One-Stop Wizard to Copy Boot Drive to New Drive or SSD(Bootable)

This article describes everything related to copying boot drive to another in Windows 7, 8, 10, and 11 without reinstalling. AOMEI Backupper Professional, a powerful cloning software, can help a lot.

By @Ivy
Last Updated March 19, 2025

The easiest way to copy your boot drive is using disk cloning software, which transfers the OS, drivers, programs, and data to ensure a bootable system. Since Windows lacks built-in cloning tools and reinstalling is time-consuming, we recommend professional cloning software for a seamless process.

Copy Boot Drive to Another Drive

AOMEI Backupper

We strongly recommend you use powerful cloning software - AOMEI Backupper Professional.

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

Before Copying Boot Drive

1. Get a New HDD or SSD

HDDs offer large capacities (e.g., Seagate BarraCuda, WD Blue, up to 8TB), while SSDs deliver better performance (e.g., Samsung 990 Pro, Crucial T705, WD Black SN850X).

Choose the right form factor (2.5-inch, M.2) and connector (SATA, PCIe, NVMe). Ensure the new drive is 2–3 times larger than the old one to avoid space or boot issues.

Samsung 980 Pro Data Migration

2. Free Up Space and Backup Your Data

If you want to copy boot drive to a smaller SSD, you need to be sure the used space on the old disk and free up more space if it's larger than smaller SSD. You can choose to delete some useless files and uninstall programs you no longer use. Backing up files to external hard drive before cloning it is a good way to protect your data safely. 

File History

3. Install New HDD or SSD

If your computer has two slots, simply insert the new drive and secure it. If it only has one slot, connect the new HDD or SSD using an adapter or a disk enclosure via USB. For a brand-new drive, initialize it first to make it visible in File Explorer (refer to how to initialize new disk if necessary). 

InitializeTheDisk

⚠️Ensure the new drive uses the same partition style as the old one to avoid boot issues. Check the old drive’s partition style in Disk Management: right-click the drive -> Properties -> Volumes.

Copy Boot Drive to New Drive or SSD | Step-by-step Guide

Some manufacturers offer migration software to help smooth out the process, such as Samsung Data Migration, WD edition of Acronis True Image, etc., to migrate their data from one hard drive to another.

But there are some restrictions while using it. If you experience any unpleasantness, try third-party hard drive and SSD cloning software - AOMEI Backupper. It works for all the Windows operating systems and any disk brands. 

AOMEI Backupper
Easy Boot Drive Cloning Software
  • Bootable clone: The “Disk Clone” feature includes all the OS-related partitions, such as C drive, EFI system partition, or system reserved partition, recovery partition, etc.
  • Clone HDDs/SSDs and MBR/GPT disks without converting partition style.
  • Clone hard drive with different sizes: You can not only clone disk to larger disk, but also clone larger HDD to smaller SSD.
  • Clone hard drive or SSD with different interfaces, such as clone NVMe to NVMe, clone M.2 SSD to M.2 SSD, clone PCIe SSD, etc
  • SSD Alignment: It optimizes the SSD disk performance and extends its lifespan.
Free Download
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7
100% Secure
⚠️The Clone feature can only be demonstrated in the trial version. Please upgrade to the full version of AOMEI Backupper Professional and copy boot drive to new hard drive or SSD.

Step 1. Install AOMEI Backupper Professional

Click the download button to get an .exe file and double-click it for installation. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to complete this process and open it. 

Step 2. Choose the Disk Clone feature

In the main page of AOMEI Backupper, click Clone and Disk Clone to start the cloning process. If your smaller SSD cannot hold all data on the old disk after freeing up space, try to only move boot partition in Windows 10 or 11 using the "System Clone" feature.

Step 3. Choose the Source Disk and Destination Disk

The source disk is the old drive containing the operating system (to be cloned), while the destination disk is where the data (on the cloned disk) is to be kept. Note the data on the destination disk will be overwritten or deleted. Please backup files in advance. Click OK to continue if you've done this. 

