GPT Partition Recovery | How to Recover GPT Partition

Users may encounter various reasons for GPT partition loss. There is no doubt that partition loss can be very frustrating for users.

What is GPT partition?

GPT (GUID Partition Table) is a new hard disk partition format that supports a larger number of partitions and hard disk capacity than the traditional MBR partition format.

The GPT partition was created to address the limitations of the MBR partition format and to enable better management of hard disk space. The GPT partition format also provides better data integrity and fault tolerance through the GUID to identify the partition and use a backup mechanism to improve data security.

If your computer supports UEFI boot mode, a GPT partition will be a good choice. 

▶ What's the difference between MBR and GPT?

Although MBR can meet the needs of users for a long time, as hard drive capacity continues to expand, MBR is quickly becoming a legacy compared to GPT.

The main differences between GPT partition and MBR partition format are reflected in the following aspects:

✦ Hard disk capacity and number of partitions: GPT partition format supports a larger hard disk capacity, whose maximum capacity can reach 9.4ZB (1ZB=1024EB), far exceeding the upper limit of 2TB of MBR partition format. At the same time, GPT partition format supports more partitions, up to 128 partitions, while MBR partition format can only support up to 4 primary partitions, or 3 primary partitions and 1 extended partition.
✦ Data Security: The GPT partition format has better data security. It uses data redundancy checksum protection mechanism to automatically detect and correct data errors and also has better performance in partition table backup and recovery.GPT partition table stores backups at the end of the disk, which helps to protect data better in case of problems.
✦ System Boot Support: The GPT partition format is usually required to boot a pure UEFI system, while the MBR partition format can only boot a traditional BIOS system. UEFI provides a faster and safer system boot experience and supports more hardware features.
✦ Compatibility: Since GPT is a newer technology, not all computer hardware and operating systems support GPT, while MBR partition format is more widely supported.

Overall, the GPT partition format has obvious advantages over the MBR partition format in terms of hard disk capacity, number of partitions, data security, and system boot support, but there may be some problems with compatibility. Therefore, when choosing which partition format to use, you need to weigh the actual needs and hardware conditions.

▶ The reasons for GPT partition loss

GPT partition loss can be due to some factors. Here are some common reasons for GPT partition loss:

◆ Corrupted partition table

This is one of the major reasons for GPT partition loss, which can occur due to the loss of the hard disk's protective MBR causing the backed up GPT header and partition table to not function properly.

◆ Loss of drive letter

When resizing the partition or performing other partition operations, if the drive letter is lost, the GPT partition may be lost.

◆ Accidentally deletion

You may delete the GPT partition due to some improper operations. After that, an unallocated partition will be generated. Fortunately, you can recover accidentally deleted partition.

◆ Sudden Power Failure or Abnormal Shutdown

Sudden power failure or abnormal shutdown of the computer or storage device during the working process may lead to GPT partition table corruption or data loss.

◆ Failed to convert partition

If convert the partition from MBR to GPT, your partitions will be left in a vulnerable state during the process. If anything goes wrong, it can cause catastrophic damage to your partition.

◆ Virus or malware attack

Some viruses or malware may tamper with the GPT partition table, resulting in partition loss or data corruption.

◆ Operating system issues

Operating system crashes, upgrades or installation of new systems may result in loss or corruption of GPT partition information.

Usually, when a GPT partition table is lost, the DiskPart command-line tool in Windows can be used to repair GPT partition table issues. You can open a Command Prompt with administrative privileges and use commands like "list disk", "select disk", "list partition", and "recover" to fix partition table errors. If it doesn't work, you can refer to the solutions below.

[How to] - GPT partition recovery with ease

Here are 2 ways to recover lost GPT partitions, including Partition Assistant and Disk Management.

▶ Solution 1. Recover GPT partition using Partition Assistant

If you also accidentally deleted GPT partition, you may think of backups. Of course, the most reasonable solution to data loss is restoring from the backup made in advance. Yet, there are a huge amount of users who don’t possess any backups.

In addition, the data recovery services cost exorbitantly for a dust-free in-lab data rescue, which lays a further burden on users.

If you are one of them, why not choose the advanced & easy AOMEI Partition Assistant. It can restore deleted/lost GPT with a few clicks.

Easy to use. It requires no specific expertise; all users can use it to get deleted partitions back with ease. 

Comprehensive. Utilizing advanced scanning methods, this tool could scan hard disks for deleted partitions from HDD/SSD/memory card/USB flash drives within several minutes. 

Compatible. It works smoothly with Windows 11/10/8/7/XP, etc. 

Multi-functional. Besides partition recovery, it can also merge/move/check/resize/create partitions, etc.

Please download it to recover GPT partition with the following steps. 

Step 1. Click Partition Recovery and select a disk that you need to recover, then click Next.

Step 2. Here offer 2 modes that you can choose from. Then, click "Next".

Step 3. After that, click "Finish". You have successfully recovered GPT partition which has been deleted.

▶ Solution 2. Restore GPT partition with Disk Management

If the problem you encountered is the drive letter loss, a quite useful utility that can be taken advantage of is Disk Management. Follow the steps listed below to recover GPT partition.

Step 1. Start Control Panel on your PC, then go to System and Security.

Step 2. Choose Create and format hard drive partitions.

Step 3. Locate the drive that contains the deleted GPT partition, right-click on it, and select Change Drive Letter and Paths.

Step 4. Click Add on the lower-left part of this panel.

Step 5. Tick Assign the following drive letter, then choose a letter that has not been used before, and click OK. Thus you will have properly performed GPT partition recovery.

How to recover data from GPT partition without backup

After recovering the GPT partition, you may still lose data on the GPT partition. How to recover data from GPT partition? You can turn to MyRecover, which is a professional Windows data recovery software that is designed, developed, and supported by a sophisticated team with over 10 years of experience.

Widely-applicable. Apply to situations like deletion, formatting, Recycle Bin emptying, system crash, etc. 

Efficient. Restore the most frequently used formats of files: photos, videos, documents, emails, etc. 

Convenient. 3 steps to restore deleted data with the original filename, format, and path intact. 

Highly-compatible. Available for Windows 11/10/8/7/Server users.

Step 1. Select the partition where the data is lost from and click Scan.

Step 2. While scanning, input the filenames/extensions to locate the files faster. Also, you can sort the detected files by size, path, type, etc.

Step 3. Go to the original location under Deleted files, or go to Recycle Bin to recover items deleted from Recycle Bin > click Recover x files.

Bonus tip - Keep away from GPT partition loss

As discussed, backups are always the safest and most direct way to get your data back when data is lost. Therefore, it is necessary to back up or clone GPT disk to guard against data loss.

We will recommend a handy software, AOMEI Backupper, which can meet your needs. Now follow the steps below to do so. 

This freeware is pretty practical for everyone to copy important files from hard disks and partitions. You will not worry about data safety anymore.

Step 1. Download AOMEI Backupper and launch it.

Step 2. Find Backup on the left side of the panel > click Disk Backup.

Step 3. Click Add disk and choose the GPT partition you want to back up > specify the backup destination.

Step 4. Click Add.

Then your operation has been successfully carried out.

Conclusion

In this guide, we bring you effective solutions for GPT partition recovery. In addition, information on what is GPT partition and the reasons for GPT partition loss are also provided.

If you need to recover data from a GPT partition, MyRecover is a good choice you can try. It is a top data recovery program on the market to get deleted/lost data back easily.

Data loss always comes as a surprise, so you need to take proactive steps to avoid it so you can bounce back immediately.