How to Move Windows to Another Drive [2024 Updated] – Technology Org

Whether you’ve snagged a new SSD or aim to switch to a roomier drive, the real question is “How to move windows to another drive?” But worry not. This guide shares the complete knowledge of transferring Windows, aka “cloning,” to a new drive with three methods without losing data.

We’ve also shared the prep steps in the drive cloning process and dished out insights on the effort and time each method demands, empowering you to make a savvy decision. So, let’s transfer Windows to a new hard drive now!

Part 1: When Do You Need to Move Windows to Another Drive?

You may need to transfer Windows to new hard drive, such as a larger one, to fix the insufficient disk space issue. Or want to move Windows to another drive, like an SSD, due to the advantages it offers over HDDs, such as:

• Ensure a notably faster and more efficient startup with quick data reading and writing speeds.
• Offers faster data access speeds, providing quicker application loading and heightened system responsiveness.
• Have no moving parts, thus reducing the risk of mechanical failures.
• Provide shock resistance for increased durability.
• Contributes to energy efficiency due to lower power consumption.

Part 2: Preparation Before Moving Windows to Another Drive

Before you move Windows 11 to another drive or downgrade to an older OS version, preparing beforehand is wise to prevent boot errors. Here’s what you need to do:

• Backup Your Data – Back up your valuable data on the target disk, as the Windows migration involves rewriting the entire disk.
• Get a Larger Drive – Choose a new disk with more capacity than your current drive and keep 30% to 40% of free space on the system disk. This is to maintain high-level computer performance and stability.
• Set Up the New Disk – Install the new disk using a SATA Cable to your PC, then initialize it to MBR or GPT (the same disk type as the source OS drive). If the target drive is old, clear all existing data and partitions.
• Choose an OS Migration Tool – Select an efficient tool according to your technical knowledge to move Windows installation to another drive.

Part 3: Three Methods to Move Windows to Another Drive

We’ve delved into three ways to move Windows 10 to another drive. You can either use a cloning tool to copy the OS from an HDD to an SSD or create a system image and recover it on an SSD. Another choice is to go for the easiest route with a third-party Partition Manager tool. Check out the detailed steps below, which we’ve shared in detail for each method:

Method 1:  4DDiG Partition Manager

Time	25 -30 minutes
Ease of Use	Beginner-friendly
Tools	4DDiG Partition Manager and your new drive
Drawback	Priced at $9.9 on Christmas Sale

For beginners, the top choice is 4DDiG Partition Manager, which provides a one-click solution to move Windows installation to another drive without reinstalling the system. This versatile tool also efficiently clones your entire hard drive for seamless data backup, so there is no need to prepare a bootable USB. More than just that, it provides many more benefits, such as:

• Recover deleted, repair RAW, and restore formatted partitions.
• Repairs bad sectors and offers comprehensive disk care.
• Resize, merge, split, create, delete, and format partitions to optimize disk space.
• Transfer windows to new hard drive without losing any data.

Follow the instructions below to move Windows 11 to another drive with the help of this tool:

Step 1: Install the tool on your computer and connect the new drive to your PC.

Step 2: Launch the tool, click “Start,” and choose the new drive as the target disk.

Step 3: Confirm the source disk (selected by default) and acknowledge the overwrite warning by clicking “Sure” and “Start.”

Step 4: Based on the drive size, it will take some time to transfer Windows to new hard drive. You can check the migration speed, elapsed time, and related data in the meanwhile. Press “Finish” when the OS transfer is complete.

Method 2: Windows System Image Tool

Time	40-50 minutes
Tools	Windows inbuilt System Image tool, bootable USB, and new drive
Ease of Use	Medium
Cost	Free
Drawbacks	Time-consuming backup and setup; carries a risk of data loss or corruption.

For professional users who don’t mind the manual steps, another effective method involves using a Windows System Image to move Windows 10 to another drive. Start by creating a system image backup, then a recovery USB, and finally, restore the system image to a new drive. Here’s how to move Windows to another drive with detailed steps using the Windows System Image tool:

Step 1: Create a System Image Backup

• Connect an empty external drive (SSD or HDD) to your computer.
• Open “Control Panel” and head to “System and Security.”
• Choose “Backup and Restore,” select “Create a system image,” then tap “Start backup.”

