If you have upgraded your disc to a faster one, such as upgrading your HDD to a faster and more reliable SSD or M.2 drive to improve the performance and boot time of your system, installing Windows on the fastest disc is always recommended. If you have already installed it on a disc and want to move Windows 11 to a new disc, you do not need to reinstall Windows on your computer. You can make an exact copy of the installed Windows on the new disc.
Moving or cloning your Windows 11 HDD to an SSD is possible. Plenty of software options allow you to clone Windows 11, which is installed on your HDD, to your SSD. This article will share how you can clone your Windows 11 drive to a new disc, such as an HDD, SSD, or M.2. Follow the step-by-step instructions below.
Clone your installed Windows 11 to a new disc.
You can clone your installed Windows to a new disc, such as an HDD, SSD, M.2, or other. Many tools are available, such as CloneZilla and Macrium Reflect, which are some of the best options. They allow you to create an exact copy of your installed Windows 11 on another hard drive that is equal to or larger than your installed Windows 11 on the new disc.
Choose the one that suits you best. For this, we will be using Macrium Reflect, which is paid software, but the trial version is enough for cloning your installed Windows 11 when replacing the HDD on your laptop or desktop computer with a new SSD. This allows users to migrate their Windows 11 installation with their settings, apps, and files without requiring them to reinstall and reconfigure everything.
How to Clone Windows 11 to a New Hard Drive
Before proceeding, you should keep a backup of your important files so you do not lose anything. The software we are using is Macrium Reflect, which offers a 30-day free trial that you can use to clone Windows 11 to a new disc.
- Download Macrium Reflect.
- Connect your new drive to the same device where Windows is installed.
The guide to copying Windows 11 using Macrium Reflect is relatively easy, and here are the following steps to do so:
- Connect your new drive to your device.
- You can also connect an external HDD using a USB adapter.
Install Macrium Reflect.
- Download Macrium Reflect by heading over to the download page and entering your email address.
- Next, click on the Continue button, and then on the Download Reflect 8 Trial for Personal Use button.
- Open your email, where you will find a link that you need to open to download the installer.
- Double-click on the installer to start downloading and installing Macrium Reflect.
- Next, accept the terms and check the checkbox for the 30-day trial to proceed.
- Now, uncheck the “Register the installation of Macrium Reflect” option, and then click Next.
- On the Setup page, check the checklist for “Install CBT,” “Install Image Guardian,” and “Install Desktop Shortcut.”
- Click the Install button, Finish, and then the Yes button to restart the device.
How to Clone a Windows 11 Drive to a Disc of Your Choice
You can easily clone your drive using Macrium Reflect or Windows 11. Before proceeding, make sure to close any running applications and follow these instructions:
- Launch Macrium Reflect and click on the “Create Backup” tab.
- Select the drive on the right side where Windows 11 is installed that you want to clone.
- Click on “Clone this disc” and choose the destination by clicking “Select a disc to clone to” to choose the destination drive, such as a new SSD, M.2, or another HDD. If there are any new partitions, clicking on the “Erase disc” option is recommended to clear the drive’s content.
- Click on “Next,” then “Next” again to skip the schedule option, and then click on “Finish.”
- Click on “OK” and then “Continue.”.
- That’s it! Click on “Close” when finished.
Once finished, your data will be cloned from the installed Windows 11 disc and replaced on the new drive. If it is a backup, you can keep Windows safe by cloning it to an external disk. Otherwise, if it is installed on a disc, you can keep it as a recovery.