Samsung Data Migration: Clone Larger HDD to Smaller SSD

User case: Samsung Data Migration to smaller SSD

“On a friend's computer, I need to migrate applicationsdata from a 1TB HDD to a 500GB SSD. Does the Samsung data migration tool allow me to migrate data from a larger HDD to a smaller SSD if the source usage data fits the capacity of the smaller volume? The laptop hasn't arrived yet and the SSD hasn't been purchased yet. If a larger 1TB capacity SSD is eventually necessary, then other laptop upgrades will have to be eliminated to balance the upgrade budget.”

Samsung Data Migration is a data migration designed for Samsung SSD products, including Samsung SSD 470 series, 750 series, 830 series, 840 series, 850 series, 950 series 960 series and 970 series. And you can shift all your existing files and programs from your current HDD or SSD to a new Samsung drive.

If you don't mind excluding some files to free up disk space on larger HDD, you can migrate a large HDD to a smaller Samsung SSD and boot from it succesully. The stepwise guide is below.

Migrate HDD to smaller SSD with Samsung Data Migration

Step 1. Connect the new Samsung SSD to your computer with Windows installed. If it is a laptop, you need a SATA-to-USB cable or adapter.

Step 2. Download Samsung Data Migration software from Samsung’s website. And then THIS software, it will automatically scan the local hard disk.

If the Samsung Data Migration not detecting SSD, please click the Refresh button to rescan disk. 

Step 3. By default, this software only clones system disk, you just need to select the new Samsung SSD drive as the target disk. Afterward, click Start to perform Samsung Data Migration to smaller SSD in Windows 10.

★Tips:

The cloning speed may vary depending on computer specifications and the operating environment.    

 When the cloning process is complete, the computer will automatically shut down after 20 seconds.

This software cannot clone an encrypted drive unless you decrypt it with a password. 

Practical method to migrate HDD to Smaller SSD in Windows 10

Since Samsung Data Migration has many limitations and it requires you to exclude some files if you want to migrate HDD to smaller SSD, it's suggested to use a practical cloning software. AOMEI Backupper Standard is a good option, it will take care of this disk capacity issue by its cloning method.

By default, it uses the Intelligent Clone feature, which clone only used sectors. Thus, you can easily clone large HDD to smaller SSD with secure boot. And you can choose to ONLY migrate OS to smaller SSD if there is really not enough space.  Either way, you can enjoy the following advantages:

• It supports all kinds of Samsung SSD and other brands SSD like Western Digital, Seagate, and so on.
• it is capable of accelerating the read and write speed of SSD disk.
• It can be used on diffrent operating system, including Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista. For server users, consider using AOMEI Backupper Server.

With so many advantages, you won’t worry about problems and limitations you might meet in Samsung Data Migration tool. To get started, please download this software and have a try!

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Backupper Standard. Then, click Clone and select Disk Clone.

Step 2. Select the source disk that you want to clone., and click Next.

Step 3. Select the smaller SSD as destination disk and then click Next. 

Then, you will be told the destination disk will be overwritten, please backup files in advance. Otherwise, your data will be deleted after cloning. 

Step 4. Check "SSD Alignment" to optimize the read and write speed of the SSD. Then, Click "Start Cloning" to clone larger HDD to smaller SSD in Windows 10. 

✍ Important tip: 

This free version of AOMEI Backupper only supports cloning system disk between two MBR disks. If you want to clone MBR disk to GPT, GPT to MBR, or GPT to GPT, please upgrade to the Professional edition. 

So, now the question is what is MBR or GPT and how do I differentiate between them?

Both MBR and GPT are two different disk types for data storage. And you can check its disk properties in the Disk Management. The overall steps are below:

• Press Win + R to open the Run window. Then, type diskmgmt.msc and hit OK to open disk management.
• Then, right-click the disk you want to clone and select Properties in the pop-up window.
• In the Properties window, select the Volume tab and confirm the partition style. It can be MBR (Master Boot Record) or GPT (GUID Partition Table).

• Similarly, check the disk partition tyle of destination disk. If it is still MBR, you can clone larger HDD to smaller SSD for free. 

FAQs and Solutions for SDM

Can I Clone Hard Drive from MBR to GPT or GPT to GPT?   

No, SDM only supports backing up hard disk from MBR to MBR.

Can I Clone the Disk to Other Brands SSDs Such as Kingston SSD, Western Digital SSD, and Corsair SSD?

No, SDM only supports Samsung SSD.

Why I Can’t Run SDM on My Windows 11 Computer?

SDM only supports Windows 7 SP1, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10.

Summary

Samsung Data Migration requires you to exclude some files if you want to perform Samsung Data Migration to smaller SSD with it. That's to say, if the destination disk needs to be larger than or equal to source disk at least. Thus, it's suggested to use a pratical disk cloning software to clone larger HDD to smaller SSD.

AOMEI Backupper Standard is a good option, since it takes care of the disk capacity issues when the target SSD is smaller. And it still allows you to clone all kinds of SSD disks, not limited to Samsung SSD, and boost performance of SSD disk. If there is really not enough space, you can still try System Clone feature and  perform Samsung Data Migration OS only. To enjoy this feature, you need to upgrade to higher editions.