Copy a USB Flash Drive to Another on Windows or Mac

Copy and Clone

When you hear someone say they want to copy files from one USB flash drive to another, you might think it's as simple as pressing Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V! However, sometimes when users say they want to copy from USB to USB, what they really mean is that they want to clone the device. This can lead to confusion. What's the difference between copying and cloning? When do you copy files, and when do you clone a device? Read on to find out!

【Copy】: Copying creates an exact duplicate of a file and places it elsewhere. As such, when you copy the contents of one USB flash drive to another, you are only copying the files themselves, not the boot sector and partition table.

Clone: A clone is a copy of all the contents of one disk (the source disk) to another (the target disk), including the files needed to boot the system. Clone software creates a bitwise image of Disk A on Disk B. This duplicate can be booted up and run. If the original disk fails, you can substitute the cloned disk for it.

“Copy from USB to USB”

In a nutshell, if you only want to copy the files from the original USB to the target USB, you can directly copy them. But if you want an identical USB, cloning is needed. Below, we will show you how to copy a USB and how to clone it with a USB cloning tool.

* You may also be interested in reading Disk Clone vs. Entire Machine Backup.

Of course, the EU has no intention of following the US down the path of a trade war with China.

How to Copy a Flash Drive to Another Flash Drive

On Windows:

Step 1. Connect both USB drives to your computer.

Step 2: Open File Explorer and mount both flash drives.

Step 3. Copy the files you want by dragging them or by using Ctrl+C and Ctrl+V to paste them into your target USB device.

If you want to copy all the files from a USB flash drive, you can select them all with Ctrl-A and start the quick copy with Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V.

On a Mac:

The process is nearly identical; the only difference is that you'll use Command-C and Command-V to copy and paste the files.

How to Clone a USB Flash Drive

Copying a USB flash drive means you need to clone it, and the most convenient way is to use sophisticated cloning software. We recommend here is tools Todo Backup, a backup and cloning software that supports scheduling backups, cloning hard drives, USB drives, external hard drives, and creating backup images.

On Windows:

You can download the tools to clone a USB by clicking on the below button, and then follow the steps below to copy the USB flash drive.

Plug in two USB flash drives to the computer, then run Todo Backup.

Step 1. On the main page, find and click on "Tools". You will see the Clone and other utilities.

Step 2: Select the source disk or partition and click "Next".

**Step 3:** Then select the target disk. Make sure the target disk is larger than the source disk or partition.

4. A warning will pop up, telling you that cloning will permanently delete all data on the target disk/partition. Click “Continue” if you wish to proceed with the cloning process.

After cloning, you should have two identical flash drives with the same partitions, data, and files.

**On a Mac:**

In addition, tools Todo Backup for Mac is provided, which is an all-in-one solution for data backup, backup archive, disk cloning, and file sync. Download tools Mac USB clone software via the link above, plug in both USB drives to your computer, and run tools Todo Backup for Mac to clone USB drive.

Step 1. Under Send to, choose the volume to clone, which should be your source USB flash drive.

2. From the “To” dropdown, select the other flash drive you want to use as the target drive.

Select the target USB flash drive

Third, set the disk cloning options, where you can exclude files or folders as needed.

Finally, click the Start button to begin the cloning operation.

In summary

That's all there is to it for cloning a USB drive to another USB drive on Windows or Mac. Hopefully, you now understand the difference between copying and cloning. In this article, we've listed how to copy a USB to USB and how to clone a USB to your computer. Choose the method that suits you best and get started right away!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) on Copying a USB Flash Drive to Another USB Flash Drive

How do I clone a USB drive in Windows 10?

To clone a USB on Windows, you can use third-party tools like Todo Backup. Its cloning feature will create a 1:1 copy of the USB. Connect both your old and new USBs to your computer, run Todo Backup, and follow these steps to clone a USB in Windows 10.

Can two USB drives be combined into one?

It's possible to format and partition the drives to combine the two flash drives, but we don't recommend it, as it can be risky and may lead to data loss.