How to Clone a Hard Drive in Windows 11 (Step-by-Step Guide)

If you want to clone a hard drive in Windows 11, we've got you covered, as usual. Backups are great, but they're not always enough. Cloning is different from backing up. Cloning a hard drive is a smart choice because it lets you replace your existing one in case of failure and get your system back up and running immediately. Cloning a hard drive means creating a digital copy of all your data on another disk. Unfortunately, there's no direct cloning feature in the Disk Management tool. But don't worry, we found an excellent tool to help you clone your hard drive. Read on to learn how to clone a hard drive in Windows 11.

How to Clone a Hard Drive in Windows 11?

Now we will introduce the preparatory work for cloning Windows 11 disk.

1. Get a new hard drive or solid-state drive (SSD)

You'll need a new hard drive, preferably an SSD, to clone your Windows 11 drive. Make sure the drive or SSD you're cloning to has more storage space than your current drive.

2. Install and connect the new hard drive to your computer

If your computer only has one drive bay, you'll need to use a SATA-to-USB cable to connect the drive to your computer. If your laptop/desktop has a second bay, you can install the new drive in it instead. These cables may also be labeled ATA or SCSI.

3. Initialize a new hard drive or SSD

Now, you need to initialize the new drive in Disk Management to clone the Windows 11 HDD. To do this, right-click the Start icon and select Disk Management.

The “Disk Management” dialog will open and prompt you to initialize the SSD.

Choose "MBR (Master Boot Record)" or "GUID Partition Table (GPT)," then click "OK." For modern computers, GPT is usually better.

Right-click on the Unallocated button and create a new volume. This volume will be used for cloning the hard drive.

On the “Format Partition” screen, select a drive letter, then click “Next.” Allocate the necessary disk space and letter to complete the setup. This is an important step, so follow the instructions carefully.

Here are the steps to set up a new SSD or hard drive. For your convenience, we've included screenshots of all the steps to prevent any confusion.

4. Download a disk cloning software.

To simplify the cloning process, you can download third-party software. Make sure you get a reliable tool, though; there are many scams out there. If you want a trustworthy option, we have an excellent recommendation.

There are plenty of tools available online, but not all of them are reliable. We prefer using AOMEI Backupper Standard, as it's a trustworthy tool that has never disappointed us. With this tool to clone your hard drive, you can skip all the steps mentioned above. Your computer alone cannot do what this PC cloning software can do for you.

You can click the Download button to download the software. If you don't believe us, try its free trial version now.

# How to Clone a Hard Drive in Windows 11 Cloning a hard drive means creating an exact replica of one drive and copying it onto another, preserving all your data, settings, and applications. This is useful when upgrading to a larger drive, moving to a solid-state drive (SSD), or creating a backup. Here's how to clone a hard drive in Windows 11 using built-in tools. ## Choose the Right Tools Windows 11 doesn't have a native cloning feature like previous versions did, but you can still use third-party software or the Disk Management tool. ### Third-Party Software Third-party cloning software offers more features and flexibility. Two popular options are **Macrium Reflect Free** and **tools Todo Backup Free**. Both offer a straightforward process for cloning drives. ### Built-in Windows Tool: Disk Management Alternatively, you can use the built-in Disk Management tool. However, this method is less user-friendly and requires some technical knowledge. ## Using Third-Party Software: Macrium Reflect Free 1. **Download and Install:** Visit the Macrium website to download the free version of Macrium Reflect. Install it on your computer. 2. **Launch Macrium Reflect:** Double-click the Macrium Reflect icon to open the application. 3. **Create a Backup:** Click the "Backup" button, then choose "Disk Image." 4. **Select Source Disk:** In the "Select Disks to backup" window, choose the disk you want to clone (usually Disk 0). 5. **Choose Destination:** Click "Browse" next to "Image file location" and select a location to save the cloned disk image. 6. **Add a Partition:** If the destination drive has multiple partitions, click "Add" and choose the partition where you want to clone the source drive. 7. **Start the Clone Process:** Click "Next," review the settings, then click "Proceed" to start the cloning process. Wait for the process to complete. 8. **Verify the Clone:** After cloning, run a verification to ensure the new drive is an exact copy. ## Using Third-Party Software: tools Todo Backup Free 1. **Download and Install:** Download tools Todo Backup from their website and install it. 2. **Launch tools Todo Backup:** Double-click the tools Todo Backup icon to open the program. 3. **Clone Disk:** Select "Clone" from the main menu. 4. **Select Source and Destination:** Choose the source disk (the one you want to clone) and the target disk (where you want to clone to). 5. **Start Cloning:** Click "Next," review the settings, then click "Go" to initiate the cloning process. 6. **Wait for Completion:** The cloning may take some time, depending on the size of the data. Do not interrupt the process. 7. **Verify the Clone:** Once done, verify the cloned drive to ensure everything is copied correctly. ## Using Windows Disk Management 1. **Connect Both Drives:** Connect both the source and destination drives to your PC via USB or SATA cables. 2. **Open Disk Management:** Press `Win + X` and choose "Disk Management" from the menu. 3. **Shrink the Destination Drive (Optional):** If the destination drive is larger, right-click the partition on the destination drive and select "Shrink Volume." Follow the prompts to create unallocated space. 4. **Copy Data (Manual):** Right-click the source drive, select "Delete Volume," and confirm. Then, right-click the unallocated space and choose "New Simple Volume." Format the new volume with the same file system as the source drive. Now, manually copy all files and folders from the source drive to the new volume. 5. **Boot from the New Drive (Optional):** To ensure the cloned drive works, restart your computer and change the boot order in BIOS to boot from the new drive. While the built-in Disk Management tool can work, it's recommended to use third-party software for a more reliable and streamlined experience. Always make sure to backup important data before attempting any drive cloning or manipulation.

