Acronis True Image Clone HDD to SSD - How to Guides

This article explains how to start Acronis True Image to clone HDD to SSD and describes the best alternative when it fails.

By @Ivy Last Updated August 9, 2024

Acronis True Image is a reliable cloning software for disk clone and backup. With this software, you can make exact copies of your computer's hard drives, operating system, and disk partitions, ensuring you have a backup plan in case of data loss.

Additionally, Acronis allows you to create bootable USB drives or CDs/DVDs, making it easy to clone disk if needed.

Here we will talk about how to clone hard drive to SSD with it or the best alternative for larger capacity and better performance. Select the one that suits you best.

Clone HDD to New SSD using Acronis True Image 2019

It is a good idea to clone a hard drive to an SSD, but  Windows doesn’t offer any built-in tools for disk clones, users can only use some third-party programs like Acronis True Image. It is an integrated application that enables you to clone basic drives (both MBR and GPT) to one another.

🌟Other Features of Acronis Cloning Software:
  1. It schedules backups whenever you want, giving you control over your data.
  2. It's reliable and has been tested thoroughly, so you can trust it to back up and recover your files quickly.
  3. It can scan the system for hidden threats with its antivirus feature, helping keep your computer safe.

How to Start Acronis True Image to Clone HDD to SSD

Here you can learn how to clone HDD to SSD using Acronis True Image 2019 step by step. Please download and install this software on your computer. Then, you need to create an account and activate this software. A bootable USB is required as well.

❌ Warning: In disk clone, installing a new HDD or SSD in your computer first and connecting your current boot drive via USB is suggested. Otherwise, you will not boot from the new HDD or SSD. As Acronis True Image will apply a bootability fix to the new disk and adjust the boot settings of the target drive to boot from the internal disk.

Step 1. Take out your boot drive and install the new SSD there. Start your computer and boot from the bootable media previously created using Acronis. Then, click Tools and Clone Disk subsequently.

Step 2. Choose whether to use Automatic (recommended) or Manual transfer mode. Then, click Next.

⚠️The former one is recommended for most users, especially for green hands, as it will automatically resize the existing partition to fit the target drive. The latter one is more suitable for professionals.

Step 3. Select the drive that you want to clone. Then, click Next.

Step 4. Select the new SSD as the destination drive and then click Next. You will receive a prompt, saying all the data on the destination disk will be deleted, confirm it and click OK.

Step 5. Click Proceed to have Acronis clone HDD to SSD.

Wait for the process to be completed. Then this program will inform you of the next steps to take.

⚠️Notes:

  • This program cannot be used to clone dynamic disks.

  • Note that the cloned drive will not have a letter within Windows. Once you boot a new device from this drive, a letter will be assigned automatically.

  • Ensure that the target drive has enough capacity to fit the contents of the source drive when using the Acronis True Image clone to a smaller SSD. 

Although you can clone HDD to SSD with Acronis True Image, you may meet software glitches and many cloning issues, such as Acronis True Image not cloning, Acronis True Image not finding the hard drive, Acronis clone disk operation failing, and so on.

If you want a reliable and flexible tool to clone your hard drive to an SSD, you’d better turn to the best alternative to Acronis True Image and learn how to use it.

Clone HDD to SSD within Windows and Make It Bootable (Best Alternative)

Similar to Acronis cloning software like Acronis True Image, AOMEI Backupper Professional is an excellent hard drive or SSD cloning software and can be the best alternative if you don't want to create an account for activation or think the operation is complex. Meanwhile, it offers more useful cloning features to make this process easy and simple.

AOMEI Backupper
Easy Hard Drive and SSD Cloning Software
  • Intuitive interface, easy to understand and operate.
  • Bootable clone: The Disk Clone feature will include all the OS-related partitions, such as C: drive, EFI partition, recovery partition, etc., which is necessary to start a Windows. 
  • Multiple scenarios: clone hard drive to larger drive or smaller one, clone HDD to SSD with different brands (e.g. Kingston, Crucial, WD, etc), clone MBR and GPT disk such as clone MBR to GPT, etc.
  • Intelligent clone features: It provides users with different cloning features to save time and space, improve disk performance, and prevent disk errors due to bad sectors, wrong partition style, etc.
  • Fully compatible with Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP.
FREE Download Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7
100% Secure

Note the clone feature in this free trial version can only be demonstrated, to clone HDD to SSD and boot from it, please upgrade pro trial version.

