How to Clone Bootable USB Drive in Windows 10

Let's learn how to clone bootable USB drive in Windows 10. This post will provide step-by-step instructions that will help you streamline the process of copying a USB drive.

By @Jonna
Last Updated March 26, 2025

How Do I Clone Bootable USB Drives in Windows 10?

Hello! I have a Windows 10 installer on a USB drive and I want to make a backup in case the image creation tool that Microsoft provides ever becomes deprecated.

Can I just drag and drop the files in the USB install stick to another USB drive? Or, is there any other way to clone bootable USB drive in Windows 10? Thanks for your input!’

A bootable USB drive contains an operating system (OS), recovery tools, or installation files that allow you to boot a system even if the internal hard drive fails. When dealing with system recovery, Windows installation, or troubleshooting, having a bootable USB drive is incredibly useful.

However, what if you need to create an exact copy of your bootable USB for backup or use on another device? If you have tried to use the copy-and-paste play to clone your bootable USB, you may find it not workable. This is where knowing how to clone bootable USB drive in Windows 10 becomes essential.

Necessity of Copying Bootable USB Drive

Cloning a bootable USB ensures that you don't lose important system files and saves you time from having to create a bootable drive from scratch. And copying bootable USB drive is essential for several reasons:

Backup for emergency use - If your main bootable USB gets corrupted or lost, a cloned version serves as a reliable backup.

Quick deployment - With bootable USB drives, you are able to rapidly deploy operating systems or software across multiple machines via professional Windows deployment tools.

Save time and effort - Instead of reinstalling Windows or setting up new bootable USBs manually, cloning speeds up the process.

How to Clone Bootable USB Drive in Windows 10: Stepwise Guide

So, how to clone bootable USB on Windows 10 quickly and easily? The best solution is to count on a reliable cloning tool, as Windows does not provide a direct method of disk cloning. AOMEI Backupper is an excellent bootable USB clone tool because it offers various highlighted features.

AOMEI Backupper

Bootable USB Cloning Software

Ease of use: With an intuitive interface, it is simple for green hands and technicians.
Disk clone: Its Disk Clone makes it easy to clone an entire bootable USB, including hidden and system files. And it also offers System Clone to copy only the system partition and system-related partition(s).
Sector-by-sector clone: It can copy every sector on the disk to ensure that every bit of data is copied, preserving bootability.
Bootable USB drive creation: It allows you to create both Windows PE (WinPE) and Linux kernel-based bootable USB.
Support all USB brands: Works with SanDisk, Kingston, Samsung, Transcend, etc.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

100% Secure

Before cloning bootable drive on Windows 10, please make sure that you have a properly configured bootable USB drive. If you don't have one yet, you can run AOMEI Backupper software, and navigate to Tools to choose Create Bootable Media to make a Windows 10 bootable USB. Now, let's move on to how to clone boot drive in Windows 10 for the bootable USB.

Step 1. To clone bootable USB drive on Windows 10 to another USB drive, plug in your bootable USB and another USB drive to PC. Then, open AOMEI Backupper, and click Clone to select Disk Clone.

Step 2. Select your bootable USB drive as source disk and click Next.

Step 3. Choose another connected USB as destination and then click Next.

Step 4. Finally, click on Start Clone to clone bootable USB drive to another USB drive effortlessly.

Note: If you do not check the Sector-By-Sector Clone option, this software will run Intelligent Clone to copy only used sectors on the source drive.

FAQs about USB Drive Cloning in Windows 10

#1. Does Windows 10 have a cloning tool?

No, Windows 10 does not have a built-in disk cloning tool. You need reliable third-party software like AOMEI Backupper to clone a bootable USB for secure boot.

#2. How can I clone my entire OS to a bootable USB stick?

To clone your operating system to a bootable USB stick, you can use AOMEI Backupper's "System Clone" feature. This process involves selecting your system partitions as the source and the USB drive as the destination. But you should ensure the USB drive has sufficient capacity to hold the OS data.

#3. Can Rufus clone a USB drive?

No. Rufus is primarily designed to create bootable USB drives from ISO files and does not support cloning existing USB drives.

#4. Can I use a bootable USB from another computer?

Yes, you are able to use Windows 10 bootable USB for another PC, provided the hardware is compatible. However, some bootable USB drives, especially those containing operating system installations, may have drivers specific to the original system. Windows may not boot properly due to hardware differences.

#5. Can bootable USB be reused?

Yes, a bootable USB drive can be reformatted and reused for other purposes. However, formatting USB drive will erase all existing data on the drive, so ensure you have backups if necessary.

To Sum it up

A bootable USB is essential for system recovery and OS installation. And cloning a bootable USB drive in Windows 10 ensures that you always have a backup for emergencies, system installations, and troubleshooting. While Windows 10 lacks a built-in cloning tool, AOMEI Backupper makes it easy to clone bootable USB drive on Windows 10 without any hassle.

Except for USB clone on Windows 10, this utility also provides many other advanced features like cloning hard drive to SSD, clone SSD to SSD, system/disk/partition/file backup & restore.

What's more, after upgrading to the Technician or Technician Plus edition, you could even clone a drive using a portable version of AOMEI Backupper on any computer.