Freeware: Clone Partition in Windows 8/8.1/10/11 Effortlessly

• Why need to clone partition in Windows 8?

• Freeware to clone partition in Windows 8/8.1

• 5 Steps to copy partition in Windows 8

• How to clone C partition in Windows 8?

• Conclusion

Why need to clone partition in Windows 8?

Clone partition is to copy all data from one partition to another partition, or even another different hard disk without any data loss. Compared with copying files directly via  "Copy and Paste", cloning partition can help users to save much time. So when users want to back up files saved in one partition in Windows 8, cloning the whole partition is worth trying. Besides, when one of the partitions in Windows 8 computer, especially the system partition, is in low disk space, you can clone it to another new hard drive with larger storage to improve computer performance.

Briefly, if you want to make a complete copy of a partition to protect vital files in case of some unforeseen circumstances, or plan to get a larger system partition for upgrading Windows 8, cloning partition is necessary and helpful.

Freeware to copy a disk partition in Windows 8/8.1

To clone partition in Windows 8, the easiest way is to use a professional hard drive cloning software such as AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. This free partition manager is not only powerful, but also compatible with 32 bit/64 bit Windows 11/10/8/7 and Windows XP/Vista. That's to say, it is able to clone partition in all Windows PC, not just the Windows 8 partition.

It comes with the "Clone Partition" feature, allowing you to copy one partition to unallocated space on the same disk or another different disk. Moreover, it offers two different methods for partition clone in Windows 11/10/8/7:
1. Clone Partition Quickly: this function only copies the used part of the drive, and also it supports the option of resizing partition so as to suit the target partition.
2. Sector-by-sector Clone: this option intends to copy a complete partition, both the used part and the free part.

5 Steps to copy partition in Windows 8/8.1/10/11

Now, we will show you how to clone partition in Windows 8 or other Windows operating system step by step.

Tips before proceeding:
1. Only the unallocated space can be selected as the destination partition, make sure you have one. If not, create an unallocated space that is large enough.
2. The size of the unallocated space is determined by the clone method. If you choose "clone partition quickly", the unallocated space size must be equal or bigger than the used part of the source partition. If you choose "Sector-by-sector Clone", the size must be equal or bigger than the total size of the source partition.

Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant,  right-click the partition you want to clone and select the "Clone Partition" tool to run partition clone. (You can also click the "Clone" main tab and select "Clone Partition".)

Step 2. In next window, select the destination partition or unallocated space to hold your source partition, and then click "Confirm".

Step 3. Then, you will enter the Confirm interface where you can check the source and destination clone location. After all is set, you can click the "Confirm" button to continue.

Notes:

• There is a "4k alignment" option. If you want to copy a partition onto a SSD (Solid State Drive), ticking this option will optimize the read and write speed on this partition. It can also extend the life of the SSD.
• If you select the "Sector-by-Sector Clone" mode, the unallocated space must be equal or larger than source partition. If you tick the option, it will be unable to resize the destination partition.

Step 4. In the next window, you can click the "Settings" button to adjust the target partition size. As you can see from the screenshot, you could adjust the size of source partition in order to fit the target partition as per your need, or directly skip the step and click "Save".

Step 5. You can preview the partition copy operating by viewing the "Pending Operations". To commit the "Pending Operations", please click "Apply" and "Proceed".

The cloning process will start and you can check the cloning process. Once the process is completed successfully, you will get a congratulation window. Finally, you can check the partition layout on the destination disk will be identical to the source partition.

How to clone C partition in Windows 8?

Above is how to clone a data partition in Windows 8. The same steps can also apply to clone Windows 8 drive (namely the system partition) to another location. but its another feature called "Migrate OS to SSD Wizard" in AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is more recommended. It is specially designed to move Windows 11/10/8/7 boot partition to SSD/HDD. To clone or transfer Windows 8 or 8.1 partition to new hard drive, just do as below:

Step 1. Run AOMEI Partition Assistant and click “Clone” in the top toolbar, and choose “Migrate OS”.

Step 2. Select the destination disk space and click on "Next".

Step 3. Here you can resize the partition being created and click "Next".

Step 4. Here comes a boot note about how to boot from the cloned disk afterward. Read it carefully and click "Finish".

Step 5. Click "Apply" in the main interface and then "Proceed" to start.

If you want to boot from the destination disk, you can reboot your computer, enter BIOS settings, change boot order to boot computer from it.

Note:
Apart from copying partition, this software also enables Windows PC users to clone a whole hard disk to another disk. So you can also clone entire Windows system disk to another one.

Conclusion

See? With AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can easily clone partition in Windows 8 or 8.1. In addition to this amazing feature, AOMEI Partition Assistant also has many other functions, such as, resize/move partition, merge partitions, split partitions, allocate free space, dynamic disk management, etc. To clone Windows Server partition to SSD/HDD, you can try AOMEI Partition Assistant Server.