How to Clone Windows to SSD with Software? Your Easy Guide Is Here

Updated By

Sherly 

Written By

Tracy King 

Last Updated on April 22, 2024

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

Notice: Regardless of whether you're currently facing the same or an entirely different need to clone Windows OS to SSD or HDD with software, we understand your concerns and are here to provide solutions. Follow along as we guide you to find the best operating system cloning software that will help you successfully clone your Windows operating system to a new SSD without having to reinstall it. Let's get started.

Set up the SSD and prepare to clone Windows

Prepping the new SSD on your computer is an important step to ensure a smooth cloning of Windows to the new drive.

To do so, you would need to:

Step 1: Install the SSD in your computer properly

Open your computer case and locate the cable connecting the hard drive or SSD. Connect the SSD to your computer:

1. SATA SSD: Connect the SSD to your computer using SATA data and power cables. 2. M.2/NVMe SSD: Insert the SSD into its slot and secure it with screws.

Step 2: Initialize the SSD as the same disk type as the OS disk

1. Open Disk Management and right-click on the operating system disk, then select "Properties". 2. Check the "Volume" section to determine whether the partition style of the operating system disk is MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (GUID Partition Table). 3. Close the properties window, right-click on the SSD disk, and choose "Initialize Disk". 4. Set the SSD disk's type to be the same as the operating system disk's type.

Step 3: Create a simple volume on the SSD

Before you begin, open Disk Management and confirm that your current operating system has the boot and system volumes on separate partitions. If they are separate, right-click on the unallocated space and select "New Simple Volume" on the SSD. Set the file system to NTFS and assign it a new drive letter. Set the volume size to be the same or larger than the boot partition. Repeat this process to create another new partition, with a size equal to or larger than the system partition.

#Phrase2: Download cloning software for the Windows operating system

Since there's no built-in free disk cloning software in Windows, you'll need to turn to reliable OS cloning software to clone Windows to SSD. AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional with its Disk Clone feature can get the job done for you.

Just download the software and install it on your computer by following the instructions.

Next, you need to decide how you want to clone Windows to SSD: only clone Windows to SSD or clone the entire OS disk to SSD. Read on to the next section to learn how to clone the Windows OS using this software.

#Phrase 3: Clone Windows to an SSD using an operating system cloning software

Your objective will dictate how you go about using a cloning tool to clone Windows to a new drive here:

• 1. Clone only Windows to SSD: Use the "Copy Partition" feature in Scenario 1.
• 2. Clone the entire Windows disk to SSD: Use the "Clone System Disk" feature in Scenario 2.

Now let's proceed to clone your Windows OS to the SSD.

Guide 1: Clone Only Windows to SSD

Note: If your operating system and system volume are on separate partitions, you'll need to repeat this process twice. This ensures that both the system and boot partitions are cloned to the new SSD so Windows can boot from it.

Let's start here:

Step 1: From the left-hand menu, select "Clone." Click "Clone Partition" and then "Next."

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

Step 3: Select the target partition and click "Next" to proceed.

• If you clone a partition to an existing partition, move or back up your data first to avoid overwriting it. • Read the warning message and confirm with Yes.

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

You can learn how to clone a partition or the System Reserved partition from this video tutorial.

Guide 2: Clone entire Windows disk to SSD

With the "Clone System Disk" feature of the Partition Master Tool, you can clone your entire Windows disk and all its contents to the new SSD. You only need to ensure that the SSD has storage space equal to or greater than the used space on your system disk.

Here are the steps:

Step 1. Run AOMEI Partition Assistant, go to the "Disk Clone" tab, choose "Clone System Disk" and then click "Next".

Step 2. Select the new drive to which you want to clone the operating system, then click Next.

Click “Yes” to confirm you want to proceed with the system disk cloning process.

Step 3. Review the disk layout, and click Start to begin the OS cloning process.

4. When it's done, you'll see a message asking if you want to boot from the clone disk.

• Restart Now: Restart your computer and set it to boot the operating system from the new disk.
• Finish: Make the change later.

Note: You can also use the “Clone Partition” feature in the partition master tool to clone SSD to NVMe for free.

Make a Bootable Windows Installation on an SSD

Lastly – but equally important – you'll need to configure Windows to boot from the new SSD. To do this, you'll have to switch the boot drive in your BIOS settings from the old OS disk to the new SSD. Here's how:

Step 1: Restart your computer and press Del, F2, or F8 to enter BIOS Setup.

Step two: In the boot menu, navigate to the boot priority section and switch the boot drive from your old hard disk to the new SSD.

Step 3: Press F10 to save the changes and exit the BIOS.

Step 4. Restart your computer and wait for Windows to start up. Log in with your account and password.

Final Thoughts

For regular users, especially those new to Windows, cloning Windows to an SSD can be complicated. AOMEI Partition Assistant streamlines the process with just a few clicks.

Aside from cloning, the software also lets you manage the disk space on your new SSD, and you can wipe or format the old drive for other uses.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cloning Windows to an SSD with Software (UTF-8)

Some of you may have more questions about this assignment, which you can find answers to and solutions for in the following.

How can I clone my Windows operating system to a new SSD?

Install and set up an SSD of the same type as the operating system drive on the new computer. Create one or two volumes on the SSD. Launch the Partition Master tool and click "Disk Clone." Select the boot partition as the source, and then choose the new volume on the SSD as the target. Execute the task. Repeat this process, cloning the system partition to another volume on the new SSD. Reboot the computer and set Windows to boot from the new SSD in the BIOS settings.

2. Can I clone only Windows to SSD?

Certainly, a reliable system cloning software - Partition Master, with its "Clone Partition" feature, can help you clone both your Windows partition and boot partition to SSD without any booting issues. You can directly refer to the solution listed above on this page or click on this link: Free Clone Windows to SSD for a detailed guide.

< strong > 3. How to Clone HDD to SSD?

Note: If you plan to clone your HDD to an SSD, there are two things you need to be aware of:

First, make sure the SSD has equal or greater storage capacity than the data used on the old HDD. If it does, you can proceed with the following steps. If not, you'll need to switch to a larger SSD to ensure all your data fits.

Next, you'll need to

• Place the SSD on the target PC where you want to clone the HDD.
• In Disk Management, set up and initialize the SSD with the same disk type as your old one - MBR or GPT.
• Launch Partition Master and click 'Disk Clone.'
• Select 'Clone Data Disk' or 'Clone System Disk' depending on your need.
• Then, choose the target HDD as the source disk, select the new SSD as the target, and click 'Execute Task.'