AOMEI Backupper
Best Free HDD to HDD Copy Software for Windows 11/10/8/7
If you want to find an HDD to HDD copy software, this article will help you a lot. Whether you want to improve computer performance, expand capacity, etc. The free software provided in this article will help you.
By Lily Updated on October 28, 2024
User Case: How Do I Copy HDD to HDD?
◐ Case 1: “I am running out of storage on my Gaming PC and I want to add a larger data HDD for games etc. I currently have my OS on a Samsung SSD. I also have a 1TB Seagate HDD for games/music etc....this is almost full. I've purchased a 2TB WD blue to replace the Seagate (this will be kept for backups etc). I would like to copy everything from the Seagate over to the WD (Steam games etc). Do I need any specific software to do this or do I just copy all the game folders over to the WD?”
◐ Case 2: “There is already a hard disk installed with Win10 OS, as well as many tools and data that need to be used. Now it is necessary to copy all the contents of this hard disk to another 11 or so hard disks. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure that other hard disks can also be started by Win10 after copying, and the tools and data can also be operated normally. Is there any tool that can achieve this goal?”
As we can see, the user in Case 1 has run out of storage and wants to copy data between two drives when upgrading to larger hard drive. And the latter user wants to copy all data as well as the Windows 10 OS in one hard disk to another hard disk.
So, what tool do you need to help you easily copy all kinds of files, programs or operating systems in one HDD to another HDD you want intact? Please keep reading.
Best HDD to HDD Copy Software for Free
AOMEI Backupper Standard is the best free HDD cloning software for all Windows PC operating systems including Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7. It helps you copy all the data from one disk to another. You can clone a hard drive while you are working on the computer, which is called "Live Disk Cloning".
Actually, it is also hard drive imaging software. It offers you two ways to perform data migration, direct disk cloning and backup & restoring migration.
- #1. Direct disk cloning: You're allowed to clone non-system disks (data disks) from one drive to another directly in one interface, which is the easiest data migration approach.
- #2. Backup & restoring migration: You're allowed to migrate system disks and data disks to another drive through this way. More manual handling steps are required. Or you can upgrade to Pro edition to directly clone system disks.
This free data migration software earns a good reputation among Windows users around the world. You may want to have a try. Download this freeware first and then learn the detailed steps on how to clone HDD to HDD in Windows.
AOMEI Backupper- Support NVMe SSD, M.2 SSD, SATA SSD, HDD, USB, SD card, etc.
- Support Intelligent Cloning and Sector-by-Sector Cloning
- Support adjusting partition size during hard drive cloning
- Powerful backup and syncing software as well
100% Secure#1. Directly Clone HDD to HDD (Non-system Disk)
Step 1. Connect Target HDD
- To clone a laptop hard drive that has only one slot, please connect the disk to your computer using a USB to SATA adapter or a hard drive enclosure.
- If you have a desktop PC, you can directly install the drive into one of the hard disk bays.
Step 2. Backup Important Data
If there is important data on the target drive, please backup files first, because all the data in the destination will be overwritten in the cloning process.
Step 3. HDD to HDD Cloning
1. Install and launch hard drive cloning software AOMEI Backupper Standard. Click Clone and then select Disk Clone to start hard drive copy.
✨ Note: If you only want to clone the operating system, you can use the System Clone feature in the advanced versions.
2. Select the original HDD on your computer as the source disk. Then, click Next.
3. Select the new HDD as the destination disk. Then, click Next.
4. Check the operation summary and click Start Clone to clone the original HDD to the new one.
5. Wait until the process reaches 100% and click Finish.
✨ Note: The method of how to clone HDD to SSD is the same as the steps mentioned above. And you can check SSD Alignment option to optimize the performance of the destination SSD.
#2. Backup & Restore HDD Image (System Disk)
This method will be completed in three steps, backup > WinPE boot > restoring. As mentioned before, it requires more steps. You need to prepare a USB flash drive (greater than 13GB) as the boot media, and a path or storage to store the backup image of the source HDD. Again, you will need to download and install AOMEI Backupper Standard first.
AOMEI Backupper StandardBest free data migration software for Windows PC users around the world
Step 1. Create a Disk Image for HDD
Launch this software, and create a backup image with its Backup > Disk Backup feature. Follow the wizard to complete the operation. Please note that you need to store the backup image to a path where you can access in WinPE (network path or external drive).
Step 2. Create a Bootable USB Drive
Plug in your USB drive and make sure it can be detected. In AOMEI Backupper, go Tools > Create Bootable Media. Follow the wizard to complete the operation.
Step 3. Restore HDD Image from WinPE
1. Shut down your PC, and insert the bootable USB stick. Power on the computer and keep pressing DEL/F2/F10 key to enter BIOS. Under the Boot tab, switch the boot priority to the USB drive. Press F10 to save and exit.
2. After loading, you will see the main page of AOMEI Backupper Standard. Then, click Select Image File under the Restore tab and find the image you stored. Follow the wizard to complete the operation.
That's how to copy HDD to HDD using free data migration software AOMEI Backupper. Above steps also apply to restoring Windows 11 to new hard drive.
FAQs about HDD Clone
1. Does Windows 10 have disk cloning software?
No, Windows 10 does not have a built-in disk cloning tool. It does provide backup and imaging features, such as System Image Backup and File History, but these do not offer the same functionality as disk cloning.
2. Does Windows 11 have disk cloning software?
No, there is no in-built clone tool available in Windows 11. You will need to use a reliable third-party cloning tool like AOMEI Backupper to clone Windows 11.
3. Does cloning a hard drive copy the OS?
Yes, all data on the old hard drive will be copied to the new drive. That is, if the original disk contains OS, then OS will be copied. However, you need to upgrade to AOMEI Backupper Professional to clone a disk containing OS.
Conclusion
Since Windows doesn’t have a built-in cloning feature in its range of backup tools, we have to use a third-party software to clone HDD to HDD/SSD. AOMEI Backupper Standard Edition is the most credible and the most convenient HDD to HDD copy software. It allows you to perform disk to disk clone free.
After reading the above introduction, I believe you have also discovered the convenience of this software. It is completely free for personal use. More features are waiting for you to explore. With its Backup function, you can backup folders to USB drive automatically. Try it right now!
