SuppressLint: Updated by Linda on Nov 08, 2021, posted in Disk/Partition Clone | How-to Guides

Are you looking for ways to clone NVMe to SATA SSD? If yes, you have come to the right place! We understand that the need for better performance, higher memory, and transfer speeds could be one of the reasons behind your requirement for such a process.

However, users usually try to clone a SATA SSD to NVMe. But can you do it the other way around? This guide will answer such questions and provide solutions.

Yes, you can clone an NVMe SSD to a SATA SSD. To do this, you will need a cloning software tool, a USB-to-SATA adapter or a SATA-to-USB cable, and possibly an external enclosure for the SATA SSD if it's not already installed in your computer. Here's a general guide on how to proceed: 1. **Backup Data**: Before starting any cloning process, ensure that you have a backup of all important data on both drives. 2. **Connect Drives**: Connect your SATA SSD to your computer using the USB-to-SATA adapter or SATA-to-USB cable. If it's an external enclosure, connect that instead. 3. **Download Cloning Software**: You can use free tools like Clonezilla, Macrium Reflect (for Windows), or Disk Utility (for macOS). Alternatively, some commercial software like Acronis True Image or Paragon Backup & Recovery offer more advanced features. 4. **Run Cloning Software**: Install and launch the cloning software. Look for an option like "Clone," "Disk Copy," or "Image Disk." 5. **Select Source and Destination**: In the software, choose your NVMe SSD as the source drive and the SATA SSD as the destination drive. 6. **Start Cloning**: Initiate the cloning process. Make sure to select options that preserve partitions and bootability if necessary. 7. **Wait for Completion**: The cloning process may take some time depending on the size of the data on the NVMe SSD. Be patient and don't interrupt the process. 8. **Verify Data**: After cloning is complete, verify the data on the SATA SSD to ensure everything has been cloned correctly. 9. **Boot from SATA SSD**: If you're replacing the NVMe SSD, disconnect the original drive, and make the SATA SSD your primary boot drive in your system settings. Remember that cloning transfers all data, including the operating system, applications, and files. So, the SATA SSD should function similarly to the NVMe SSD after the cloning process.

Answer: Yes, you can clone between two SSDs. Whether it's from an NVMe SSD to a SATA SSD or the other way around.

This is almost like cloning an HDD drive to an SSD, except you may need to adjust BIOS settings to choose the boot device. You will also want to check that the NVMe driver uses either MBR or GPT boot modes, as your new SATA SSD must use the same boot settings. The section below will explain in more detail how to clone NVMe to SATA SSD.

Clone NVMe SSD to SATA SSD

How to Clone an NVMe SSD to a SATA SSD

Learning how to clone NVMe to SATA SSD is not difficult at all. If you have already cloned from HDD to SSD, then you might find this process quite familiar.

Step 1: Back up all important data on the NVMe SSD drive

First, make a full backup of your NVMe SSD. This ensures that your data is safe even if something goes wrong during the cloning process. Note that backing up your data to an external drive is not the same as manually copying system files. Your best bet is to use a backup tool like to avoid potential boot issues or program failures later on.

Step 2: Connect both hard drives to the same computer

The next step is to ensure that both the NVMe and the new SATA SSD are connected to the same computer. There are two ways to do this:

    - When both NVMe and SATA SSD drives are external: Connect both drives to your laptop or desktop using USB adapters. - When one drive is built-in: Use a screwdriver and a SATA cable to connect the external drive. However, it's recommended that the internal drive be the one you intend to use for booting your system afterward. If not, you might encounter issues when trying to boot from the newly cloned disk.

Don't forget to initialize your SATA SSD as MBR or GPT. This way, “Windows Boot Manager” will be set as the boot device.

Step 3: Download a disk cloning tool

We recommend using Disk Copy for its versatility. With just a few clicks, the process becomes more straightforward for users unfamiliar with how to clone NVMe to SATA SSD. Additionally, the software offers other features such as:

Tool: Data Recovery Wizard

  • Upgrade HDD to a larger HDD/SSD
  • Clone Windows operating system to another disk without reinstallation
  • Replace a failed hard drive without losing data
  • Adjust disk layout

Download and install the software, then follow the guide to clone NVMe to SATA SSD.

Note: Make sure you launch the disk cloning utility first to complete the disk copy or cloning process.

Step 1: Download, install, and run the Disk Copy tool on your computer. Click on the Disk Mode, then select the source disk that you wish to copy or clone. Click Next to proceed.

Note: If you want to clone or copy the source disk sector by sector, the target disk should be the same size as or larger than the source disk.

Select the source disk to clone

Step 2. Select the target disk to which you want to clone/copy the old disk, then click “Next” to proceed. If prompted, click “OK” to confirm erasing the data on the target disk.

Select the destination disk to clone or copy to

Step 3: Review and edit the disk layout, selecting "Autofit to disk," "Match source," or "Edit disk layout." Choose "Autofit to disk" if in doubt.

The "Copy source" option copies the partition layout from the source disk to the target disk. Editing the disk layout allows you to manually adjust the size of partitions on the target disk or move their position.

If your target disk is an SSD, check the “Target is SSD” box.

Click Continue to start the disk clone or disk copy process immediately.

Finish copying or cloning to the new disk.

Conclusions

Now you know how to clone an NVMe SSD to a SATA SSD on your computer. Next time someone asks if they can clone an NVMe SSD to a SATA SSD, your answer should be a confident yes. The key is knowing the right tool, such as the Disk Copy utility we recommended. Apart from cloning, this software offers many other features that make it a worthwhile choice. You can visit the product page to get started.