This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to copy USB to USB efficiently. Whether you're a novice or a tech-savvy user, transferring data between USB drives can be a critical task, especially when upgrading or sharing large volumes of files.
If I copy a bootable USB drive to another USB, will it create a duplicate bootable drive? Is it not even possible to copy/paste data on a bootable drive to another USB? Any kind advice will be appreciated, thanks.
As this user said, simply copying files from a bootable USB drive to another USB will not make it bootable. You need also the partition table configuration, the metadata about the organization of drive content, bootloader, etc. A USB drive is small and light in capacity with lower power consumption and no fragile moving parts. It can be carried everywhere and used on a variety of devices, including thin laptops without optical drives.
If you own more than one USB flash drive or external hard drive in hand, you can indeed copy USB to USB, either for migrating data, making a backup, orupgrading/booting another computer.
For transferring files like documents, photos, or music between two USB drives, you can simply drag and drop the files using Windows Explorer. However, if you're dealing with large amounts of data or need to transfer bootable files, it's best to use specialized software like AOMEI Backupper Standard. This free tool simplifies the process of copying data from one USB drive to another and ensures that even complex data, such as system or boot files, are transferred properly, making it ideal for USB-to-USB copying on Windows 11, 10, 8, or 7.
It contains not only a handy backup & restore feature, but also a Disk Clone feature which can copy from USB to USB quickly and retain the original format, partition table, etc. Hit the button below to download AOMEI Backupper and follow the guide to have a try:
Best free disk cloning software for personal use.
βThe Standard edition supports cloning data disks (both MBR and GPT). If you want to clone a USB bootable drive including the operating system (boot files), please turn to the Professional edition.
AOMEI Backupper is easy to use with its lucid user interface and the perfect support for Windows 11, 10, 8/8.1, 7, XP, and Vista. Besides, it offers many useful features, such as Sector-by-Sector Clone, Edit Partition, and SSD Alignment.
Here I will use Windows 10 computer as an example to show you the operation with screenshots. To create a Windows 10 or Windows 11 recovery tool in USB, you need a USB drive that is at least 16 gigabytes.
βThe same steps also apply to copying bootable USB to USB (involves operating system), but you will need to upgrade to Pro edition for system migration.
Insert the source USB drive, and then the target one to your PC via USB ports.
Make sure they can both be detected by Windows.
Install and launch AOMEI Backupper, then go to Clone tab and select Disk Clone.
Specify the source USB to copy, and then the other one as the destination. Don’t mix them up, or you’ll lose everything on the USB.
Here is the operation summary. You can also make an exact copy of the source USB by checking Sector By Sector Clone. Then click Start Clone to execute the operation.
In more advanced versions, you can take advantage of the "Edit Partitions" feature to fully utilize the disk space after cloning. Here are the options:
π Keep the original partition size: No changes will be made to the partition sizes on the new disk. π Allocate unused space to all partitions: Spread any unallocated space evenly across all partitions on the target disk. π Manually adjust partition size: Customize the size of any partition on the destination disk to suit your needs. π Convert partition style (MBR/GPT): Change the partition style of the target disk to match that of the source drive (either MBR or GPT).
Wait for the process to complete. Click Finish when it is done and close the program.
π Useful Tips: · These instructions work for USB-to-USB copying across different versions of Windows, including Windows 11, Windows 8, and Windows 7. · If you select the "Sector By Sector Clone" option, the "Edit Partitions" feature will be disabled. · AOMEI Backupper supports cloning various disk types, such as cloning HDD to Seagate SSD, cloning HDD to Samsung SSD, and even cloning NVMe to another NVMe drive.
In addition to the AOMEI Backupper, you can also use the command prompt to make a USB drive bootable, then extract the ISO image file via File Explorer or another ISO burner.
βNote: If your USB drive is showing as a Removable Disk in Windows Explorer, you can only create one primary partition there. If it shows as a Fixed Disk, you can create multiple primary partitions in accordance with its size.
1. Connect a USB drive and Run Command Prompt as administrator. Click Start, type cmd in the search box, then select it from the search result list and run as administrator.
2. In the pop-up command prompt window, type the following syntax and hit Enter after each one.
3. In Windows 8/10, right-click the ISO file and select Burn Disc Image, then follow the on-screen instructions to finish the rest of steps. In Windows 7, you could consider using a ISO burner as instead.
4. After that, restart your computer, press F2 or ESC to enter the BIOS screen, select the Boot tab, and use “+” to move the flash drive to the first place, then press F10 to save the changes. Later, it will go to the Windows Setup screen automatically. If not, the drive is not bootable or something goes wrong.
Copying data from one USB drive to another is a common task that many people face in both personal and professional settings. Whether you’re looking to transfer files quickly between devices, back up important data, or share large volumes of information with others, knowing how to copy USB to USB is invaluable. This method ensures that you can safely duplicate your data, avoid data loss, and maintain file integrity without the need for internet access or complex cloud storage systems.
Furthermore, copying USB to USB allows for:
Whatever your reason for wanting to copy a USB drive to another USB drive, AOMEI Backupper is a good choice. As a reliable and professional data backup solution, it can easily and safely transfer files, folders, and drives to different hardware.
Best free disk cloning software for personal use.
A 1: Yes, you can copy or clone a bootable USB drive, but it’s recommended to use dedicated cloning software to ensure all boot files and partition structures are transferred accurately, preserving the bootability of the target USB.
A 2: AOMEI Backupper, EaseUS Todo Backup, and Macrium Reflect are among the top choices for cloning USB drives. These programs offer reliable performance, user-friendly interfaces, and support for cloning a variety of data types.
A 3: Frequent reading and writing on any storage device can wear it out over time, but modern USB drives are designed to handle thousands of write cycles. Occasional copying or transferring of data shouldn’t significantly impact the lifespan of your USB drive.
The way to copy USB to USB can be pretty easy with the help of AOMEI Backupper. With the software, you can duplicate a hard drive or USB drive and make the copy bootable, copy Windows 10 to a USB drive, etc.
If you need one powerful backup & restore utility, AOMEI Backupper is recommended. It enables you to adopt the 3-2-1 backup strategy to save disk space while keeping backup images up-to-date.