Disk Partition Not Showing in Windows 11/10

“I have a 3TB hard disk, divided into two partitions, E: and F: drives on a Windows 7 computer. These two partitions are used to store personal data, files, and some entertainment programs.”

After upgrading from Windows 7 to Windows 10, Partition F disappears and shows as “Unallocated” in Disk Management. How does this problem occur? Is there any solution to fix the issue that Windows 10 fails to recognize the hard drive partition?”

“Windows 10 not recognizing hard drive partitions” is a tricky issue that requires further investigation. For an average user, without the help of professional tools, it seems impossible to recover lost partitions.

If your computer has been acting similarly, don't worry: identify the specific problem, learn what causes it, and start learning how to fix it.

Part 1: Fix "The selected partition is not created by Windows and may contain data" Error

According to some users, it seems that Windows sometimes fails to recognize the partitions they create after a restart. When dealing with the unrecognized partition in Disk Management, they only see the "Delete Volume" option, and receive the following message: "The selected partition was not created by Windows and might contain data that other operating systems can recognize. Do you want to delete this partition?"

To address the error "The selected partition was not created by Windows and may contain data recognized by other operating systems," we will first explain the cause and then provide you with reliable solutions.

Possible causes for this error include:

• The current disk is a GPT disk with a capacity over 2 TB.
• The disk has been converted to MBR and runs as an MBR disk on a Windows PC.
• The MBR disk has reached its capacity limit.
• Therefore, any partition over 2 TB on the MBR disk can't be recognized by Windows 10. Usually, it shows up as unallocated space in Disk Management.

Solution: Convert MBR to GPT

So, how to fix the “The selected partition is not created by Windows” error? The answer is to convert MBR disk to GPT. By doing so, the partition will show up and the saved data can be recognized and accessed on a Windows computer.

Since disk management requires deleting partitions to convert the disk, we recommend that you try a professional partition manager software - tools Partition Master to help.

Step 1: Download and run tools Partition Master.

Step 2: Enter the Disk Converter and select "Convert MBR to GPT," then click "Next" to proceed.

Step 3. Select the MBR disk that you want to convert to GPT, and click "Convert" to start the conversion.

Part 2: Fixing Windows 11/10 Not Recognizing GPT Partition Issue

通常，“GPT 分区未被识别”问题主要发生在使用 GPT 分区方案的系统磁盘上。这通常在重启电脑时发生，此时计算机无法识别并从该磁盘启动。

Thus, when you replace the system disk, the computer fails to recognize the GPT boot drive, let alone boot from it. Why does this happen and how can we fix this issue? Let's find out.

Reasons for GPT Disk Partition Not Being Recognized

• You might have failed to set the GPT disk as the boot drive, so Windows can't detect it as a bootable disk in BIOS, preventing it from booting from it.
• You might not have enabled the UEFI boot mode in BIOS.
• Your computer or PC's motherboard might not support UEFI boot mode and only supports Legacy booting.

How do you fix this? Restart your computer and enter the BIOS to check why your PC isn't recognizing the GPT partition. Then, use the appropriate method below to resolve the issue immediately.

Method 1: Set GPT as the Boot Drive in BIOS

Step 1: Restart your computer and press F2/F8/Del to enter BIOS.

Step 2: Enter the boot menu and find the Boot Priority section.

Step 3. Change the boot order to set the GPT disk as the first boot drive.

Step 4. Save the changes, exit the BIOS, and restart your computer.

Your computer should now boot from the GPT disk. Your GPT partitions should show up on your computer. Many users have reported being unable to boot due to incorrect boot order. Share this article to let them know how to change it!

Method 2: Enable UEFI Boot Mode on Your Computer

The other reason is if your computer supports both UEFI and legacy boot modes, and it's currently in legacy mode. In this case, your computer won't recognize the GPT system partition.

The best solution to this problem is to change the boot mode from Legacy to UEFI in the BIOS. Here are the steps you need to follow:

Step 1: Restart your computer and press F2/F8/Del to enter BIOS.

Step 2: Enter the boot menu and locate the UEFI/BIOS boot mode.

Step 3: If Legacy is currently selected, use the down arrow to choose UEFI.

Step 4: Save your changes and exit the BIOS.

Now, you can restart your computer and use GPT partitions on Windows 10/8/7.

Method 3: Convert GPT to MBR

Sometimes, because of hardware limitations, your computer might support only legacy boot mode, and so it won't be able to detect and boot from a GPT disk.

The best solution is to convert the GPT disk to MBR and set it as the boot drive. To avoid losing files on the drive, we also recommend using a Partition Master tool with disk conversion capabilities to assist you.

