How to Clone a Linux HDD to an SSD Without Reinstalling

Before diving into the details of the methods, let's see the difference between cloning Linux HDD to SSD.

Is there a reliable way to clone a Linux HDD to an SSD?

Now, there are still millions of users running Linux or a dual-boot system. However, there are far fewer de facto standards for Linux apps than for Windows. For instance, when a Linux user wants to clone Linux HDD to SSD, it's not that easy to find compatible or dedicated Linux disk cloning software.

You might ask how to clone Linux disk to SSD? To save your precious time, we will introduce you to two reliable methods – disk cloning tools and the dd command.

Most of the time, experienced Linux users would suggest you use the 'dd' command to clone Linux HDD to SSD or clone Linux hard drive to a smaller/larger SSD. But can you comprehend what each command does?

Although not Linux-based, the disk cloning tool supports Linux disks and can easily replace the dd command for cloning a Linux hard drive in an automated way. With just a few clicks, you can easily, quickly, and simply transfer the contents of one hard drive to another.

How to Clone a Linux Drive to an SSD with Disk Cloning Software

AOMEI Backupper is a famous disk cloning software for Windows OS, which fully supports HDD to SSD cloning. Therefore, you can:

• Clone Hard Drive for backup and restoration purposes.
• Easily migrate the operating system from HDD to SSD without reinstallation.
• Replace a laptop hard drive without losing data.
• Upgrade a Linux hard drive to a larger one, or migrate from an old disk to a new one.
• Use the sector-by-sector cloning feature to clone a drive with bad sectors.

If you're looking for a Linux HDD to SSD cloning method, Disk Copy should be your go-to tool. On this page, you'll find a step-by-step guide on how to clone HDD to SSD and copy all your Linux installations to the new SSD.

How to Clone Your Linux HDD to an SSD Using Disk Duplication Tools

Cloning your hard drive to an SSD under Linux involves no more than four steps:

1. Clean the source hard drive (optional)
2. Connect the source HDD and target SSD to a desktop or laptop
3. Initialize the SSD (optional)
4. Start cloning Linux HDD with a disk cloning tool

If you enjoyed this article, please share it on your social media platforms to help others find it.

The idea is to clean up your hard drive to reduce the amount of space used on the new SSD, since the clone will be an exact replica of your old drive. You can delete junk files and large, unnecessary files beforehand to keep your cloned drive lean.

Next, connect both hard drives to a PC with Windows using the appropriate method. Desktop computers can usually be connected internally or with a SATA-to-USB cable, while laptop computers will require a cable or an external hard drive enclosure.

By the way, if your SSD is brand new and uninitiated, please try to initialize SSD so that your computer can recognize it smoothly before you start cloning.

Finally, after downloading the Disk Copy tool, we begin cloning the Linux hard drive to the SSD:

Step-by-step guide

Step one: Remove the Linux drive from its computer and connect it to another Windows machine that has both your target SSD and a “disk cloning” utility installed.

Step 2. In Tools > Disk Clone, click on "Disk Mode," then select the source Linux hard drive. At this point, you must check the box in front of "Clone sector by sector" at the bottom left so that you can clone the Linux EXT hard drive to SSD with the same disk layout in Windows. Click "Next" to proceed.

Step 3: Select the target SSD where you want to clone/copy your old disk, then click “Next” to proceed. Check and edit the disk layout, choose to “Adjust partitions automatically”, “Keep the same as source disk”, or “Edit partition layout”. It's recommended to select “Adjust partitions automatically”.

• The "Copy source" option will copy/clone the partition layout of the source disk to the target disk.
• The "Edit disk layout" option allows you to manually adjust or move the partition layout on the target disk.
• If your target disk is an SSD, make sure to check the box that says "Select this option if the target is an SSD."

Click “Start Cloning” to begin the Linux hard drive cloning process. If prompted, click “OK” to confirm that you want to delete any data on the target disk.

Video Tutorial - Cloning a Hard Drive to an SSD

This tutorial also applies if you're cloning an HDD to an SSD on Linux with the Disk Copy tool.

 

Read more:

How to Clone a Linux Hard Drive to an SSD Using the dd Command

In Linux, the `dd` command is a utility in Unix and Unix-like operating systems primarily used for converting and copying files. In Unix systems, hardware devices like hard disk drives and special device files (such as `/dev/zero` and `/dev/random`) appear as regular files within the file system. The `dd` command can be employed to read from these devices or files and write their content elsewhere, along with performing data transformations. This command is quite powerful, but it should be used with caution, as incorrect parameters can lead to data loss.

With an understanding of each of the basic dd command concepts and a clear view of the process, you can move a Linux system and its programs from one disk to another in about 20 steps, more or less.

Steps to clone a Linux hard drive:

How to clone HDD to SSD in Linux? Look here!

In this article, we've shown you two methods to clone a hard drive in Linux. The second method using the dd command might be a bit more complicated, but it does work. If you're new to computers, we recommend using a hard drive cloning software as it's easier to use with a straightforward interface.

If you enjoyed this article, please share it on your social media platforms to help more people see it.

Frequently Asked Questions About "Cloning Linux HDD to SSD"

1. Why won't my SSD boot after cloning?

There could be several reasons why a cloned SSD fails to boot:

• The cloned SSD is not set as the boot disk.
• The SSD is incompatible with the BIOS boot mode.
• The disk cloning process failed or was interrupted.
• A boot partition, boot components, or the clone is incomplete.

**2. Do I need to format the SSD before cloning?**

Before you can use a new SSD, it needs to be initialized and partitioned. These steps aren't necessary if you're cloning an SSD or performing a clean install of your operating system, as the new SSD will be initialized and partitioned through that process.

**3. Is it good to clone the operating system to an SSD?** Yeah, cloning your OS to an SSD is usually a smart move because it can really speed up boot times and how your system runs overall. SSDs (Solid State Drives) are way faster at reading and writing data than regular HDDs (Hard Disk Drives), so your whole system will feel more snappy. Cloning means all your stuff and settings come along for the ride, untouched, so you don't have to bother with reinstalling programs and tweaking settings. Just make sure you use a good cloning tool and do it right to keep your data safe and avoid any compatibility headaches. Once you're cloned, don't forget to update your boot options and system settings so your PC fires up from the new SSD. In short, cloning to an SSD is a solid choice for boosting your computer's performance, just do it right.

Cloning your HDD to an SSD is generally a good idea, and it will help you immensely. If your SSD has files on it, back them up first, because cloning the HDD to the SSD will overwrite everything on the target drive.