How to Move Windows to Another Drive [Safe & Easy]

Migrating the Windows Operating System to another drive is a daunting task for most Windows users. Thankfully, it can be effortless and quick to transfer Windows to a different drive, be it an HDD or SSD, without requiring a Windows installation, using professional Windows 10 migration tools, as demonstrated below. This tool offers a comprehensive guide to follow, enabling you to swiftly move Windows to another drive or a new HDD/SSD.

Preparations: Get Everything Ready for Installing Windows

Before transferring the Windows OS, there are some preparatory tasks you should complete beforehand. First, connect or install a new hard drive and initialize this hard drive. Consequently, make sure you have a new HDD/SSD and a SATA cable ready.

How to Move Windows to Another Drive - Two Methods

To transfer Windows to another drive, you'll require a dependable operating system migration tool. Here, we have gathered two options for you to try:

Tool Recommendation: To safely migrate or move Windows 10 system files to a new HDD or SSD, Partition Master is your best choice. This tool also facilitates migrating Windows 11 or older systems like Windows 8/7 to a new disk.

Solution 1. Using a Professional Windows Migration Tool

Duration: 25 minutes - 1 hour or so.

Support: OS migration on Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista and Windows servers, from smaller to larger or larger to smaller HDD/SSD.

tools Partition Master Professional can successfully transfer Windows and all the files from the C drive to another new disk without losing data. Additionally, there's no need to reinstall Windows or programs during this process.

#Phase 1. Move Windows to a New Hard Drive (HDD/SSD)

Important: When migrating the operating system to an SSD or HDD, if there's insufficient unallocated space on the target disk, it will delete existing partitions and data on the target disk. If you have important data stored on it, back it up to an external hard drive beforehand.

Step 1. From the left menu, select "Clone." Choose "Migrate OS" and click "Next" to proceed.

Step 2. Select the target disk that you want to move Windows to. Click "Next".

Step 3. Click "Yes" after reading the warning message. This will erase all data and partitions on the target disk. Make sure you have backed up important data beforehand. If not, do so now.

Step 4. Preview the layout of your target disk. Then click "Start" to begin migrating OS to the new disk.

Video Tutorial on How to Migrate Windows to a New Hard Drive:

When the OS migration process is complete, you can proceed to the next step to set Windows 10 to boot from the new disk. Before that, you might find the following article interesting if you also have a Windows 11 computer:

How to Move Windows 11 to Another Drive [100% Secure]

This post guides you through how to move Windows 11 to another drive effortlessly with two efficient methods.

#Phase 2. Configure Windows 10 to Boot from the New Hard Drive

After the OS migration, you must configure the computer to boot Windows 10 from the new hard drive. If you forget, your computer will continue starting up from the old system disk.

Here are the steps to change the boot priority through BIOS to set your operating system to boot from the new hard drive in American English:

Step 1. Restart your PC and press F2/F12/Delete to enter BIOS.

Step 2. Navigate to the Boot section and configure the PC to boot from the new hard drive.

Step 3. Save the changes, exit the BIOS, and restart your computer.

Following this, you can successfully log in to your account and use Windows 10 on the new hard drive or SSD. Note that the above steps also apply to migrating Windows 11 to a new SSD.

Please feel free to share this solution online and assist more of your friends in upgrading their OS disk without re-installing Windows.

Solution 2. Using Windows System Image Manager

Duration: 30 minutes to 1 and a half hours or so.

Support: Operating System migration on Windows 10, from a small disk to a larger SSD/HDD only.

Limits: The new disk must be larger than the original system disk size.

Some experienced Windows users might think about using the built-in Windows System Image tool to move Windows to another drive. While it's free, it's still not a convenient solution for most regular Windows users.

If you insist on doing so, follow these step-by-step instructions to move Windows 10 to another drive in 3 phases:

#Phase 1. Create a Windows 10 System Image

Step 1. Connect an empty external hard drive to your PC.

Step 2. Type Control Panel in the Search box and select to open it. Click "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)".

Step 3. Click "Create a system image," choose the external USB drive as the destination to save the Windows 10 system image, and hit "Next" to proceed.

Step 4. The System and System Reserved partitions will be selected by default. Click "Next" to proceed.

Step 5. Click "Start backup" to create the system image on the USB drive.

?Also Read: How to Migrate Windows 10 to SSD

#Phase 2. Create Windows Media Creation Tool

Step 1. Connect an empty USB flash drive (minimum 8GB) to the PC.

Step 2. Download the Windows 10 installation media and run it as an administrator.

