How to create more than 4 partitions

by Jane / Thu Feb 01 2018 / UPDATED in Partition Magic Server

I’m using an MBR disk now, it’s a 2TB data disk, not the boot disk and it already has 4 partitions created, I want to create one more partition, but failed in Disk Management even after I shank the last partition for some unallocated space, how can I create the fifth partition?

In fact, MBR only allows 4 primary partitions at most, if you can’t create the fifth partition, all the partitions you’ve created must all be primary partitions, although it’s not likely for Disk Management to create the fourth partition as primary, it is possible if you ever used other partition managing software.

There’re many ways to create more than 4 partitions:

  1. Format one of the primary partitions and create two logical ones
  2. Delete one primary partition and create two logical partitions
  3. Convert one primary partition to logical without data loss
  4. Convert MBR disk to GPT disk without losing data

The first two methods are a little bit rude if you don’t want to backup data and waste time on formatting and deleting, then waste time again to restore data especially when the last two operations make things easier, faster and totally Free!

The last two operations are functions of third-party partition software, Partition Expert, is the tool that converts between primary partition and logical partition without data loss, besides, it also capable of converting MBR disk to GPT disk when the hard drive you’re using is beyond 2TB

DOWNLOAD PARTITION EXPERT

After downloading this program, you can either install it or just directly run it from the portable package, then click YES when you’re prompt with the UAC dialog. In the main interface, we can do the conversion

Right-click on the last primary partition, or any other primary partition, it doesn’t matter, but it’s the convention to perform the last one, then choose the option Convert to Logical, then confirm and Commit

Convert_to_logical

Another way of creating the fifth partition on a large disk is to break the 4-partition limitation of MBR disk, convert it without data loss, so in the main interface again, right-click on the MBR disk and choose the option Convert to GPT from the menu, confirm and Commit, then next time when you want to create another partition, you can just use the Resize/Move Volume to create some unallocated space and Create Volume on it.

Or you can just use Disk Management again to create New Simple Volume

Convert_to_GPT

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