Migrate Your Windows 10 System Files to a New HDD or SSD

Updated by

Tracy King 

Written by

Linda 

Last updated on April 22, 2024

How do I transfer my Windows 10 system files to a new HDD or SSD?

I upgraded my laptop to Windows 10 when it was available. It was awesome. Later, I purchased a new SSD on Amazon and intended to use it as the system drive so that I could use the old hard drive as a storage device for data backup or transfer. Obviously, I needed to migrate OS to SSD from HDD to make it. Otherwise, I had to reinstall Windows 10. But I had never tried to move Windows 10 system files to a new HDD or SSD. I had no idea how to do it. Is there any program that can help? Please give me some suggestions!

Many users attempt to transfer Windows 10 to a new HDD or SSD for various reasons, such as upgrading the hard drive or configuring a new computer. However, most of them encounter difficulties when performing the migration. Therefore, on this page, we will introduce how to step by step move Windows 10 system files to a new HDD or SSD. You can give this method a try when you are assigned with the Windows 10 transfer task.

Can I copy Windows 10 system files to another drive?

Not quite! There are too many system files in Windows 10 to copy over completely. While copying and pasting does work, you may miss out on some special files, such as:

< li > Hide files during the Windows install. < li > The boot loader that starts the Windows operating system.

The best way to transfer the operating system to a new hard drive is by using a partition manager tool. Follow these steps for a safe data migration.

Migrate Windows 10 System Files to a New HDD or SSD

Firstly, we would like to introduce you to a Windows 10 migration tool, which requires the assistance of reliable partition software – AOMEI Partition Assistant. This program is usually used for hard disk partition management.

In addition, its “Migrate OS to HDD/SSD” feature allows you to move your system and system files from HDD to SSD or vice versa without losing any data.

Follow the steps in this article to learn how to successfully move your system files to another drive without losing any data:

Note: If there is not enough unallocated space on the target disk, migrating the operating system to an SSD or HDD will delete and remove existing partitions and data on the target disk. Back up any important data on it to an external hard drive beforehand.

Step 1: From the left-hand menu, choose "Clone." Select "Migrate system" and click "Next" to proceed.

Step 2. Select the target disk to which you want to clone. Click “Next”.

Step 3: After reading the warning, click “OK”. All data and partitions on the target disk will be erased. Make sure you have backed up all important data beforehand. If not, do it now.

Step 4. Preview the layout of the target disk. You can also click on the Disk Layout option to customize the layout of the target disk as needed. Then, click “Start” to begin migrating the operating system to the new disk.

5. When you see the confirmation message asking “Boot from the cloned target disk?” check the option “Adjust the boot order to boot from the cloned target disk,” then click the appropriate button as needed.

• Restart Now: Immediately restart the computer and boot the operating system from the new disk.
• Finish: Make the change at a later time.

What else can Partition Master do for you?

Aside from migrating OS to new disk, Partition Master is also an excellent Windows disk management software that helps all Windows users make the most out of their disk space wisely.

Extra tip: Move Windows 10 program files to another drive

If you're curious about how to move program files to D drive, there's a manual way to do it, or you can check out our guide on how to safely transfer programs from one drive to another for an easier solution.

Step 1: Press Windows + R, and type Regedit.exe in the box.

Step 2: In the Registry Editor, navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion, and then change the drive letter from C: to D: or another drive.

Conclusions

When Windows users tend to upgrade or replace the system disk, moving Windows 10 system files to the new disk is a necessary process. AOMEI Partition Assistant and its "Migrate OS to SSD/HDD" feature can perfectly solve this problem, on which you can fully rely for assistance. It can securely and safely move the operating system along with your data to the new disk without causing any boot issues.

Frequently Asked Questions about Moving System Files to Another Drive in UTF-8

If you have more questions about moving system files to another drive, you can find answers here:

1. **Can system files be moved to another drive?**

Yes, for certain programs, you can use Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to copy and move them from the system C drive to another drive. However, keep in mind that not all programs can be handled this way, as some spread their files and settings across multiple system directories during installation. Before moving or copying, it's essential to ensure the program is not part of the Windows system files and doesn't rely on specific paths on the C drive. Additionally, some programs might require administrator privileges to perform such operations. If unsure, it's advisable to use a dedicated software migration tool or follow the instructions provided by the program's developer to move the application.

Well, no – not for certain operating system boot files, because copying and moving them around can lead to system boot issues with Windows machines, for example.

< strong > 2. Can I move system files from the C drive to the D drive?

For non-system files, like desktop files, program files, and documents, you can copy and move them from the C drive to the D drive. To address this issue more reliably, you can use a trustworthy file transfer software like Todo PCTrans to successfully migrate system files from the C drive to the D drive.

3. How do I move my operating system to another drive?

1. Install a second hard drive on your computer and initialize it with the same disk type as your operating system drive - either MBR or GPT. 2. Launch the Partition Master tool and select "Clone." 3. Choose "Clone System Disk," then select the new hard drive as the target location. 4. Click "Next," followed by "Execute * Tasks" to commence moving the operating system to the other drive. 5. After completion, enter your BIOS settings and set the new hard drive as the boot drive. 6. Restart your computer and wait for the operating system to load normally.