Clonezilla is a free tool renowned for its excellent disk imaging and cloning capabilities. It supports cloning HDDs or SSDs on both Windows and Linux. It simplifies the system cloning process and offers reliable backup and recovery options. Hence, many users download Clonezilla to help them clone their hard drives.

But is Clonezilla safe, and does it really have all the features you're looking for? This article will introduce Clonezilla, how to use Clonezilla, as well as some Clonezilla alternatives. Let's dive right in.

#1 How to Use Clonezilla to Clone an HDD or SSD Clonezilla is an open-source disk cloning and backup tool suitable for both personal and enterprise users. Here's how to clone a hard drive (HDD) or solid-state drive (SSD) using Clonezilla: 1. **Download and Prepare Clonezilla:** - Visit the [Clonezilla official website](https://clonezilla.org/) to download the latest Clonezilla Live ISO image. - Create a Clonezilla bootable USB: Use tools like Rufus or Etcher to write the ISO image onto a USB drive. 2. **Set up Your Computer:** - Insert the Clonezilla USB into your computer and restart. - Enter BIOS/UEFI settings, set the boot order to boot from USB, then save and exit. 3. **Boot into Clonezilla:** - The computer will boot from the Clonezilla USB and display its graphical interface. 4. **Choose Language and Mode:** - Select your preferred language, then in the main menu, choose "start" to begin the cloning process. 5. **Source and Target Devices:** - In the "device-device" mode, select the source device (the HDD or SSD to be cloned) and the target device (where the copy will be received). - Make sure the target device has a capacity equal to or greater than the source device. 6. **Partition Selection:** - If you want to clone only one partition, choose "partclone" and specify the source and target partitions. - To clone the entire disk, select the "dd" option. 7. **Start Cloning:** - Review and confirm the cloning options, then proceed with the cloning process as prompted. - This may take some time depending on the size and speed of the source device. 8. **Verify the Clone:** - After the cloning is complete, you can choose to verify if the target device matches the source device. 9. **Safely Remove Devices:** - Close Clonezilla, safely remove the Clonezilla USB, and disconnect the source and target devices. 10. **Install the Target Hard Drive:** - Replace or connect the target HDD/SSD to the original location, then boot your computer to check if the cloning was successful. Make sure to back up important data before cloning, just in case any issues arise during the process. While Clonezilla is reliable, there are always potential risks with any cloning operation.

Clonezilla offers “device to image” and “device to device” cloning modes, both of which are command-line based. As a free and open-source disk imaging and disk cloning software, Clonezilla seems adequate for most people's needs to clone a hard drive or partition for free.

Let's go through a very simple guide on how to clone your hard drive with Clonezilla.

Step 1. Download Clonezilla Live and prepare a bootable medium as needed.

Download Clonezilla

Step 2. Connect the second hard drive to your computer and boot from the Clonezilla Live USB or DVD you created. When Clonezilla first loads, accept the default settings by pressing Enter.

Enter Clonezilla

Step 3: To launch the cloning wizard, you will need to go through a series of configurations. Choose your language, select the default option “Don't touch the keyboard mapping” when asked, and choose “Start Clonezilla” when prompted to select between “Start Clonezilla” or “Enter Shell.”

Boot into Clonezilla

Step 4. Choose the cloning mode, which can be "Device to Image" or "Device to Device."

Select the device to clone or create an image from.

Step 5: Press Enter again to get to the Clonezilla main menu. Clonezilla will ask you if you want to use "Simple" or "Expert" mode. Since this is a command-line program, the advanced options are only available in Expert mode. For the sake of simplicity, we'll continue with the wizard in Simple mode for this guide.

Select “Beginner Mode” to clone

Step 6: Choose how to clone the disk. The first option is to make an exact copy of everything on your hard drive; the second option is to clone just one partition to an external drive.

Step 7: Select the source drive to clone. The disk name is the device name in GNV/Linux. The first disk in the system is "hda" or "sda", the second is "hdb" or "sdb", and so on. It can be hard to identify your drive this way, but make sure you choose the right one!

Select the source disk to clone Select the source disk to clone

Step 8. Select the target disk according to its name. All data on the source disk will be copied to this disk.

