How to Use Acronis to Clone a Hard Drive | Steps & Alternative

This guide will explain how to use Acronis True Image clone disk and recommend a reliable disk cloning software alternative - EaseUS Disk Copy.

Acronis True Image is a professional tool for creating hard disk clones and images. It allows you to replicate operating systems, hard drives, and partitions and manage backup recovery. Additionally, it supports creating bootable USB drives or CDs/DVDs.

This EaseUS guide will show you how to use Acronis clone disk in detail and offer a more professional disk cloning tool for disk cloning!

Preparations for Cloning Disk with Acronis

Before cloning drive with Acronis, to ensure a foolproof cloning process, please pay attention to the following things:

1. OS: Windows

2. Disk: Both source and target disks are basic disks like MBR and GPT, not dynamic disks.

3. Compatibility: Drive compatibility, drive interface, file system, etc.

4. Sector size: The same logical sector size is necessary. Press Win+R to open the Run dialog box. Type msinfo32 and press Enter or click on the OK icon. Navigate to Components > Storage > Disks > Bytes/Sector.

5. Tools: A SATA port or a SATA-to-USB adapter to connect the drive

6. Back up data: Back up all the data on your drives to avoid losing data.

7. Check disk: Run disk detection and repair tools to ensure disk health.

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How to Use Acronis to Clone a Hard Drive

This part will show you Acronis true image how to clone in detail. It's important to avoid interrupting the cloning process to prevent any potential data damage or loss. If you encounter any problems during the cloning process, please refer to the troubleshooting section in the Acronis documentation.

Step 1. Visit the Acronis official website and receive its download link via email.

Step 2. Download and install the Acronis app according to your device.

Step 3. Launch Acronis True Image and navigate to Tools > Clone Disk.

Step 4. Select the Automatic mode (recommended) or Manual mode as needed.

Step 5. Select the source disk and the destination disk.

If the destination disk is partitioned, allow the software to erase all data on the destination disk.

Tip: Before deleting, make sure your data is backed up, otherwise it won't be repairable.

Step 6. Choose the corresponding cloning method based on your cloning goals.

Step 7. Review the Summary of cloning information and click Proceed. If prompted to reboot, click Reboot to continue the cloning process.

Step 8. Once done, you can check the data you have transferred. If you clone the OS, please boot your system from the newly cloned disk to ensure everything is working well.

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Use the Acronis True Image Alternative

Some users reported that Acronis may have compatibility issues with certain hardware configurations. To gain a seamless cloning experience, you can use disk cloning software alternative to Acronis True Image, such as EaseUS Disk Copy, to clone drives without losing data on your Windows PCs.

This disk cloning tool supports cloning HDD to SSD, HDD to HDD, SSD to M.2 SSD, and even cloning partitions. Additionally, this disk clone software can easily create a bootable disk for booting your new computer.

Highlights

• Simple to use and efficient disk cloning tool
• Transfer OS to a new hard drive without reinstalling OS
• Supports cloning small disk to large disk or large hard disk to small hard disk
• Clone disk with bad sectors, skipping error areas to minimize data loss

Meanwhile, it's worth noting that this cloning tool's download and installation time is shorter than that of Acronis.

Here are the steps on how to use this Acronis cloning software alternative to clone disks:

Prior Notice:

• The "Sector by sector copy" asks the size of your destination disk to be at least equal to or larger than that of the source disk. Leave this feature unchecked if you wish to clone a larger hard disk to a smaller hard disk.
• All data on the destination disk will be completely erased, so take care.

Step 1. To start copying/cloning an entire disk to another, choose this disk as the source disk under "Disk Mode" and click "Next".

Step 2. Choose the other disk as the destination disk.

Step 3. Check the disk layout of the two disks. You can manage the disk layout of the destination disk by selecting "Autofit the disk", "Copy as the source" or "Edit disk layout". 

• "Autofit the disk" makes some changes by default on the destination disk layout so that it can work at its best status.
• "Copy as the source"does not change anything on destination disk and the layout is the same as source disk.
• "Edit disk layout" allows you to manually resize/move partition layout on this destination disk.

Tick the "Check the option if the target is SSD" option to put your SSD in its best performance.

A message now appears, warning you that data will be lost. Please confirm this message by clicking "OK" and then click "Next".

Step 4. Click "Proceed" to officially execute the task.

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Conclusion

This comprehensive guide tells you how to use Acronis cloning software to clone drives. At the same time, EaseUS Disk Copy, a more straightforward, easier-to-use, and professional cloning software, is also a better choice for cloning HDD to SSD, SSD to HDD, or cloning boot disk. Now, download this Acronis True Image Alternative to experience seamless cloning.

How to Use Acronis to Clone Disk FAQs

1. How long does it take to clone a hard drive with Acronis?

The time to clone a hard drive with Acronis depends on the drive size and transfer speed. For example:

• A 500GB drive at 100MB/s may take about 1.5 hours.
• A 1TB drive could take 3 to 6 hours.

2. Can I use Acronis to clone to a smaller disk?

Yes, you can use Acronis to clone to a smaller disk. Acronis will automatically resize the partitions proportionally to fit the new disk.

3. Why is Acronis clone so slow?

The main reasons why Acronis cloning is slow include:

• The hard disk read and write speed is slow, or the overall system performance is insufficient.
• The hard disk data to be cloned is too large.
• The external hard drive connection is unstable, or the interface speed is limited.
• Interference from other programs or file permission issues cause cloning to be stuck.

If the issue persists, you can use another cloning tool like EaseUS Disk Copy, offering a more efficient cloning experience.