By

Linda

Written by

Sherly

Last updated on April 22, 2024

On this page, you will learn how to clone Windows 10 C drive in detail and get a secure cloner to fix the issue:

First, let's see how to clone the C drive in Windows 10.

Can I clone the C drive of Windows 10?

Can Windows 10 be cloned? The answer is yes. Cloning C drive means copying everything on the C drive to another disk partition to create an exact one-to-one copy of the previous hard drive. Everything on the cloned C drive, including the operating system and installed apps, will load and run as it did on the original disk without reinstalling the OS and other programs. Here are sufficient reasons for why you need to clone a hard drive in Windows 10/11/8/7:

    • Replace a failing hard drive to prevent data loss one day.
    • Migrate all your data efficiently from one disk to another for easy backup, instead of copying files manually one by one.
    • Upgrade your current smaller old drive to a larger one for more space, or upgrade from an HDD (hard disk drive) to an SSD (Solid State Drive) for better performance.

But do you know how to clone C drive in Windows 10? Don't worry. This post will help you out as it introduces a professional cloning tool and guides you through the process step by step.

How to Clone C Drive on Windows 10 - Safely and Efficiently

How to clone system drive C in Windows 10? The most practical and effective way is to use a renowned disk cloning software, i.e., the free AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. It contains both Disk Clone and Partition Clone features, which can help you clone hard drive/SSD/partition to another drive/partition, working well on all Windows versions. This tool also offers the following advantages:

Before you start cloning with Partition Master, please read the following notes to make your cloning process go more smoothly.

Note:

1. If there is important data on the target disk, back it up in advance to prevent overwriting.

2. Make sure that the target disk has enough space to accommodate Disk C.

3. If you clone Disk C to another disk, you need to set the target disk as the boot disk.

Now we start to clone system drive C with Partition Master.

Guide 1: Clone C Drive

Step 1: In the left menu, select "Clone." Click "Clone Partition" and "Next."

Step 2: Select the source partition, and click Next.

Step 3: Select the partition that you want to convert and click "Next" to continue.

    If you clone a partition to an existing one, move or back up your data first to prevent it from being overwritten.

Step 4: Click “Start” and wait for the cloning to finish.

You can learn how to clone a system reserved partition in this video tutorial.

You're not finished yet. You still need to set the target drive as the boot drive, as explained in the next section.

Guideline 2: Changing the Boot Order

Please follow the instructions below to start up your computer:

Step 1: Press the Function key F8/Del/F2 to enter BIOS setup during initial startup.

Step 2: In the Boot Options, click "Change Boot Order," and then select the target drive as the boot drive.

Change the boot order

Step 3. Don't forget to save the changes and exit.

Please provide the English content you want translated, and I'll do my best to translate it into Chinese.

Earlier, we explained how to clone the C drive to another drive in Windows 10 using the Partition Master tool and how to set the target drive as the boot drive. Now, it's time to learn about more features of the Partition Master.

Key Features of Partition Master Tool:

In addition to supporting copy partition to another hard drive, as a professional cloning tool, Partition Master also offers some other amazing features that you might like:

And it can do much more than just fix disk partitions. Download it and try it out.

Conclusion

This article will delve into the detailed steps of cloning the C drive in Windows 10 and setting the target drive as the boot drive. It also introduces a professional and efficient utility for the process.

With Partition Master, you can quickly and efficiently clone the C drive of Windows 11/10/8/7 without losing any data. This professional software also serves as a perfect partition manager with many other impressive features: cloning a partition to another disk, merging partitions, moving partitions, converting an MBR (Master Boot Record) disk or GPT disk without deleting, securely wiping hard drives and partitions, and more.

If you're having disk partitioning issues, give it a try.

Frequently Asked Questions on Cloning C Drive in Windows 10

We've already learned how to clone the system drive. People often ask related questions, so if you're interested, read on.

1. How to Clone Only C Drive to SSD?

Windows doesn't have a built-in cloning tool, so you'll need to use a third-party program, such as Partition Master. Follow these steps:

Step 1. Download and run the hard drive partition tool Partition Master.

Step 2. Click on "Clone Partition" in the cloning area and then click "Next".

Step 3. Select the C drive as the source partition and another as the target. Click “Next.”

Step 4. Click the “Start” button and wait for the cloning to complete.

2. Can I boot from the cloned drive?

No, cloning a hard drive means copying all the contents of that drive to another one. However, if you want the cloned drive to be bootable, you'll need to change the boot order in your BIOS settings.

Can I replace the C drive with an SSD?

Yes, it's a great choice to install the SSD as the C drive if you plan to. SSDs are more durable, quieter, faster, lighter, and are now more affordable. Many computers come with an SSD for installing the Windows operating system.