{"id":34175,"date":"2021-05-03T19:17:19","date_gmt":"2021-05-03T19:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/?p=34175"},"modified":"2022-01-24T10:45:02","modified_gmt":"2022-01-24T10:45:02","slug":"recover-a-gpt-partition-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cleverfiles.com\/howto\/gpt-partition-recovery.html","title":{"rendered":"How to Recover a GPT Partition"},"content":{"rendered":"

You sit down, log into your computer, and after booting up, you find that one of your GPT partitions is missing. Oh no. All of those important photos, videos, and documents have disappeared without a trace.<\/p>\r\n

\"How<\/p>\r\n

Before going into full-blown panic mode, you search Google for some suggestions on what to do next. And, you\u2019ve landed yourself here. Luckily, this is the perfect place to be. Today, we\u2019re going to take a look at what GPT partitions are and how to recover them.<\/p>\r\n

⚠️ Note: <\/b>In the interest of making sure your data is still recoverable, stop using the disk with the missing GPT partition<\/b> until you\u2019ve finished reading this article. Continued use could result in the data being overwritten with new data.<\/div>\r\n

<\/span>What Is a GPT Partition?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

Before you can use a disk drive to store data, you first need to partition it. GUID Partition Table (GPT) is a partition style that was developed by Intel in the late 1990s. It stores and structures information pertaining to partitions, like where they begin and end. This allows your operating system to locate and access the data stored on your drive.<\/p>\r\n

<\/span>What Is the Difference Between GPT and MBR Partitions?<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

Master Boot Record (MBR) is another type of partition style that was introduced with DOS 2.0 in 1983. While for a long time it was sufficient in satisfying the needs of both end-users and enthusiasts alike, with the rapid rate at which technology is developing, MBR is quickly becoming legacy in comparison to GPT.<\/p>\r\n

\"Difference<\/p>\r\n

MBR<\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n

MBR only works with disk drives up to 2TB in size, and can only support four primary partitions. In order to add more partitions, you need to replace one of your primary partition slots with an extended partition, which you can then use to make extended partitions within it.<\/p>\r\n

GPT<\/b><\/span><\/p>\r\n

GPT supersedes MBR in almost every way. Size limits and the number of partitions you\u2019re allowed on a single drive are only limited by the operating system. It also replaces the old-school-looking BIOS with Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) for easier navigation of your computer\u2019s boot screen. And, probably the biggest advantage over MBR in terms of recovery, it stores multiple copies of the partitioning and boot data across the disk for redundancy.<\/p>\r\n

<\/span>Reasons Behind GPT Partition Loss<\/span><\/h2>\r\n

GPT partition loss can happen for a multitude of reasons. In most instances, it\u2019s unavoidable and is the result of something out of your control. In others, it could simply be the result of user error.<\/p>\r\n

Here are some common reasons why your GPT partition was lost:<\/p>\r\n