tools Todo Backup features an efficient disk cloning function. It supports various hard drives, including HDD, SSD, M.2, NVMe, and more. We know no other tool that offers as many great features as this. You can accomplish many tasks with this single tool. It doesn't just handle partition jobs but also comes with other excellent features listed below:

• Clone OS to HDD/SSD
• Clone a hard drive with bad sectors
• Transfer Windows to a USB Drive
• Resize partitions while cloning
• Copy data from one hard drive to another

With these features, you can clone your hard drive safely. The best thing about using this tool is that you don't have to go through a confusing array of steps to clone your hard drive. Its advanced features cater to all your cloning needs.

To clone with the ToolDisk Clone software, simply boot the cloning function on your computer, select the disk to be cloned. Then, choose the target disk, and you're done. The software will take care of the rest. It's a user-friendly tool.

Step 1: Download, install and run the tool Disk Copy on your computer.

Click “Disk Mode,” then select the hard drive you want to copy or clone. Click “Next.”

Step 2. Select the target disk.

Note: If you are cloning or copying the source disk, the target disk should be at least as large as the source disk, or even larger.

Step 3: Check and edit the disk layout.

If the target disk is an SSD, make sure to check the “Target is SSD” option.

Step 4: If you see a warning asking if you want to erase the data on the target disk, click OK.

5. Click “Continue” to start cloning the hard drive.

Additional Tip: How to Set Up a New Hard Drive to Boot

This is the final step. After you've installed your new hard drive and set everything up, make sure that the new drive is bootable. This is crucial, since without this step, all of the above would have been for naught.

You need to have your computer boot from the newly installed drive. Follow the steps below to make your SSD or hard drive bootable. Continue reading to proceed.

You can restart your computer without removing the cloned hard drive or SSD. Press F2, F12, or Delete to enter BIOS.

Access the Boot Menu, from where you can change the boot order.

Change the boot order so your computer boots from the newly cloned disk. Save your changes, exit the BIOS, and restart your computer.

Conclusion: Cloning a hard drive in Windows 11 isn't complicated.

Stop racking your brains over how to clone a hard drive in Windows 11. We've got you covered with an extensive guide that eliminates the need for worry. Simply follow our tutorial, and you can effortlessly clone your SSD or hard drive.

tools Disk Copy (Tools Disk Copy) is a lifesaver. You never have to fear a sudden hard drive failure again. It comes in multiple versions to cater to the growing market demands. tools makes life easy. With their tools, nothing is challenging. You can also use it to clone Windows 11 to another computer.

There will always be a backup option that allows you to restore all the data. Clone the hard drive in Windows 11 using tools like Disk Copy.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cloning a Hard Drive in Windows 11

1. Can Windows 11 be cloned to another computer?

Yes, you can clone Windows 11 to another computer. To do this, you'll need to use a reliable disk cloning tool, such as Disk Copy, to help you transfer the operating system to a new hard drive or computer.

2. How to transfer everything from one hard drive to another in Windows 11?

To copy everything from one hard drive to another in Windows 11, you can manually copy the data from one drive to another, but this will take a lot of time. Therefore, it's best to use professional cloning software like tools Todo Backup to help you copy data from one hard drive to another.

Can I just copy the contents of one hard drive directly to another?

The contents of one hard drive can be copied to another, but the operating system and installed programs may not run, or run properly, because they no longer find the references they expect.