Best Cloning Software for Windows 11/10/8/7

Why disk cloning is necessary for Windows 11?

Disk cloning, also known as drive cloning, is the process of duplicating all data of one hard drive to another disk, ensuring an exact copy of every bit of information. This includes not only the files and folders but also the operating system, system settings, installed software, and everything else stored on the source disk.

In order to clone disks in Windows 11 smoothly and successfully, people are looking forward to the best cloning software for Windows 11 to perform this crucial task. With such a tool, you can save time and effort no matter why you need to copy a hard drive.

Here we list some common reasons for the necessity of Windows 11 drive cloning:

1. Backup and Disaster Recovery: Creating a clone of your Windows 11 system allows for a complete backup, which can be invaluable in case of Windows 11 system crashes randomly, hardware failures, or data corruption.

2. Disk Upgrade: Transfer everything, including the OS, applications, and settings, to the larger hard drive or new SSD if you want more disk space or better performance.

3. OS Migration: If you're moving to a new computer for optimal performance, you can clone the existing operating system onto the new device without reinstalling it.

4. Faster Deployment: IT professionals can manage multiple systems by replicating a configured system across multiple machines via cloning, saving time on individual installations.

What is the best cloning software for Windows 11?

Disk cloning enjoys so many advantages, but there are no built-in cloning tools in Windows. To optimize your user experience, you can choose the best cloning software for Windows 11 - AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional which also supports Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP.

This versatile software provides comprehensive features for optimal disk cloning:

❀ Clone Disk: Clone the entire source drive to a new SSD/HDD without losing data.
❀ Clone Partition: Copy specific partitions from the original disk to a new SSD/HDD.
❀ Clone System: Migrate only the OS to another SSD/HDD without reinstalling everything from scratch.
❀ Boot Securely: Guarantee successful booting computer from the cloned drive.
❀ Clone Disk Quickly: Transfer only used sectors on the source disk, allowing clone larger drive to smaller drive as long as the target disk has sufficient space to contain the used sectors on the source disk.
❀ Clone All Sectors: Perform sector-to-sector clone to copy both used and unused sectors on the source disk, necessitating a larger target drive.

How to use this disk cloning software in Windows 11/10/8/7

Once you downloaded AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, read this part to know how to use it to clone the entire disk or copy only the OS step by step.

Notes:

Connect the new SSD or larger HDD to your computer first. Ensure it can be detected.

Back up important files on the target disk, as the cloning process will erase all data on it.

Way 1. Clone the entire disk to SSD/HDD

To clone the source disk to a new SSD or a larger HDD, please refer to the instructions below.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional Edition.

Step 2. Click the "Clone" main tab and select "Clone Disk". (You can also right-click the Disk you want to clone and select the "Clone Disk" tool to run disk clone.)

Step 3. Choose the hard disk that you need to clone as the source disk and click "Next".

Step 4. Select the destination disk to put the data of the source disk on, and then click "Next".

Step 5. Then, you will enter the Confirm interface where you can check the source and destination disk. After all is set, you can click the "Confirm" button to continue.

In lower left corner of the window, you can click the "Settings" button to adjust the partition size on the destination disk. There are three options for you:

• Clone without resizing partitions: all partitions will be cloned to the target disk as the original partition size. It is available when the target disk is larger than the source disk. If it is smaller, this option will be grayed out.
• Fit partitions to entire disk: all partitions will be cloned to the target disk and take up its full capacity according to the original partition size proportion.
• Edit partitions on this disk: you can change every partition size on the target disk as you need.

After finishing the adjustment, please click "Save".

Notes:

• You can tick "4k alignment" to improve the reading and writing speed of SSD if the selected destination disk is an SSD storage.
• All data on this selected destination disk will be wiped out after you save the operation to physical disk. If there is important data on the destination drive, please make a backup in advance.
• If you clone to a smaller SSD, the first option is grayed out. If you select Sector-by-Sector Clone, it is unable to adjust the size on the destination disk.

Step 6. You can preview the disk cloning operating by viewing the "Pending Operations". To commit the "Pending Operations", please click "Apply" and "Proceed".

Step 7. The cloning process will start and you can check the cloning process.

Way 2. Clone only the OS to SSD/HDD

For transferring only the operating system rather than the whole disk, you can use the "Migrate OS" feature in the software to clone Windows 11 to SSD/HDD without reinstalling the system.

Step 1: Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional.

Step 2: Navigate to "Clone" > "Migrate OS".

Step 3: Select the destination drive. If there are partitions on the drive, you need to check "I want to delete all partitions on disk 2 to migrate the system to the disk".

Step 4: Resize the system partition and change the drive letter.

Step 5: Read the guide on how to boot from the destination disk.

Step 6: Click "Finish" > "Apply".

Once the operation is finished, your Windows 11 OS has been successfully transferred to the new SSD or larger HDD.

Notice:
When the two cloning ways are completed, to boot computer from destination disk, you need to set your target SSD/HDD drive as the boot disk.  Refer to these steps:
1. Restart the computer and press "F2/F8/Del" to enter the BIOS setup.
2. Within BIOS settings, use the arrow keys to select the "Boot" tab.
3. Use the "+" or "-" keys to assign the highest priority to your new drive.
4. Save and exit the BIOS interface.
5. The computer will restart with the changed settings.

Conclusion

This passage mainly introduces why disk cloning is necessary and which is the best cloning software for Windows 11. AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is a trusted disk cloning program and you can follow the step-by-step guides above to clone the entire disk or only the OS to SSD/HDD without reinstalling and data loss.

Apart from cloning features, this powerful disk partition management tool can also assist you to convert MBR to GPT disk without data loss, add free space to the C drive, move programs from C drive to D drive or another drive, etc.

FAQs on Windows 11 cloning software

Q1: Does Windows have built-in cloning software?

No, it doesn't. Windows lacks a built-in cloning utility. To clone a disk, partition, and OS, you need reliable third-party disk cloning software, like AOMEI Partition Assistant.

Q2: Can you clone Windows 11 to USB?

Yes, you can. Since Microsoft hasn't released any information on Windows 11 to Go, you need a third-party Windows 11 to Go creator to copy installed Windows 11 to USB.

Q3: Is it safe to clone Windows?

Yes, it is. Cloning Windows can be safe and effective when done correctly, but it requires caution and attention to certain details to ensure a successful outcome. You'd better use a reliable Windows cloning tool and back up important files in advance.