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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/tech-mbr-four-partitions

How many partition entries does a classic MBR partition table hold?

Four. More needs an extended partition, or GPT.

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  1. Four ✔
  2. Sixteen
  3. 128

Why: The Master Boot Record has room for only four partition table entries. To get more, one entry becomes an extended partition holding logical drives. The newer GPT scheme drops that limit, and Windows allows 128 GPT partitions.

Huh, didn't know that: The MBR is read at boot to find where the operating system is.

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Why was the MBR so stressed? It only had four slots and everyone wanted one.
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References

Answer: Four. The Master Boot Record has room for only four partition table entries. To get more, one entry becomes an extended partition holding logical drives. The newer GPT scheme drops that limit, and Windows allows 128 GPT partitions.

  1. Microsoft Learn: Windows and GPT FAQ learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-hardware/manufacture/desktop/windows-and-gpt-faq
    MBR disks support only four partition table entries.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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