Clone Hard Drive to Bigger One without Reinstalling Windows and Programs

Linda Updated on December 6, 2021 to Disk/Partition Clone | User Guide

What you need to clone a hard drive to a larger one

Do you often run out of hard drive space, preventing you from upgrading your software, applications, OS, or storing more data? If you're facing this problem and have decided to get a new hard drive, reinstalling everything – especially the OS and all your apps on the new hard drive – can be a huge undertaking. Fortunately, using a disk cloning tool can save you the trouble of reinstalling everything on your new hard drive.

Here's everything you need to prepare for before upgrading to a larger drive:

1. A method for connecting two hard drives to a computer

If you're using a desktop, you might be able to clone the drive by installing the new one alongside the old one. However, laptops don't have room for two drives at once, so you'll need a SATA-to-USB cable to connect your larger HDD or SSD to the laptop via USB. Alternatively, you can install the new drive in an external hard drive enclosure, which will replace the need for the USB cable.

#2. Tool – Disk Copy – Your Best Choice for Disk Cloning

Disk Copy is often seen as the epitome in the disk cloning market. First off, it provides users with the most efficient way to clone not just the entire hard drive, but also individual partitions to other partitions. With an array of built-in features, you can migrate your OS with one click, upgrade your hard drive, clone HDD to SSD, and even replace a failed disk without booting Windows.

It's too easy to use a cloning utility to copy an old disk to a larger one.

Video Tutorial: How to Clone Your Hard Drive to a Larger HDD/SSD

For a step-by-step guide, watch and follow this video to clone your hard drive to a larger HDD or SSD:

How to Clone a Hard Drive to a Larger One Using Disk Cloning Tools

Using a disk copy tool is straightforward and safe. You can use it freely anytime you need to upgrade your hard drive from old to new, small to big, or from an HDD to a more reliable SSD.

Follow these steps to clone your hard drive to a larger one without needing to reinstall Windows and your programs:

Step 1: Choose "Disk Mode", and then select the smaller hard drive as the source disk.

Step 2: Select the hard drive with large capacity to save data, and then click “Next”.

Step 3: A warning message will appear, stating that the data on the target disk will be overwritten. If there is no important data on the target disk, click “OK” to proceed.

Step 4: Change the disk layout if needed, and click “Continue” to proceed with the installation.

• "Auto Resize partitions": Resizes partitions according to the size of the target disk for optimized performance. • "Copy as source disk": Preserves all settings of the target disk and makes its layout identical to the source disk. • "Edit partition layout": Allows you to manually adjust/move the partition layout of the target disk.

Step 5: Wait for the process to complete.

Frequently Asked Questions about Cloning Hard Drives

**1. Can I clone a larger hard drive to a smaller SSD?**

Make sure the used space on your hard drive is less than the total capacity of the SSD. Right-click on the hard drive in File Explorer on Windows and select Properties to see how much space is used. If the used space is within the capacity of the SSD, download a disk cloning tool to clone the larger hard drive to the smaller SSD.

2. How do I upgrade to a bigger hard drive?

With the smaller HDD cloned to the larger one, you can now safely remove the old drive from your computer. Next, replace the old drive with the larger one.

How to Clone a Laptop Hard Drive?

To clone your laptop's hard drive to a new one, you'll need a SATA-to-USB cable or an external hard drive enclosure to connect the new drive to your laptop. Then, follow the disk cloning guide above for your laptop.