How to Clone HDD to SSD with AOMEI Backupper in Simple Steps

⚠️Before you clone, please pay attention to the following items:

  • You’d better backup files to an external hard drive in advance if you have stored some important files on the SSD. Because the disk cloning process will overwrite the target drive.

  • Connect SSD to your computer via SATA-to-USB cable and power cable. Please make sure it can be detected.

  • The professional version only applies to Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP. For server users, try the AOMEI Backupper Server.

Step 1. Launch the disk cloning software - AOMEI Backupper. Select Clone from the left pane and then click Disk Clone.

Step 2. Select the drive that you wish to clone (here is Disk 0). Then click Next.

Step 3. Select the SSD as the destination drive (Disk 2). Then click Next.

Step 4. In the Operation Summary window, check SSD Alignment to accelerate the reading and writing speed of the SSD. Then click Start Clone to clone HDD to SSD with AOMEI Backupper.

Also, you can set "Sector by sector clone" and "Edit Partitions" in specific situations:

  • Sector by sector clone: Set it if you want to keep the old partition layout. But it will include blank space and bad sectors, which may require more space and cause disk errors. 

  • Edit partitions: Select "Add unused space to all partitions" or "Manually adjust partition size" when cloning disk to a larger one to resize the partition size to fit on the target disk. Or convert disk partition style when cloning MBR to GPT or GPT to MBR.

⚠️Notes:

  • After cloning, the source drive will not be wiped out. You can keep it as a backup or reformat the hard drive for other purposes.

  • To get the best performance from the cloned SSD, it's suggested to clone Windows 10 to NVMe SSD, regardless of disk brand.

👍Tips on how do I know if the cloned SSD is bootable: 

To confirm if the cloned SSD is bootable, please directly boot from it.  You have two ways in the following.

Way 1: Restart your computer and press a certain key (F2, F10, F12, DEL or ESC Key, etc.) to enter BIOS, Then change the boot order inside the BIOS and boot from the cloned SSD.

Way 2 (For laptop or desktop that only one hard drive slot): Shut down your computer and remove the battery, use screwdrivers to replace the old hard drive (HDD) with the cloned SSD, then boot the computer up.

Summary

This article teaches you how to clone HDD to SSD using Acronis True Image and the best Acronis cloning software alternative, AOMEI Backupper Professional. You can select one of them based on your needs:

Acronis True Image requires you to install a new SSD internally and create a notable media for cloning. Otherwise, you may not boot from it afterward. Thus, this operation is complex for users who do not have experience in this area.

AOMEI Backupper allows you to clone hard drive to SSD within Windows and replace it with the new SSD later. There are no boot issues and it offers more useful cloning features, such as SSD Alignment, Intelligent Clone, etc. With these, you can easily clone HDD to SSD on Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, and beyond.

FAQs about Acronis Cloning Software

1. Is Acronis cloning software free?

No, Acronis cloning software isn't free, but it does offer a 30-day trial version. During this trial, you can test out disk cloning, backup, restoration, and remote management features. However, you can only test these features and not use them. To use them, you'll need to buy a license.

2. Is Acronis good for disk cloning?

Yes, Acronis cloning software is an excellent tool for disk cloning. Whether you're upgrading from HDD to SSD or cloning MBR and GPT, it can do it quickly and securely.

At the same time, it not only clones disks but also offers features like backup, migration, replication, and remote management, both locally and in the cloud. 

3. Does Windows 10 have built-in cloning software?

Windows 10 includes a free system imaging software called Backup and Restore (Windows 7), which can backup everything on the system partition.

You can also choose to include other partitions on the disk, but Microsoft does not provide a way to restore the entire disk. Thus, you'd better copy data from one hard drive to another with third-party cloning software.

4. What is MBR or GPT?

Both MBR and GPT are two different disk types for data storage. And you can check its disk properties in 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).