Step 3. On the "What do you want to do?" screen, choose "Create installation media for another PC" and click "Next."

Step 4. Select the language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit) for Windows 10.

Step 5. Select the USB flash drive to use:

Do the two solutions resolve your issue? If you've resolved your problem, please share this article to assist more individuals.

#Phase 3. Restore and Move the Windows System Image to Another New Disk

Step 1. Connect both the Windows 10 installation media and the Windows image backup disk to your PC, then restart it.

Step 2. Press F1, F2, or Del to enter BIOS and set the installation media as the boot device.

Step 3. Restart your PC from the Windows Installation Media, and click "Repair your computer" on the Install Now screen.

Step 4. Go to Advanced options, click "Troubleshoot," and then choose "System Image Recovery."

Step 5. Check "Select a system image" to open the Windows 10 system image disk, then choose it. Click "Next" to proceed.

Step 6. Click "Exclude disks..." to exclude the original system disk, leaving only the new HDD/SSD. Click "OK" to confirm.

Step 7. Click "Next" to initiate the restoration process and wait for it to finish.

Once the system image recovery is complete on the new disk, Windows 10 will restart and boot up.

If Windows 10 fails to boot, proceed to Phase 2 of Solution 1 to configure the new disk as the boot drive. This will allow you to run Windows 10 on the new disk without any problems.

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Conclusion

This page provides a comprehensive guide to assist you in moving Windows to another drive without any data loss or boot issues. For Windows beginners, we recommend using a reliable tool, such as Partition Master, to effortlessly transfer Windows 10 to a new HDD/SSD.

If you have more questions about migrating Windows 10 or transferring the Windows OS to another drive - HDD/SSD, refer to the Further Readings below, and you'll find satisfactory answers.

Further Readings - FAQs about Moving Windows to Another Drive

Here, we compile a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) related to Windows from various forums. If you have similar queries, browse through this section to find the answers you need.

**1. How do I clone Windows 10 to a new SSD?**

As outlined in the comprehensive guide on this page, to clone Windows to a new drive, please follow the guide steps below:

1. Connect the new SSD to the PC using an SATA cable and initialize it (with the same partition style as your OS disk).
2. Download, install, and run tools Partition Master on your PC.
3. Select "Migrate OS to SSD/HDD," and choose the new SSD as the target disk to move Windows 10.
4. Confirm and execute the operation.
5. Insert the new SSD into the computer, restart it, and set the BIOS to boot from the new SSD.

**2. How do I transfer Windows 10 to a USB flash drive?**

Transferring Windows 10 to a USB drive and carrying your operating system around with you is now feasible. Here are the steps to follow:

1. 1. Prepare an empty USB flash drive or external USB drive (external hard drive) with more space than your system drive.
2. 2. Download and run a reliable system migration software. We recommend trying the tool Todo Backup.
3. 3. Launch Todo Backup and select System Clone > Create a Windows portable USB.

Wait for the process to complete. After that, you can take the USB drive to any computer and boot your Windows 10 OS on the new computer. For a more in-depth guide, refer to "Transfer Windows 10 to a USB Flash Drive" for assistance.

3. How do I perform a clean installation of the Windows operating system, such as Windows 10, on an SSD?

There are two methods to install an operating system, such as Windows 10, onto an SSD. As recommended on this page, one can utilize the "Migrate OS" feature in the Partition Master tool to migrate or transfer Windows 10 to the SSD.

The other approach is to perform a clean installation of Windows 10 on the SSD using the following steps:

1. Download the media creation tool from Microsoft.
2. Run the downloaded tool, select "Create installation media for another PC," and click "Next."
3. Choose "Language, Edition, and Architecture for Windows 10" and click "Next."
4. Select the USB Flash drive.
5. Insert the USB drive into the PC and click "Next."
6. Once the drive is selected, the tool will begin downloading Windows 10, which may take a few minutes to complete.
7. Connect the USB drive to the Windows 7/8 PC and run it from Explorer; click on "Setup."
8. When you reach the "Ready to Install" screen, click "Change" to keep your files and choose "Nothing." Then click "Next."

Follow the on-screen tutorial to complete the Windows 10 installation process.

4. How do you move installed programs to another drive in Windows 7?

To transfer installed programs and apps to another drive in Windows 7, you can try either of these two options:

1. Transfer programs and program data to another drive using PC Transfer software. 2. Manually copy and move installed program files, such as .exe, to another drive.

For more detailed instructions, refer to Transfer Installed Programs to New Hard Drive for assistance.