Clone 128GB SSD to 256GB SSD without Reinstallation

This article introduces you to reliable SSD cloning software to clone a 128GB SSD to a 256GB SSD to upgrade the SSD without reinstallation.

Ivy

by Ivy Updated on October 28, 2024

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SSD, as a high-speed hard drive, is used to install OS to gain a faster speed and shorter boot time. Many manufacturers do so, to save cost, the computer usually comes with a 128GB SSD drive, but as time goes by, you will find that it can't meet your demands anymore due to the lower free space, slow response, application corruption, and other problems.

So it is an urgent task at this point to clone SSD to larger SSD to upgrade SSD from 128GB to 256 GB, 500 GB, 1 TB SSD, etc. Also, it ensures you don't need to reinstall Windows and no data loss as long as you use reliable SSD cloning software.

We will introduce you to such one with some important notes and a step by step guide below.

Can a 128GB SSD Be Upgraded to a 256GB SSD?

“Hey, guys. I just bought a 256GB SSD drive to upgrade my old 128GB SSD, to transfer everything including programs and OS on it, I want to do a disk clone. Is there any good SSD cloning software? And I have to keep the 128GB SSD drive in the laptop while cloning, but where do I put the 25GB SSD drive? Do I have to buy an external case, and if so, what kind?” 

Free Download Reliable SSD Cloning Software 

If you are looking for software to clone a smaller SSD to a larger SSD with a secure boot, AOMEI Backupper Professional is worth trying. Its cloning method will create a 1: 1 copy of the SSD disk including the Windows operating system, boot partition(s), specific drivers, etc., requiringd to start a Windows. 

In addition, it can handle the entire cloning process very well. To be specific:

AOMEI Backupper
Why Choose AOMEI Backupper?
  • Clone SSD of different sizes, from 128 GB to 256 GB, 256 GB to 500 GB, 500 GB to 1TB, and more. It is also applicable to clone large HDD to smaller SSD.
  • Clone all brands of SSD disks, for example, clone SSD to larger SSD Samsung, clone SSD to larger SSD WD, etc.
  • Clone MBR and GPT with a safe boot. It gives you a choice to convert MBR to GPT or vice versa to fit on the target disk, from 128 GB to 256 GB.
  • Clone and resize the partition size of SSD disks to be sure there is unallocated space left at the end of the disk.
  • Always high performance with SSD drives. 

3 Steps to Clone 128GB SSD to 256GB SSD

Before cloningclone128GB SSD to 256GB SSD in Windows 10 or 11, you need to be sure of the following things:

  • A way to connect new SSD. For the desktop, you can directly connect it to a drive bay. Please be sure you have a SATA cable and a power cable. For the laptop, you need an enclosure or adapter.
  • Initialize disk to MBR or GPT before using it.
  • All the data on the new SSD will be deleted after cloning. If there are any critical data, please backup files to external hard drive before cloning.
  • Download and install the reliable and powerful SSD cloning software - AOMEI Backupper Professional.
Free DownloadWin 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

P.S. Note the Clone features in this free trial can only be demonstrated, please upgrade to enjoy. If you are not sure, you can do it yourself and check the preview effect.

Step 1.  Select a cloning method. 

Launch AOMEI Backupper after installing. On the main interface, click the Clone tab, and then select Disk Clone.

Disk Clone

Step 2. Select the two hard drives for cloning. 

Select the 128GB SSD drive as the source disk and then 256GB SSD drive as the target disk to save everything. Click Next to go on.

❌ Warning: Note the target disk will be overwritten after cloning, please make sure you backup important files to a safe location, such as an external drive

Choose 256GB SSD

Step 3. Setup and upgrade 128GB SSD to 256GB SSD.

Tick SSD Alignment to optimize disk performance for new SSD. To enjoy full capacity after cloning, click Edit Partitions and select Add unused space to all partitions or Manually adjust partition size.

Then, confirm the preview effect and click Start Clone to clone 128GB SSD to 256GB SSD in Windows 10 or 11.

Start Clone

⚠️Notes:
  • ❌As the destination disk is larger than the source disk, you can also tick Sector by sector Clone to clone all sectors from the 128GB SSD drive. Note it will include bad sectors and empty sectors.

  • 👍SSD Alignment makes use of 4k alignment technology to improve the reading and writing speed of the SSD disk. And it also helps prolong the SSD disk lifespan.

How long the cloning process will take? About 30 minutes or so. And It depends on the data size on your source 128GB SSD drive, the larger the data size, the longer the time costs.

Once finished, shut down your computer, take out the original 128GB SSD drive then replace it with the 256GB SSD as your system boot drive, then boot your computer as normal. 

Unscrew Drive

🌟Other methods to clone 128GB SSD to 256GB SSD:
  • Use the backup and restore method: Instead of a 1:1 copy, it creates an image file that needs to be restored.
  • Use the System Clone feature: It allows you to move Windows installation from one SSD to another, clone Windows 10 to SSD, for example.

Why Clone 128GB SSD to 256GB SSD?

✍ Keep your computer in high performance. Except for SSD performance itself, you still need to be sure there is enough space on it, then your computer can run very smoothly, just like getting a new one.

✍ Avoid reinstalling Windows and applications. The cloning method will transfer everything on the 128GB SSD to a new SSD including the OS, installed programs, drivers, settings, personal data, etc. So you don't need to do a reinstallation and have more time to do some valuable things.

✍ Replace outdated SSD disk. The speed of hardware updates like SSD is so rapid nowadays. So if your computer's built-in SSD drive is coming to an end, you may want to replace it with a new one.

The Epilogue

It’s easy to clone 128GB to 256GB SSD successfully with the help of AOMEI Backupper Professional. It supports all brands of SSDs and clones SSD disks of different sizes. Also, it takes care of the disk space and performance issues. 

Free DownloadWin 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
Secure Download

Besides, you could only migrate OS to SSD if the destination SSD is smaller than your source SSD. You could use it to create a system or disk backup in a full backup, incremental or differential backup mode, and perform a system or disk restore, even dissimilar hardware restore.

Ivy
Ivy · Editor
Ivy is an editor of AOMEI Technology, she covers backup & restore,hard disk & partitions management and cloud files transfer and so on for AOMEI. She is an outgoing girl and enjoys helping people find solutions to their problems. She loves traveling, eating, reading and so on. She usually hangs out with friends at her leisure time.