Select the target disk to clone: Select the target disk to clone

Step 9. Finally, set an option to restart your computer after the clone or later, and start the cloning wizard to begin the process once all your settings are in place.

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3 Reasons to Download Clonezilla Alternative Software

- It has no graphical user interface, which makes it very unfriendly to beginners.

One look at a screenshot of the Clonezilla disk cloning process and you'll probably agree that it's not the most beginner-friendly tool out there. It's all text and command-line based, which can be difficult to illustrate in a guide. And, without a solid grounding in IT knowledge, it's easy to get wrong. Incorrectly cloning your hard drive, or failing halfway through the process, could have disastrous consequences for your system and data!

- Different downloads for computers with Legacy BIOS and those with UEFI-based systems.

Choosing the right Clonezilla version to install on your computer can be tricky. All versions of Clonezilla live support legacy BIOS computers. If your computer is set up to boot in UEFI Secure Boot mode, you must use the AMD64 (X86-64) version of Clonezilla Live (either Debian-based or Ubuntu-based). Most users would not even know which BIOS mode they are using.

- Free and open-source software with no customer support.

Since Clonezilla doesn't offer any customer support, you're on your own if something goes wrong, and you'll have to search the forums for answers and solutions. As such, Clonezilla isn't a foolproof method for backing up or cloning your hard drive unless you're confident you can troubleshoot any issues that arise.

Best Clonezilla Alternatives: Top Picks for Seamless Cloning

It would be perfect to have a Clonezilla alternative that makes up for all its shortcomings. The Disk Copy Tool is a reliable disk cloning software for Windows users. You can consider it a full Clonezilla disk cloning alternative that simplifies the entire cloning process with just a few clicks. You can use it to copy data from one hard drive to another and clone a hard drive with bad sectors.

In fact, it surpasses Clonezilla in many ways, apart from ease of use.

First, it is easy to download and install.

Clicking the Download button will install the Disk Copy tool on any version of Windows. It's fully compatible with Windows 11, and it works whether your PC boots via BIOS or UEFI.

- Cloning a hard drive or individual partition is simple. It only takes a few steps.

You don't need to do anything or make any settings for the clone to work; Disk Copy does it all.

Advance Notice:

    • "Sector-by-sector copy" requires the target disk to be the same size or larger than the source disk. Uncheck this option if you want to clone a large hard drive to a smaller one. • All data on the target disk will be completely erased. Proceed with caution.
Select the source disk and click Next

Step 2: Select another disk as the target disk.

Select the destination disk

Step 3. Check the layout of both disks. You can choose to "Adapt to disk", "Match source" or "Edit layout" to manage the layout of the target disk.

Click OK when a warning message appears
    • "Fit to disk" will apply some modifications to the target disk layout by default, so it can be optimized. • "Copy as is" will not change anything on the target disk and its layout will be the same as the source. • "Edit disk layout" allows you to manually adjust/move the partition layout of the target disk.

Check the "Optimize for SSD" box to ensure your SSD performs at its best.

A warning message appears, telling you that your data will be lost. Confirm the information by clicking OK, and then click Next.

Check disk layout

Step 4: Click “Proceed” to actually perform the task.

Click

Bottom line

As an excellent Clonezilla alternative, Disk Copy stands out with its user-friendly interface, straightforward operation, and versatility, making it the go-to choice for cloning HDD or SSD.

A great alternative to Clonezilla, the **Disk Copy Tool** has many uses. For example, it can help you transfer an operating system from one hard drive to another, create a WinPE boot disk, and even **clone disks of different sizes**. So what are you waiting for? Give it a try!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) About Clonezilla Alternatives

1. Is it safe to clone Windows from HDD to SSD?

Cloning the Windows operating system from an HDD to an SSD is totally safe. However, you'll wanna use a pro cloning software like the Disk Copy tool to get the job done. This kind of tool lets you move your Windows 10 from the HDD to SSD without losing any data and without needing to reinstall Windows.

2. How much does Clonezilla cost?

Clonezilla is a free and open-source disk cloning tool, so you won't have to pay to use it.

3. Can Clonezilla clone to a USB drive?

You can use Clonezilla to clone your system to a USB flash drive. Clonezilla is a free disk cloning software that lets you create an image to copy to a USB drive or external drive in case of a data disaster.