• Choose a destination drive with enough space for the system image backup and click “Next.”
• Opt for either “Let Windows choose” or “Let me choose” to select what to backup. Click “Next.”

• Finally, tap “Save settings and run backup” to generate the system image.

Step 2: Create a Recovery USB

• Plug in a USB to your computer.
• In the Control Panel, type “ Create a recovery drive” and click on it to open.

• Mark “Back up system files to the recovery drive.” Hit “Next.”

• Choose the USB as the target, click “Next,” and follow the onscreen instructions to complete the process.

Step 3: Move Windows to Another Drive

• Turn off your computer, open its case, and remove the old hard drive.
• Connect the recovery USB and external drive to your PC with the system image backup instead.
• Reboot the system, press F2/Del for BIOS, and set the PC to boot from the USB recovery drive.
• On the “Windows Setup” screen, click “Next,” set language, keyboard, etc., then click “Next.”
• Head to “Repair your computer” and choose “Troubleshoot.”

• Select “Advanced options,” then tap“System Image Recovery.”

• The newest backup will appear; if it fails, pick the right one from the external drive and click “Next.”

• Check “Format and repartition disks” and click “Next.”
• Confirm by clicking “Yes” and “Finish” to move Windows installation to another drive.
• Wait for the system recovery to finish, reboot, and Windows will start automatically.

Method 3: Clonezilla

Time	4-5 hours for a 1TB drive
Tools	Clonezilla, bootable USB, and external drive
Ease of Use	Difficult
Cost	Free
Drawbacks	Time-consuming; Requires advanced tech skills; Cloning can fail due to bad disk sectors.

Another option to move Windows 11 to another drive is by cloning the entire disk. You can do this through an open and free-source cloning tool like Clonezilla. It will clone the OS, applications, and data from your disk, so you don’t need a backup. You can also use Clonezilla as a backup tool to clone your disk data before using the System Image or 4DDiG tool. Here’s how to transfer Windows to new hard drive with Clonezilla:

Step 1: Reduce Partition Size (Optional)

You must reduce the partition size if you’re using Clonezilla to move Windows to another drive that is smaller. But if the destination drive is equal to or larger than the source drive, skip this step. Here’s what to do to reduce partition size:

• Press the “Windows + R” keys and type in “diskmgmt.msc.” Press Enter to open Disk Management.

• Right-click the main volume (C:) and select “Shrink Volume.”
• Adjust the volume size to shrink and tap “Shrink.”

• After shrinking, you’ll see unallocated space. Right-click on the unallocated space and select “New Simple Volume” to create a new partition or leave it unallocated for the cloning process.

Step 2: Download Clonezilla and Prepare a Bootable USB

• Visit the Clonezilla download page, choose the ISO option, and click “Download.”

• Visit the Rufus website and download the latest version of the tool to create a bootable USB.
• Launch the tool, select your USB, click “Select,” choose the Clonezilla ISO, click “Open,” and hit Start.

Step 3: Clone Windows to Another Drive

• Connect your new drive to your computer.
• Boot your computer using the bootable USB. When Clonezilla loads, hit “Enter” for default settings.
• Choose your language, select “Don’t touch keymap,” and start Clonezilla.

• Opt for “Beginner mode,” pick “disk_to_local_disk local_disk_to_local_disk_clone,” and press “Enter.”

• Choose the source and target drives and decide whether to check or skip the source file system.

• Choose “reboot/shut down/etc” when everything is finished.

• Confirm the cloning process by typing Y thrice. Press “Enter” each time. This is to confirm everything’s good with the cloning process, data overwrite in cloning, and getting the boot loader cloned (for a bootable Windows drive). Next, the software will move Windows 10 to another drive by cloning.

Conclusion

In our comprehensive guide on how to move Windows to another drive, we’ve covered three methods catering to diverse technical skills. If you’re not tech-savvy, the ultimate choice is 4DDiG Partition Manager.

This user-friendly tool is a time and effort-saver, offering a one-click Windows OS migration to SSD sans the hassle of reinstalling. It’s also efficient at cloning your entire hard drive for data backup, eliminating the need for a bootable USB.