How to Clone A Hard Drive (to SSD) on Windows 11 2025

Stay and dig into this article if you are having a similar case as listed here：

• "How can I clone hard drive to SSD on Windows 11?" - a user (Idisorao) from Microsoft Community
• "How to make a clone of Windows 11 on a larger SSD" - a user (Albert Grimes) from Microsoft Answers
• "What's the best way to clone a Windows 11 drive?" - a redditor (predtech) from reddit.com

You'll get an ultimate and complete guide on how to clone disks in Windows 11, even if you are a starter:

Must-do List Before Disk Cloning on Windows 11

Here are a bunch of tips you should know before letting the clone happen smoothly. Don't skip it for data protection.

What Else Do I Need for Disk Cloning? Check Bonus Tips Here

The key to successful disk cloning on Windows 11, here are the top 3 elements you'll still need to further be aware of:

 No.1 Download Reliable Disk Cloning Software on Windows 11 PC

To ease you from cloning an HDD to SSD in Windows 11, EaseUS Partition Master deserves your trust. It works to clone 1TB HDD to 2TB SSD, clone a larger HDD to a smaller SSD, and a smaller disk to a larger one, etc. Click the button to get it now.

PLUS: Its free edition even allows you to clone hard drive to SSD for free in a partition cloning mode.

No.2 Initialize New Hard Drive/SSD in Windows 11:

Step 1. Right-click on the Windows icon at the taskbar and click "Disk Management" from the result. Right-click the source disk and select "Properties", then check if the partition style is MBR or GPT at the "Volumes" tab.

Step 2. Connect the hard drive to the computer via a SATA Adapter cable or USB 3.0. Check if the new disk is shown on Disk Management.

Step 3. Right-click the HDD or SSD you want to initialize. Choose "Initialize Disk" from the menu. In the Initialize Disk window, set your selected disk as "MBR" or "GPT".

No.3 Charge Your PC or Leave Enough Battery (50% or more)

The last important thing is to check whether your computer has enough battery left; make sure there is more than 50% battery left. Or, connect the power cable and charge your PC instantly.

A few people still don't know how to initialize a hard drive for their PC. Click the button and share this article with them.

How to Clone A Hard Drive on Windows 11

So, how do you clone a hard drive to a new one on Windows 11? Here, EaseUS Partition Master provides you with 2 cloning modes - partition mode and disk mode - to execute the cloning task and transfer everything from the old hard drive to the new disk.

Here is a quick guide for you to choose:

🔖PLUS: If you are planning to clone an OS disk, make sure you follow the Boot Drive Reconfiguration Process to make the new disk as the boot drive to load Windows 11 boot up normally.

Method 1. Clone an Entire Hard Drive in Windows 11

• Applies to: Clone an entire hard drive or SSD to a new HDD/SSD
• Estimated Duration of Disk Cloning: 30 minutes or more, depending on your disk data size.

Step 1. Select the source disk.

• Click the "Clone" from the left menu. Select the "Clone OS Disk" or "Clone Data Disk"  and click "Next".
• Choose the source disk and click "Next".

Step 2. Select the target disk.

• Choose the wanted HDD/SSD as your destination and click "Next" to continue.
• Read Warning message and confirm "Yes" button.

Step 3. View the disk layout and edit the target disk partition size. 

Then click "Continue" when the program warns it will wipe out all data on the target disk. (If you have valuable data on the target disk, back up it in advance.)

You can select "Autofit the disk", "Clone as the source" or "Edit disk layout" to customize your disk layout. (Select the last one if you want to leave more space for C drive.)

Step 4. Click "Start" to start the disk cloning process.

Method 2. Clone Partition on Disk in Windows 11 Free

• Applies to: Clone partitions one by one to a target disk - HDD or SSD
• Estimated Duration of Disk Cloning: 30 minutes or more, depending on your disk data size.

EaseUS Partition Master Free Edition enables users to clone HDD to SSD for free in partition cloning mode. The process could be a bit more complex than the disk cloning mode. Check how to clone partition free with several clicks:

Step 1. In EaseUS Partition Master, select "Disk Clone" from the left menu. Click "Clone Partition" and "Next".

Step 2. Select the source partition you want to clone from and click "Next".

Step 3. Choose your the target partition and click "Next "to continue.

• If you clone partition to the existing partition, you should transfer or back up data before cloning to prevent it being overwritten.
• Check warning message and confirm "Yes".

Step 4. Click Start and wait for the clone to complete.

You can check how to clone partition or system reserved partition on this video tutorial.

Once you are done with the cloning procedure, if it's a data disk drive, you can open and view its content via File Explorer. However, if it's an OS disk, continue with the next tutorial to set it up and make the new disk a boot drive to allow your PC to boot up normally.

Configure and Boot Windows 11 from the New Hard Drive

Step 1. Insert the new HDD/SSD on the computer

• Use a screwdriver to open the computer case.
• Use a SATA cable to connect the cloned disk to the PC.

Step 2. Restart PC and enter F2/F8/Del to enter BIOS.

Step 3. Click the Arrow key to see the new disk as a boot drive and save changes.

