How to convert dynamic disk to basic disk on Windows 11

If you want to convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk in Windows 11, you should create a backup first as the process will erase all data in it.

Why should you convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk in Windows 11? According to Microsoft, dynamic disks have been deprecated from Windows and their use is no longer recommended. Additionally, Windows Home Edition does not support dynamic disks, so you will not be able to access these logical drives.

If you want to combine more disks into a larger volume, it is recommended to use basic disks or storage spaces. In this article, we will show you how to convert dynamic disk to basic disk on Windows 11

How to convert dynamic disk to basic disk in Windows 11?

Before starting the process, you need to perform a few preparatory steps:

• Back up all important data in the dynamic disk. You can use a manual process and simply copy the data or use a dedicated backup solution to accomplish this task.
• If the dynamic disk you are converting contains a system, be sure to prepare a bootable Windows 11 installation USB flash drive.
• Make sure you have enough disk space for conversion. Requires at least 1 MB of unallocated space.

This procedure will also come in handy if you are unable to install Windows on a dynamic disk partition.

1. Convert the disk using Disk Management

1. Type Computer Management in theSearchbox and click Run as administrator from the results.
2. Now, go toStorageon the left pane and click on Disk Management.
3. Now you need to delete all volumes on the dynamic disk. Right-click each volume and selectDeleteto delete the dynamic volume.
4. After removing all volumes from the dynamic disk, right-click the disk and selectConvert to Basic Disk. The conversion process will be quick and all data will be deleted from the disk drive.
5. Now, it is recommended to format the drive, if you want to partition it again you can do that, but you cannot have more than 4 partitions on a basic disk.

This is the easiest way to convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk, and in this case, it is the solution recommended by Microsoft. Deleting the dynamic disk volume first is the way to go.

2. Convert disk using Command Prompt

1. Click on theSearchbar on Windows 11, type cmd, and select # from the results displayed ##Run as administrator.
Type
2. disk sectionand press to launch the application.Enter
Type the following command and note the number of the dynamic disk you want to convert:
3. list disk##Now, type the following command to select the correct disk (replace
4. with the actual number): select disk Type the following command and press to view the volumes in the disk:
Enter
5. detail diskEnter command
Select the volume
6. (replace with the number of the actual volume), then type the command Delete Volumeand press Delete it. Enter Perform step 6 for all volumes on the dynamic disk to make sure there are no volumes on it.
7. Now, type the following command and press again to select the dynamic disk:
Enter
8. select disk Finally, type the following command to convert:
9. convert basic
This solution is basically the same as the first one, but you do it in the command prompt Use DISKPART instead of Disk Management.

3. Use third-party software

As you can see, it is not difficult to convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk in Windows 11 using the built-in tools in the operating system.

However, you can perform the same process using a third-party disk management tool. They have more features and are sometimes more convenient to use.

Why can't I convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk?

You may encounter some errors during this process, so let us explain:

• Disk larger than 2TB– If "Convert to Basic" option Grayed out, probably because Disk Management cannot handle MBR disks larger than 2TB, so you must convert them to GPT first.
• There is not enough free space on the disk to complete this operation– This error sometimes occurs if the volumes and data were not removed from the dynamic disk before converting it to a basic disk . This is because you need at least 1MB of unallocated space to continue.
• Invalid package name– This error occurs if the computer name contains double-byte (DBCS) characters. Chinese ideograms or Japanese kanji have double-byte code values, so if you have them, rename your computer first.
• Virtual Disk Service Error: Disk is not empty error– This error occurs if all volumes and data have not been removed from the dynamic disk. However, our guide on how to fix disk not empty error will help you in this situation.

Dynamic Disks vs. Basic Disks

Dynamic disks can be split into multiple volumes and can have an unlimited number of volumes. A basic disk is structured by partitions and can have up to four partitions (three primary partitions and one extended partition).

Dynamic disks also come with advanced features such as software RAID, fault tolerance, disk spanning, etc., so they are especially used by IT professionals in server environments.

By default, when you set up a disk, it is recommended that you select Basic Disk, which is an excellent choice for personal computers.

This concludes our guide on how to convert a dynamic disk to a basic disk on Windows 11. You should know that these methods work seamlessly on Windows 10 as well.

You may also be interested in reading our guide on merging two SSDs without losing data.

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