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Convert GPT Disk to MBR Disk Without Formatting

Can you convert a GPT disk to MBR without formatting the hard drive? Partition Master can help you achieve this goal with simple clicks. Learn More >>

Part 3: Fix Disk Partition Not Showing or Invisible in Windows 11/10

The issue of a hard drive partition not showing, being invisible, or not recognized is a common one for many Windows users. Due to the various reasons behind this problem, the solutions to fix this error can differ.

Get to know the exact reasons behind the missing disk partition error and resolve the issue right away with the methods provided here. If you can't figure out the reason, don't worry. Just follow the solutions one by one in the order of simplicity to complexity, and you'll be able to make your hard drive partition reappear and work normally.

What causes hard drive partitions not to show in Windows 10:

• Partition is lost or deleted. • Partition is hidden on the computer. • Partition contains an unsupported file system, such as Linux EXT2/3/4. • Partition has an invalid or corrupted file system, like RAW.

Follow the guidelines below to learn how to fix an unrecognized disk partition in Windows 10 and recover lost partitions.

Method 1: Recover Lost Partition with Partition Master

If you accidentally delete a partition, it will stop showing up in File Explorer. When you check in Disk Management, it will be labeled as “Unallocated.”

You can rely on dependable partition recovery software to help retrieve lost partitions and the data stored in them. For convenience, you can directly utilize tools like Partition Master.

Its Partition Recovery feature scans the unallocated space on your hard drive directly to find all your lost partitions and data. Let's get started.

Step 1: Launch MiniTool Partition Wizard, and click “Partition Recovery”. Select the target hard disk which contains lost partition and then click “New Scan”.

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Step 2: Be patient and let the software run its "Quick Scan" and "Deep Scan". It will mark the deleted partition as "Lost", and the status bar should display "Lost". Select the lost partition and then click "Recover".

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You can also double-click on the partition to preview its content, and then click “OK” to confirm.

Step 3: Wait patiently until the partition recovery is completed and then click “Finish”.

Method 2: Show Hidden Partitions

If you set it to be hidden manually, it won't show up in the Windows File Explorer. However, if you check in Disk Management, you'll find a volume without a drive letter assigned to it.

So how do you make a hidden partition visible? Simply assign it a new drive letter in Disk Management. Here's how:

Step 1: Right-click the Windows icon and select “Disk Management” to open the tool.

Step 2: Look for the volume that is labeled New Volume (*) and does not have a drive letter assigned.

Step 3: Right click on the target volume and select "Change Drive Letter and Paths..." and then click the "Add" button.

Step 4: Assign a drive letter to the hidden partition, such as F, and click OK.

Your hidden partition will then appear on your computer as a regular partition, once again saving data.

Method 3: Format the Partition to Make it Recognizable Again

If your partition contains an unsupported Windows file system, or the file system becomes RAW due to corruption, you need to format it to use it again.

A versatile partition manager – such as Partition Assistant – has a “Format” function that can do this effectively, and with just a few clicks your Windows will be able to recognize the partition again.

Step 1: Run Partition Master, right click the hard drive partition you want to format and choose "Format".

Step 2. In the new window, set the "Volume label," "File system" (NTFS/FAT32/EXT2/EXT3/EXT4/exFAT), and "Cluster size" for the partition to be formatted, then click "OK."

Step 3: You'll see a warning; click “Yes” to continue.

Click the “Execute 1 Task” button to review the changes, and then click “Apply” to begin formatting the hard drive partition.

After this, your partition should be able to save files again.

Method 4: Manual Partition Recovery Service

Note that if none of the above solutions work for your partition on Windows 10, don't panic. You can try the last method – seek help from a manual partition recovery service.

Solve the Error of Hard Drive Partition Not Showing in Windows 11/10/8/7

After solving the issue of unrecognizable or undisplayed hard drive partitions, we've also compiled some tips to help you prevent such problems from recurring:

• Format the partition to a file system that Windows supports (NTFS).
• Don't hide the partition.
• Be cautious when using Disk Management.
• If your system disk is GPT, enable UEFI boot mode.
• If your computer doesn't support UEFI boot, convert GPT to MBR and change it to Legacy boot mode.
• If your computer supports UEFI boot and you want to make a partition larger than 2TB visible, convert MBR to GPT.
• Run antivirus software regularly.
• Backup partition data regularly.

In short

On this page, we list three major symptoms that Windows 11/10/8/7 users may encounter when the computer fails to recognize the hard drive partition.

If Windows Disk Management warns you that Windows was unable to create the selected partition, try converting the disk to GPT so that Windows can detect it. Partition management software can help with this.

If a GPT system partition isn't recognized in Windows 10, set it as the boot drive in your BIOS or enable UEFI mode in your BIOS. However, if your computer doesn't support UEFI booting, you'll need to convert the GPT to MBR so that the partition can be detected.

If normal partitions are not displayed, you can easily perform partition recovery, unhide partitions and format the partition to NTFS using reliable tools like Partition Master.