Then you can restart the PC, if your computer boots from the new SSD successfully, congratulations. And you can stop here. Don't forget to share this complete guide to help more of your friends online:

Bonus Tip: Verify If the Cloning Is Complete and Successful

Some advanced users may know the after-steps to verify if the cloning process has been completed and finished. But some may not. So, here is a complete guide for you to follow:

• ✅Verify if the cloned disk contains all data: check all files transferred, whether partition size matches, try to open files, etc.
• ✅Test if the disk can boot normally: set the PC to boot from the new disk (if you cloned an OS disk), test if the system startup is all right, and notice if the boot up is at a normal speed. 
• ✅Run apps and test system features: Launch installed applications, test the system features, and verify if network connection and peripheral devices are all good.  
• ✅Verify performance: test and check disk read/write speed, check disk space and response, etc.

If you have further issues with the cloned hard drive, refer to the solutions provided in the next section.

Troubleshooting: Windows 11 Hard Drive Cloning Failure Errors

If you have come across some disk cloning issues, refer to the fixes listed below for help.

#1. Cloned Hard Drive Won't Boot

Well, if you are experiencing a cloned disk not booting issue, stay chill. EaseUS technical support team is here to offer you solutions and remote assistance to get rid of this issue instantly. 

#2. Target Disk Doesn't Have Sufficient Space to Start the Cloning

This issue often occurs when your target drive has a smaller storage capacity than your source disk. So, let's assume that you've already got the new disk home and don't want to replace it with a bigger one, the best solution to this issue is to clean up some free space on the source disk.

Here is what you can do here:

• Run Disk Cleanup to free up your C drive space 
• Uninstall some useless or big applications in advance
• Move big files and folders to an external hard drive as a backup
• Empty Recycle Bin and Downloads folders, etc.
• Defrag hard drive

If you need a detailed guide, refer to the links here:

#3. It's Too Slow to Clone a Hard Drive

Some of you may have a similar case as listed here:

• Cloning HDD to SSD is taking forever (7hrs+) should I let it keep running- a user from Reddit
• Hard drive cloning stuck - a user from Reddit
• Trying to clone my hard drive to a newer one, but everything I have tried is either too slow or just quits - a user from Superuser

Here is a what-to-do list for you:

1. 1️⃣ If you have started the cloning for a very long period, and the cloning is almost finished, wait patiently and don't stop the process.
2. 2️⃣ Select a reliable disk cloning software that is fully compatible with your OS and even supports cloning disk drives with bad sectors. 
3. 3️⃣ Clean up disk, uninstall useless applications, and defrag your HDD before cloning.
4. 4️⃣ Update the system, upgrade firmware, and install the latest disk drive drivers.
5. 5️⃣ Close all running programs and disable antivirus before cloning.

Once you get all things done, you can restart the cloning procedure as shown above and you'll get a faster and smoother procedure in cloning your disk drive to the new HDD or SSD. 

Also, don't forget to share the above tips to help more friends around you to get rid of similar disk cloning failure error with success:

Final Thoughts

In this article, we've introduced how to use EaseUS Partition Master to clone a hard drive to another new HDD or SSD in Windows 11. Alongside this,  it also can clone a hard drive from Windows 10 to Windows 11. If you want to upgrade your computer from the old OS version to the newest one. Don't hesitate. If you have any questions, please contact us by online chat.

Apart from getting a reliable disk cloning software, it's also vital for you to consider and get everything ready when you plan to clone disk drives, including:

• Disk Size: Your computer should support the new disk size.
• Update PC: Before cloning, update your disk firmware, check the disk connection type, close all running programs, etc. During cloning, don't interrupt the procedure. After cloning, change the boot sequence, update disk drivers, update the system, align SSD, etc.
• Disk Maintenance: Defrag HDD to gain better performance, monitor disk health regularly, and enable antivirus.

FAQs About Clone Hard Drive on Windows 11

If you have more questions about cloning disk in Windows 11, follow and find answers here below:

1. How do I clone a Windows 11 disk for free?

• Connect a new disk to Windows 11.
• Launch EaseUS Partition Master Free, go to the Clone section, and click "Clone Partition."
• Select the existing partition on Windows 11 disk and, select a destination disk, click "Next".
• Click "Next" and click "Execute Task".

Repeat all the processes to clone all existing partitions on Windows 11 to the new disk drive.

2. What is the best cloning software for Windows 11?

Here is a list of the top 5 best OS cloning software that you can pick for cloning Windows 11:

• EaseUS Partition Master
• EaseUS Todo Backup
• Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office
• Clonezilla

3. How do I clone my entire hard drive?

• Connect a new disk to your computer.
• Launch EaseUS Partition Master, go to the Clone selection.
• Select "Clone disk" and click "Next".
• Select the source disk and the destination disk, and click "Next".
• Then, click "Execute Task".

4. Does Windows have a disk cloning tool?

No, Windows only has a built-in system backup utility named Windows Backup and Restore. It allows Windows users to create a system backup image and restore the system when an unexpected system crash, failure, or boot issue occurs. 

5. Windows Backup and Restore vs Disk Cloning Software:  what's the difference between cloning disks in Windows 11?

Here, we'll take EaseUS Partition Master and Windows Backup and Restore as examples to show you the differences: