How Do I Copy Partition to Another Drive on Windows 10, 11?

User case: How do I clone Windows partition to bootable SSD?

Instead of cloning a whole disk, sometimes you may want to clone a particular partition to another drive. Here are two common situations of copying partition to another drive:

• Move data partition to a larger drive because the current drive lacks storage space.
• Transfer system partition to an SSD so that you can use SSD for OS and HDD for storage.

What’s more, cloning a specified partition costs less time than cloning an entire disk. It’s an efficient way to transfer only necessary data. Then, what’s the best solution to copy partition to another drive on Windows 11/10/8/7?

Best freeware to transfer partition to another drive

The best free cloning software – AOMEI Backupper Standard makes it a piece of cake to copy any partition on your PC. You can benefit a lot from its following features:

Besides, AOMEI Backupper runs well on all editions of Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP. Want to have a try? Download it now! Choose one way to clone your partition according to your situation:

How to clone partition to another drive in Windows 11/10/8/7 easily

Please note that all data on the destination drive will be deleted after cloning, so backup files on the target drive if you don’t want to lose them. Follow the guidance below to begin cloning a non-system partition:

Step 1. Connect the target drive to your computer if you are cloning to an external drive.

Step 2. Install and run AOMEI Backupper. Select Clone > Partition Clone.

Step 3. On the Source Partition page, choose the data partition that you want to clone and click Next.

Step 4. On the Destination Partition page, choose the target drive and click Next.

Step 5. Check the SSD Alignment option if you are cloning to an SSD. Then, click Start Clone to launch the cloning process.

Notes: ◑ You can do more settings with Edit partition. It is available in AOMEI Backupper Professional and higher editions. ◑ If you want to clone every sector on the source partition, you can enable Sector by sector clone. It requires the destination partition to be equal to or larger than the source partition. ◑ After the cloning process is finished, you can wipe the source drive to release storage space. The source partition will become unallocated space after wiping. You can use the unallocated space to extend an existing volume or create a new volume via Windows tool Disk Management.

Advanced way to copy boot partition to another drive

If the partition you plan to clone is a boot partition, you’d better choose higher editions of AOMEI Backupper and use the System Clone feature. That’s because there can be other system related partitions on your PC, such as system reserved partition or EFI system partition, and you need to clone them all to ensure a secure boot.

The System Clone feature will choose all system related partitions automatically, thus reducing human error. Learn how to clone system partition(s) to another drive as follows:

Step 1. Connect the target drive to your computer as necessary.

Step 2. Load AOMEI Backupper. Select Clone > System Clone.

Step 3. The system related partition(s) is(are) selected by default. Just choose a destination partition to hold the cloned data and click Next.

Step 4. Check the SSD Alignment option if the target drive is an SSD and click Start Clone to begin.

Tip: To boot from the cloned drive, you need to change boot order in BIOS. If the original system disk and the target drive are in different partition styles, i.e. one MBR and one GPT, you should also change boot mode in BIOS to make the cloned drive bootable.

FAQs about copying a partition to another drive

1. Can I copy a partition to a smaller drive?

Yes, but only if the data on the original partition does not exceed the capacity of the smaller drive. You may need to shrink the partition size before copying. However, it is an unnecessary step if you use AOMEI Backupper to copy a partition.

2. What happens to the existing data on the destination drive?

Copying a partition usually overwrites any existing data on the destination drive's partition. Ensure you back up any important data before proceeding.

3. Is it possible to copy a partition to an external drive?

Yes, you can copy a partition to an external drive, which is often done for backup purposes. However, booting from an external drive may require additional configuration.

4. What if the destination drive is not the same type as the source drive?

You can copy a partition between different types of drives (e.g., HDD to SSD), but ensure that the file system is compatible, and the partition alignment is correct, especially when moving to an SSD.

Wrapping things up

That’s all about how to copy partition to another drive on Windows 11/10/8/7. If you are cloning a data partition, free AOMEI Backupper works perfectly. If you are cloning a boot partition, then the advanced edition of AOMEI Backupper ensures a secure boot. You may pick an edition that best meets your need.

Actually, there are many other useful features offered in AOMEI Backupper, such as create mirror image backup and sync local folders to OneDrive. Why not try it now?