Whether you're upgrading from an HDD to an SSD or installing a larger capacity drive, this is the easiest way to migrate your current Windows operating system installation and all your data to another drive.
Disk cloning is the process of moving your existing Windows installation to another disk. While a backup image will work, it unnecessarily complicates the process. With disk cloning, you select the source disk (your current system disk) and the destination disk (the new disk), then configure the boot disk. Once you’re done, you’ll boot from the new disk immediately.
To move Windows to another drive, you need migration software. You have two options for this. First, you can use a manufacturer-specific data migration tool like Samsung Magician Software or Acronis True Image for Crucial SSDs. You can check to see if your PC manufacturer offers a cloning solution.
If you can’t find a first-party migration tool, you can use Macrium Reflect. It’s a premium third-party utility for creating disk images, cloning, and backing up your PC. Other disk cloning software includes Acronis, EaseUS Disk Copy, CloneZilla, and DiskGenius. However, Macrium Reflect wins out because it’s easier to use and has a less intimidating design.
Before you begin, it’s important to install your new SSD/HDD on your laptop or PC and make sure it’s detected in the Disk Management utility. You may also need to initially set up your SSD before you can use it. If you’re trying to replace your HDD with a SATA SSD, you’ll need a SATA-to-USB cable to clone the drive before swapping it out.
Macrium Reflect is a premium backup and cloning tool for Windows. Visit the Macrium Reflect website (https://www.macrium.com/products/home) and download the Home version of the tool. You can purchase a license or choose a free trial. After entering your details, you will receive a download link in your email. Use this link to download the installer and run it on your computer. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the application.
To prevent any problems, make sure the new drive has the same or more capacity than your current drive. All data on the destination drive will be erased, so don't forget to back up anything important.
Once complete, follow these steps to move Windows to another drive:
1. Launch Macrium Reflect to begin the cloning process. In the Local Disks tab , locate and select the Windows installation drive. Then click the Clone this disk option .
2. A new Clone dialog box will open, showing the Windows installation drive selected as the source. Make sure all partitions on the source drive are selected.
3. Now, you need to select the destination (new) drive where the Windows files will be moved to. Click Select a disk to clone to and select the destination drive from the list.
4. Then click on Erase Disk option to erase all data from the destination drive.
5. To move the settings, select the Copy selected partitions when I click 'Next' option in the lower right corner. Then click Next to continue.
6. If you get the error “ too many primary partitions, nothing copied ”, click on the Copy Partitions option and select the Shrink or extend to fill the target disk option . Click Next to continue.
7. On the next screen, you can schedule the clone. To clone immediately, click Next . Read the summary of the drive cloning process and click Finish .
8. In the pop-up menu, select the Run this backup now and Save as a backup definition file boxes . Agree to any warnings and click OK .
9. Depending on the size of the drive, this process may take a while to complete. Once the clone is complete, both drives will look identical in Macrium Reflect.
To boot from your newly cloned drive, you may need to replace your existing SATA drive with it, unless you're moving Windows from a SATA SSD to an M.2. Regardless, you'll need to set your new drive as the primary boot drive in your BIOS or UEFI settings.
You can enter BIOS on Windows 10 and 11 by pressing the F10 key while restarting. However, the hotkey may vary depending on the manufacturer. Instead, we'll use the Esc key to access the Start menu and proceed from there.
1. Turn off the computer. Then press the power button to turn it on and press the Esc key repeatedly to see the Startup menu . In the boot menu, press the corresponding key to enter the BIOS or UEFI utility. In this case, it is F10 for HP laptops.
2. Once in the BIOS utility, go to Boot Options . Again, there may be some differences depending on the manufacturer (anything to do with ' Boot ').
3. Use the arrow keys to highlight OS Boot Manager, then press Enter to select it. In the OS Boot Manager dialog box, select the newly cloned drive and press F10 to save it as the boot drive.
4. Finally, navigate to the Exit tab and select Save Changes and Exit . If successful, the computer will restart and boot from the new drive.
Cloning a drive is the easiest way to move Windows 10 or 11 to another drive. In rare cases, you may encounter Windows activation issues, but these should resolve themselves within 24 hours. However, keep in mind that installing the cloned drive on another computer and booting from it will not activate Windows, as the digital license is tied to the system's motherboard.
If you plan to install the cloned drive on another computer or new hardware, make sure to associate your Windows product key with your Microsoft account first. You can then sign in to Windows with your Microsoft account and it will automatically activate the license.
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