How to Delete an MBR Partition in Windows 7/8/10/11

Updated by

Tracy King 

Written by

Cici 

Last updated on April 22, 2024

An MBR partition refers to a Master Boot Record partition, typically located at the beginning of a computer hard drive or a removable drive. MBR partitions support a maximum space of 2 TB and allow the creation of four primary partitions. It contains boot instructions for other partitions.

MBR partitions are significant. Can I delete MBR partition? Of course, you can. This article will guide you through the detailed steps to delete an MBR partition.

Why do I need to delete the MBR partition?

We already know that MBR can only support up to 2 TB disk partitions. Due to its limitations, you may want to delete it and convert it to GPT to create more partitions. The following reasons may also lead you to delete or remove the MBR partition:

• Delete MBR partitions for re-installing a new OS, like Linux
• Delete a single MBR partition to fix low disk space issue
• Get a new partition when MBR partitions are messed up, lost or corrupted

If the MBR is infected with a virus, it may be necessary to delete or remove it. However, once the MBR is deleted, the entire hard drive becomes inaccessible. Therefore, remember to back up all important data before deleting the MBR.

How to Delete an MBR Partition - 3 Ways

There are three ways to delete an MBR partition. You can use any of these three methods to remove either a single or all MBR partitions:

Reliable third-party software: AOMEI Partition Assistant

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is a professional partition manager with user-friendly interface for all levels of users.

2. Use a built-in Windows tool: Disk Management

Disk Management allows users to easily delete MBR partitions. However, you can only delete one partition at a time with Disk Management.

3. Use a built-in Windows tool: Diskpart

This is a command-line tool that comes with Windows. Using commands to delete an MBR partition is easier, but it's better suited for advanced users who are comfortable with computer operations.

Having chosen the method, let's look at the exact steps to delete an MBR partition.

Method 1: Delete MBR Partition via Partition Master

AOMEI Partition Assistant is an excellent disk partition utility. It supports easily deleting or removing one or multiple MBR partitions on Windows 7/8/10/11. Here are the detailed steps:

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant and then click "Manage Partition".

Before deleting any partition on the disk, make sure you have backed up important data.

Step 2: Choose to delete either a single partition on the hard drive or all partitions.

• Delete a Partition: Right-click the partition you want to delete and select "Delete."
• Delete All Partitions: Right-click the hard disk where you want to delete all partitions, and select "Delete All."

Step 3: Click "OK" to confirm the removal.

Step 4: Click Run xx Task, and then click Apply to save the changes.

0:00 - 0:26 Remove a single volume; 0:27 - 0:53 Remove all partitions.

AOMEI Partition Assistant is a feature-packed partition software. It can also successfully clone an MBR disk to a GPT SSD and effortlessly rebuild the MBR, repairing damaged MBR partitions.

Method 2: Delete an MBR Partition using Disk Management

What is Disk Management? It allows users to easily perform operations on MBR partitions, such as changing the type, resizing, or deleting an existing disk partition. It can only delete one partition at a time. If you want to delete the entire MBR partition, you will need to do this multiple times.

Step 1: Open Disk Management by right-clicking the Windows icon.

Step 2: Select the MBR partition you want to remove.

Step 3: Right-click on the MBR partition and select "Delete Volume."

Step 4: Click “Yes” to delete the MBR partition.

Method 3: Delete the MBR Partition via CMD

Compared to disk management, the Diskpart command is more powerful. It supports deleting all MBR partitions at once. If you want to use Diskpart to delete MBR partitions, be cautious when typing commands to avoid data loss.

Please follow these steps to delete all MBR partitions and convert it to GPT.

Step 1. Click the Windows logo, then select “Run.”

Step 2: Type "diskpart", and press "Enter".

Step 3: Enter the following commands in order, pressing the "Enter" key after each one.

4. Type exit to finish removing the MBR partition.

Frequently Asked Questions on How to Delete MBR Partition

This article will provide answers to three common questions about MBR partitions. Read on if you're interested.

< strong > 1. Can I delete an MBR partition?

Yes, you can delete an MBR partition. You can delete one or more MBR partitions at once in Windows using the “Delete Volume” feature from “Disk Management,” or the “clean” command from “Diskpart.” Alternatively, you can use a reliable third-party tool: Partition Master.

2. How to Convert MBR to GPT in Windows 10?

You can easily convert MBR to GPT without losing data in Windows 10 using a partition master tool. Alternatively, you can use Disk Management:

Step 1: Open Disk Management and select MBR partition style.

Step 2: Right-click on the MBR partition and select "Delete Volume".

Step 3. Right-click on the MBR partition and select "Convert to GPT."

3. What happens if you delete the MBR partition?

If you delete the MBR partition, the computer will not be able to access the hard drive and therefore will not be able to boot Windows. You can create a bootable disk with tools like Partition Master to access your unbootable OS.