unique-partition-guid · shipping · also UniquePartitionGUID, GPT partition UUID

Unique partition GUID

A unique partition GUID is the 128-bit identifier assigned to an individual GPT partition entry, distinct from its partition type GUID and the disk GUID.

Related Observatory article: Unique partition GUID on hesela.com

UEFI names this field UniquePartitionGUID. Partitions sharing a purpose can share PartitionTypeGUID while retaining different individual identifiers; DiskGUID belongs to the disk header. [1]

On GPT, Linux PARTUUID= selects the partition identifier, not the filesystem UUID. [2] The sfdisk --part-uuid operation is separate from --part-type and --disk-id. [3]

For GPT disk and partition copies, UEFI requires fresh disk and unique partition GUIDs; duplicate GUIDs can make selection indeterminate. Preserve byte-identical acquisition evidence separately from operational copies. [1]

Relations

related

Filesystem UUID, Partition type GUID, GUID Partition Table (GPT)

Limitations

• An identifier does not verify the partition's payload.
• Byte-for-byte acquisition preserves recorded identifiers; retain that evidence separately from operational copies whose identifiers are changed.

Citations

1. UEFI 2.10, chapter 5: GPT header and partition-entry identifiers (accessed 2026-11-03)
2. util-linux v2.41 mount(8): filesystem and partition selectors (accessed 2026-11-03)
3. util-linux v2.41 sfdisk(8): partition type, partition UUID and disk ID (accessed 2026-11-03)

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