Clone C Drive to Move Windows 10 installation to SSD Safely

Can You Move Windows 10 Installation to SSD?

There is a chance that you might encounter the same issue to migrate Windows 10 installation to SSD entirely? What should you do?

Typically, the Windows 10 system files are stored in C:\Windows, which contains the Windows system files (.DLL library files and .exe utilities), the root folder of system C drive, which holds the page file (pagefile.sys) and hibernation file (hiberfil.sys), and other folders in C drive, etc. Thus, you can choose to only clone C drive to SSD in Windows 10 for system migration. 

Best Windows OS Migration Software - AOMEI Backupper

AOMEI Backupper Professional is a good choice to clone C drive to SSD easily and safely. It works well in Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, and XP (both 32-bit and 64-bit versions). You can benefit a lot from its following features:

(PS: The Clone features in Free Trial can be demonstrated only. You need to upgrade to full version to execute the operation. For server users, try AOMEI Backupper Server.)

How to Clone C Drive in Windows 10 without Reinstalling Everything

★ Before Cloning C Drive to SSD in Windows 10

✿ If your computer has only one hard drive slot, prepare an external adapter, dock or enclosure to connect SSD drive. Ignore this if there is room for two hard drives inside the computer. ✿ Prepare a new SSD drive, initial and format the SSD with MBR or GPT partition style according to your need. ✿ Check bad sectors on the source disk and repair.

★ Steps to Move C Drive to SSD

1.  Connect SSD to your computer and make sure it can be detected. Then, launch AOMEI Backupper Professional. Select Clone and System Clone subsequently.

2. Choose a partition of the SSD to save the Windows 10 system files.

✍ Tips: ✿ The destination partition will be overwritten during the cloning process, please backup files first if there are any important files on SSD drive. ✿ The C drive and other partitions related to system files and boot files (system reserved partition, recovery partition or EFI partition) will be selected by default. There is no need to select manually. 

3. Tick SSD Alignment and then click Start Clone to clone C drive to SSD in Windows 10 easily. When the process reaches 100%, click Finish.

✍ Tip: The Sector By Sector Clone is only available while cloning disk to larger disk to clone all the sectors on the Windows 10 source partitions, and it will cost much longer time.

★ Boot Your Computer from the Cloned SSD

You have got the Windows 10 bootable clone copy. Please check the following steps and see if you can boot from the cloned SSD in Windows 10:

Step 1: Replace HDD with SSD via screwdriver

• Turn off your computer and remove the back panel.

• Unscrew the screws holding the hard drive, pull your hard disk (HDD) out at 30 or 45 degree.

• Install the cloned SSD at the original location of HDD and put the back panel on.

Step 2. Set the cloned SSD as the first boot device

• Start your computer, press F2, F10, F12 or ESC key (depending on your manufacture) to enter BIOS.

• Go to the Boot tab, set the SSD as the first option by clicking “+” and press “F10” to save and exit.

Step 3. Boot from the cloned SSD

Restart your computer and it will boot from the cloned SSD drive directly. That’s it.

You May Also Want to Know…

Now you know how to move C drive to SSD. Here are some other issues you may concern about:

🔍 Does Windows 10 have a cloning tool? No, Windows 10 doesn’t have a built-in clone tool. However, it provides you with a tool called Backup and Restore. It is able to backup OS and then restore system to new hard drive. The process requires two storage devices: one is to store the backup image temporarily while the other is regarded as a destination path. Moreover, the backup image can only be used on the current computer, otherwise you cannot boot from it. You see the complexity of the operation and the restrictions.

🔍 Can I transfer C drive to a smaller SSD? Yes, it is possible to transfer C drive to a smaller SSD. However, it is important to ensure that the data size on C drive does not exceed the capacity of the smaller SSD. If not, you may need to delete useless large files from C drive in advance. If you are not sure whether your new SSD is sufficient for C drive cloning, AOMEI Backupper will assist you. It will automatically monitor the storage space and prompt you whether or not to migrate the system during the cloning process.

The Epilogue

You can easily clone C drive to SSD in Windows 11/10/8/7 with the help of AOMEI Backupper and further improve the performance of SSD disk. The most highlight of this software is that it clones only used sectors by default, which make it easier to clone OS from larger HDD to smaller SSD. 

Also, you are able to clone OS from hard drive to larger drive without unallocated space left at the end of this disk. It allows you extend system partition or adjust partition size manually or automatically in this software. And you can boot successfully from it whether it's on the MBR or GPT disk.

To deploy image to multiple computers, it's suggested to backup C drive and then restore image with AOMEI Image Deploy. It is available on the Technician or TechPlus edition.