Step 4. Manage Your Disk and Start Clone

Confirm the operation and click Start Clone to clone boot drive in Windows 10. Click SSD Alignment to accelerate the reading and writing speed of SSDs. 

Optionally, click the "Edit Partitions" feature and select "Add unused space to all partitions" or "Manually adjust partition size" to show the full capacity of a cloned disk. 

  • Copy without resizing partitions: It will not resize the partition size.
  • Add unused space to all partitions: It will reallocate the unallocated space to each partition of the target disk, appropriate for the disk size.
  • Manually adjust partition size: It allows you to extend unallocated space to any partition on the destination disk you want.

You can also enjoy the Convert the destination disk from MBR to GPT option, or vice versa, depending on the disk partition styles between them. So you don't need to convert partition style before or after cloning. 

⚠️Note: Don't check the "Sector by sector clone" feature. It will clone all sectors of the disk to a larger one, whether used or not, which may result in boot issues. In addition, the bad sectors are also included. 

After Copying: Boot Your Computer Securely

Sometimes, your computer will not boot from the target drive automatically, especially for a laptop. For a desktop, you can directly change boot order to set the boot priority for cloned disk, then it will boot.

But if you are using a laptop, you need to take out the old hard drive and install SSD on the location of your original hard drive. If you don’t switch the boot drive in Windows 11/10/8/7, it may boot from the original hard drive automatically. Then, set the cloned hard drive to the first boot option and boot from it.

⚠️Notes:

  • If your target disk has a different partition style than the source disk, and its GPT, please change Legacy BIOS to UEFI, and vice versa.

  • Don’t format the older boot disk until your computer can boot from the new drive.

  • If your HDD is still working well, you can use SSD for OS and HDD for storage. Therefore, you can enjoy the high performance of SSD and big capacity of HDD.

FAQs

Can I copy my boot drive to another hard drive?
 

The answer is yes if you can copy everything on the boot drive including the system partition, which is necessary for Windows to start. The easiest method is to use a powerful hard drive and SSD cloning software, such as AOMEI Backupper Professional.

Why copy boot drive to a new drive?
 

Copying a boot drive to a new drive is a common practice in computer maintenance and upgrades. There are several reasons why this should be done:

  • Expand storage: Your boot drive is running out of space, so you want to copy it to a larger drive.
  • Improve computer performance: You want to copy an old-fashioned drive to a newer, faster drive.
  • Reduce downtime: You want to create copies of your boot drive and restore system in the event of system crashes or corrupted disk.
  • The boot partition like EFI system partition or boot loader is on the wrong drive. Your computer has two disks, but after unplugging one, you find the computer won't boot.
How do I move a boot partition from one drive to another?
 

Speaking of moving boot partition to another disk, you need to include OS-related partitions, such as C drive, system reserved partition, or EFI system partition, etc., instead of the entire disk. Then, how to copy them? It would help if you had professional disk cloning software.

How do I clone my C drive to a new SSD?
 

You need to employ a simple and easy-to-follow SSD cloning software, such as AOMEI Backupper Professional, and clone C drive to new SSD following the outlined guide.

  • Open AOMEI Backupper. On the main page, click Clone and System Clone.
  • It will select all the OS-related partitions automatically. Select the new SSD as the destination disk.
  • Click OK to continue while receiving a prompt, "all data on the destination SSD will be overwritten"
  • Check SSD Alignment and click Start Clone.
Can I take a boot drive from one computer to another?
 

It depends, and there are some factors to consider. It decides whether your boot drive works properly on another computer.

  • Hardware Compatibility: Be sure the new computer’s hardware is compatible with the boot drive's driver.
  • Boot Mode: Match the new computer's boot mode (Legacy or UEFI) with the boot drive’s setup.
  • Windows License and Activation: Be aware of potential OS licensing issues, as OEMare is often tied to the original hardware. You need a product key to activate Windows.
  • Driver Conflicts: Resolve any driver conflicts by booting into Safe Mode and updating drivers.
  • System Preparation: Use tools like Sysprep to generalize the OS installation for new hardware.