Most of you are likely aware that Windows’ built-in Disk Management capabilities are very limited, hence the need for more advanced partition manager software. All of the free software listed here includes all the options you’d expect for managing partitions, so I’m going to concentrate more on features that aren’t available in the free versions.
Partition Manager’s Features Explained
- MBR to GPT Conversion: MBR disks are generally used in a legacy BIOS system, whereas GPT disks are a must for EFI systems. Windows 11 can only be safely installed on a GPT disk, so if you are looking to install Windows 11 on an older PC where the main (system) disk is MBR in a system that supports EFI, you’ll need to convert the disk to GPT beforehand. If, however, your main (system) disk is already GPT, this is not a consideration
- NOTE: Most free partition managers include a feature to convert data drives from MBR to GPT, but very few include a feature to convert the system drive
How To Check If Your Disk Is MBR Or GPT
- Open an elevated PowerShell (run as admin)
- Type in Get-Disk and hit Enter
- Each disk’s partition style (MBR or GPT) will be displayed at the far right
(click images to enlarge)
- Create WinPE Bootable Disk: This is an important consideration because some partition management features cannot be completed from within Windows, including partition recovery. In these cases, you’ll need to boot from the WinPE bootable drive to complete your task(s)
- Clone System Drive/Migrate OS: This feature is not included in any of the free partition managers. Most include a feature to clone non-system partitions/disks, but to the best of my knowledge, features to clone the system drive and migrate the OS are available only in the Pro editions
- Dynamic Disk Management/Conversion: This feature is not generally supported in the free partition managers. However, this is not an important consideration except for the most advanced users. The majority of users will not need this feature
Paragon Partition Manager
I’m placing Paragon Partition Manager Community Edition at number one because it goes above and beyond all the usual features – also supporting creating a bootable WinPE drive (and, by association, partition recovery), converting MBR disk to GPT, and even managing dynamic disks. All of which is a rarity.
EaseUS Partition Master Free & MiniTool Partition Wizard Free
Both of these free partition managers offer a comprehensive set of features, certainly way beyond what Windows Disk Management provides. However, neither supports converting the system drive between MBR and GPT nor creating bootable WinPE media.
EaseUS Partition Master Free is particularly worrying with its contradictory descriptions. In its opening description for the free version, it claims to support converting MBR to GPT and copying the OS to another disk:
Yet, its own feature comparison chart clearly indicates that neither of those features is supported in the free version. I reached out to EaseUS for clarification and received the following response:
“You’ve pointed out an important ambiguity – thank you. Just to be perfectly clear: This tool can convert data disks between MBR and GPT. It cannot convert system disks.
We’ve already updated the product page based on your suggestion to avoid future confusion. The new text is now: MBR and GPT disk conversion (support data disks)“
There was no mention of the “Copy OS to another HDD/SSD” contradiction in EaseUS’s reply, but I’m certain the software does not support cloning or migrating the system.
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