Fix Windows Cannot be Installed to This Disk MBR on Windows 11

When you are about to install Windows 11 on your computer, you see an error message saying that Windows cannot be installed to this disk, the selected disk has an MBR partition table. What does this error message mean? How can I fix this problem? In this article, you will get all answers.

For Windows users who want to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11, there is one thing to remember, that is, Windows 11 requires the computer's boot mode to be UEFI. However, some users reported that they have changed the startup mode, but when installing Windows 11, they received an error message saying "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table."

The user sees this error message because UEFI mode only supports the GPT partition table, and the user's computer has an MBR partition table. If you have encountered the same problem, the solution is to convert the disk from MBR to GPT. In the next parts, we will tell you how to convert.

Method 1. Convert from MBR to GPT for Windows 11 without Data Loss

The first method is the easiest and the most convenient one. You need to apply the third-party software - EaseUS Partition Master. Compared with the Windows built-in disk format conversion tool, the advantage of Easeus Partition Master is that it will not cause any data loss. What's more, the operation is very easy, you can download this tool from the button below, and follow our guide to see how can you convert from MBR to GPT.

Step 1. Download and launch EaseUS Partition Master on your computer.

Step 2. Go to Disk Converter, select "MBR => GPT" and click "Next" to continue.

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

Method 2. Convert from MBR to GPT using Disk Management

On the Windows computer, users can also use built-in partition management tools to convert the disk from MBR to GPT. One of the built-in tools is Disk Management. But you should note that you need to delete the target disk first, which means you will lose all the data on it. Please make a full backup in advance.

Step 1. Right-click the Windows icon, choose Disk Management.

Step 2. In the Disk Management window, right-click the target disk, choose one volume and select "Delete Volume". Repeat this process until you have deleted all the volumes.

Step 3. Now right-click the MBR disk, choose "Convert to GPT Disk".

Step 4. When the converting process is finished, your MBR disk is converted to a GPT disk.

Method 3. Convert from MBR to GPT with Command Prompt

If you have a Windows installation USB, you can convert the disk from MBR to GPT during the Windows installation process. But this method would also cause data loss, be careful if you want to apply this method.

Step 1. Turn off the PC and put in the Windows installation USB.

Step 2. Boot the PC from the installation USB.

Step 3. In Windows Setup, press "Shift + F10" to start Command Prompt.

Step 4. Enter the following command in order to convert the MBR disk to GPT:

• diskpart
• list disk
• select disk 1 (choose the disk you want to install Windows on)
• clean
• convert gpt
• Exit

After entering the above command, close the Command Prompt and continue the Windows installation.

Windows 11 Minimum Requirements

Apart from the UEFI boot mode and GPT disk style, what else does the new Windows 11 require? Here, we list the minimum requirements of Windows 11. You can check the table below to see if your computer is capable of upgrading to Windows 11.

Component	Minimum Requirements
Processor	A compatible 64-bit processor (x86-64 or ARM64) with at least 1 GHz clock rate and at least 2 cores
Memory (RAM)	At least 4 GB
Storage Space	At least 64 GB
System Firmware	UEFI
Security	Secure Boot, enabled by default
	Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
Graphics Card	Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
Display	High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9” diagonally, 8 bits per color channel
Internet connection and Microsoft accounts	Internet connection and Microsoft account required to complete first-time setup on Windows 11 Home.

Now only users who have entered the Windows Insider program can download and upgrade to Windows 11. If you haven't registered as the Windows Insider, you can refer to this article to download and install Windows 11.

The Bottom Line

The reason why you see the "Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table" is your disk's partition style is not compatible with the boot mode. If your computer boots in UEFI, then the disk style should be GPT. If your computer boots in BIOS, then the disk style should be MBR.

The most convenient method for users is to convert the disk from MBR to GPT using EaseUS Partition Master. Why we recommend this tool as the first choice is because it's easy to use and has no influence on your disk data.