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.

Step 2: Navigate to "Clone" > "Clone Disk".

Step 3: Choose the preferred clone method. Here select "Clone Disk Quickly" to clone only used space.

Step 4: Choose the source disk and click "Next" to proceed.

Step 5: Choose the destination disk and click "Next". Tick "Optimize the performance of SSD" if the target one is SSD.

Step 6: Change partition size on the target disk if you choose the "Clone Disk Quickly" method in step 3, or keep the defaults (Clone without resizing partitions) and click "Next".

Step 7: Reading notes on how to boot from the cloned disk, click "Finish", and then click "Apply". Once the task is completed, your old drive has been successfully cloned to the new SSD or larger HDD.

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.