The selected disk has an MBR partition table
If Windows Setup says the selected disk has an MBR partition table, wipe the disk and convert it to GPT with diskpart, from Setup’s own command prompt.
In Setup press Shift+F10, then run diskpart: list disk, select disk <n>, clean, convert gpt, exit. clean erases the whole disk.
The steps and the reason are below.
On the screen where you choose a drive, Setup refuses with: “Windows cannot be installed to this disk. The selected disk has an MBR partition table. On EFI systems, Windows can only be installed to GPT disks.”
Convert the disk to GPT with diskpart
diskpart is built into Windows Setup, so you can convert the disk without leaving the installer.
- Open a command prompt On the drive selection screen, press Shift + F10.
- Start diskpart
Type
diskpartand press Enter. - Find the disk
list diskshows every disk with its number and size. Note the number of the one you’re installing to. - Select it
select disk 0, using your disk’s number. - Wipe it
clean - Convert it to GPT
convert gpt - Close diskpart
exit, then close the command prompt.
Check that Setup accepts the disk
Click Refresh on the drive screen. The disk now shows as unallocated space: select it and click Next, and Setup creates the partitions it needs.
Keep the data instead: MBR2GPT
If the disk holds a Windows install you want to keep, Microsoft’s MBR2GPT tool converts a system disk to GPT without deleting data. It needs no more than three primary partitions and no extended ones, and you switch the firmware to UEFI afterwards, or the PC won’t boot. For a disk you’re wiping anyway, diskpart’s convert gpt above is quicker.