How to Clone Windows Server 2022 to New Hard Drive Safely and Easily

Windows Server 2022 is a server operating system released by Microsoft on November 5, 2021. Windows Server 2022 includes three editions: Standard Edition, Data Center Edition and Data Center Azure Edition. This generation of Windows Server not only continues the strong foundation of Windows Server 2019, but also brings three important innovations: Advanced multi-layer security, Hybrid capabilities with Azure, and a Flexible application platform. It is a significant milestone for the Windows Server community and the wider ecosystem. So, many people are looking for the best way to clone Windows Server OS disk:

"I am looking to move my Windows Server 2022 OS to a larger disk. What is the best method of doing this? I see loads of tools. Anybody have any experience?" - from Reddit

Don't worry. This tutorial will provide the best solution and the professional Windows Server OS cloning tool. Continue reading and see how it works.

Why clone Windows Server 2022 to new hard drive?

Windows Server 2022 is the latest Windows server operating system. Many users want to experience Windows Server 2022 and use it as their operating system. People usually want to clone Windows Server 2022 for the following reasons:

✍ Migrate Windows Server 2022 to other computers. If you are going to let Windows Server 2022 run on other computers, you can avoid reinstallation by cloning.
✍ Replace the HDD for better performance. As we all know, the read and write speed of SSD is faster than HDD. You can clone Windows Server 2022 to SSD to make it run more smoothly.
✍ Create a Windows Server 2022 backup. To avoid data loss caused by hard disk damage or failure, it is necessary for enterprises to back up Windows Server 2022.

You may know that you can clone Windows Server 2022 through a built-in tool called Windows Server Backup, which uses the form of backup to complete the cloning. But this method is more troublesome and error-prone, and is only suitable for professional technicians.

Note: The methods and tools provided in this article also support cloning Windows Server 2012/2019. 

[Step-by-Step] How to clone Windows Server 2022 with ease

I will recommend you a very professional Windows Server cloning software—AOMEI Partition Assistant Server, which is designed for Windows Server users. This cloning tool allows you to clone Windows Server 2022 to another HDD/SSD in a few simple steps without reinstalling.

Other highlights about AOMEI Partition Assistant Server:
✦ It supports Windows Server 2022, Server 2019, Server 2016, Server 2012(R2), Server 2008(R2), 2003.
✦ It allows you to clone the system disk from MBR/GPT to MBR/GPT.
✦ If you just want to clone Windows Server 2022 to the new hard drive, you can try the Migrate OS to SSD feature. In addition, other features can help you manage Windows Server easily and safely.
✦ It supports cloning a larger disk to a smaller disk.

Please download the Demo version for a free trial to see how to clone Windows Server 2022 to new hard drive (Demo version can only preview the results, and cannot submit the operation).

What to do before cloning:
1. Please connect the new hard drive to your server PC first and make sure it is recognized by the PC. You may need a SATA to USB cable, if the PC host slot supports multiple hard drives, you can install the hard drives into the slot.
2. If it is a brand new unused hard disk, please initialize hard drive first, otherwise the hard disk will not be recognized.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, click "Clone" in the main interface and select "Clone Disk".

Step 2. Choose the hard disk that you need to clone as the source disk and click "Next".

Step 3. Select the destination disk to store the data on the source disk, and then click "Next".

Step 4. Then, you can check the source and destination disk in the next window or change to “Sector to Sector clone”, and click the "Confirm" button to continue if there is no problem.

Here, you can also click the "Settings" button to adjust the partition size on the destination disk or tick "4k alignment" to improve the reading and writing speed of SSD if the target disk is an SSD drive.

Step 5. At last, click "Apply" and "Proceed" in the main interface to start cloning the hard drive.

After cloning Windows Server 2022 to the new hard disk, if you want to start it on the same computer or another computer, you need to change the startup sequence.

Step 1. Install the hard disk into the computer and start the computer. When the screen appears, press the shortcut key (usually F1, F2, F3, F5 or Delete) to enter “BIOS Setup”.

Step 2. Then select “Change boot order” and set the cloned new disk as the boot drive. Then, restart the PC to boot Windows Server 2022 from the new hard drive.

Bonus tip: Migrate only Windows Server 2022 to a new disk

The previous method was to clone the entire system disk to a new hard drive. If you only need to clone the system partition where Windows Server 2022 is located to the new hard drive, you can refer to the following practices:

Open AOMEI Partition Assistant Server first, click “Clone” in the top toolbar, and choose “Migrate OS”. Then you can follow the simple instructions to perform each step.

FAQs about cloning Windows Server disk

Can you clone a Windows Server?

Yes, you can definitely clone Windows Server. Cloning a server involves creating an exact copy of an existing server, including its operating system, applications, and data. This is useful for various purposes, such as creating backups, testing new configurations, or deploying multiple servers with similar settings.

There are several ways to clone Windows Server, and the steps may vary depending on the virtualization or cloning tool you use.

How do I clone a Windows Server 2016 to another drive?

The first thing to consider when considering cloning a physical Windows Server is to determine if you plan to clone the entire Windows Server disk onto a new drive, or if you are just focused on cloning and migrating the Windows Server system to the new disk.

For those looking to copy a Windows Server disk to another drive, please refer to the guide provided on this page. This guide provides two different methods to help with disk cloning.

Conclusion

This is the whole process of clone Windows Server 2022 to new hard drive. With the help of AOMEI Partition Assistant Server, you can clone disks easily. More advanced features are waiting for you to unlock.

Last but not least, there is AOMEI Partition Assistant Technician Edition for IT professionals, system administrators, and technicians. Its Create Portable Version allows you to carry AOMEI Partition Assistant with you, allowing you to solve various disk partition problems flexibly and quickly.