[Updated] Explore 3 Free & Reliable SSD Cloning Software
Quick Navigation:
- Before the Start: Choose the Right SSD for Your Computer
- 3 Most Used SSD Cloning Software
- 1. Qiling Disk Master Standard
- 2. Samsung Data Migration
- 3. Clonezilla
- Clone HDD to SSD for Free with Qiling Disk Master
- ◉ Prepare for HDD to SSD Cloning
- ◉ Detailed Cloning Steps
- ◉ Replace the Old Hard Drive with SSD Correctly
- ◉ Workaround: Migrate OS to SSD with Qiling Disk Master Free Edition
- 9 FAQs on Hard Drive to SSD Cloning
- Conclusion
Before the Start: Choose the Right SSD for Your Computer
Compared to traditional HDDs you get an excellent user experience when running Windows or gaming on solid-state drives (SSDs). Then, how to choose an SSD for your computer? There are three practical suggestions for you:
- Check your computer motherboard. Ensure the SSD fits your device's interface (SATA or NVMe) and form factor (2.5", M.2, etc.).
- 500GB to 1TB capacity. Don't buy an SSD smaller than 256GB, and 500GB offers a good balance between price and capacity. Or, at least choose the storage size that fits your needs for applications and files.
- Faster transfer speed. SATA is cheaper but slower. Opt for higher read and write speeds, and consider NVMe for faster data transfer.
- Reliability. Pick well-known brands with good reputations for durability, such as Samsung (EVO and PRO series), Crucial (MX series), Western Digital (WD Blue and WD Black series), Kingston (known for value and reliability), SanDisk (Extreme series is notable), Intel (660p and 670p), etc.
3 Most Used SSD Cloning Software
After getting a new SSD, the next step is to transfer all data from the old disk to SSD. Specialist disk clone software can save your time by copying everything from the old drive to the new one, whether it is SSD or HDD.
Is there free SSD migration software? The answer is YES. In this part, I'll show you 3 best free SSD cloning software - Qiling Disk Master Standard, Samsung Data Migration and Clonezilla. Please get details below.
1. Qiling Disk Master Standard
Qiling Disk Master Standard free edition, developed for Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, is the best SSD cloning software for free. With many professional functions, it is perfect for transferring data from one disk to another.
- Disk Clone: it allows you to clone the entire hard drive including all the volumes on it. With it, you can easily migrate HDDs to smaller SSDs or clone SSDs to larger ones.
- Partition Clone: it enables you to copy a selected partition, such as clone NTFS drive.
- Intelligent clone: by default, this software only copies used sectors, which is also the key to clone larger drive to smaller drive.
- SSD Alignment: it can help to improve the performance of the destination SSD and prolong its lifespan.
- VSS technology: the cloning process will run in the background so you can continue to use the computer during the process.
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Pros |
Cons |
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√ Clone entire disk or a specific partition √ Clone only used sectors to save disk space √ 4K partition alignment for SSD √ Support all-branded SSDs (Samsung, WD, Crucial, Seagate, etc.) |
× Cannot clone a system disk. Have to pay for system migration. |
2. Samsung Data Migration
Samsung Data Migration is a disk cloning tool offered by Samsung. It can help you migrate all of your data from the current system disk to a new Samsung SSD, including the operating system, application software, user data, and so on. However, it only supports cloning to Samsung SSD disk. That's to say, you cannot use it to migrate data to other branded SSD disks.
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Pros |
Cons |
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√ Migrate OS, apps and files together √ Support excluding data when cloning to a smaller drive |
× Only clone to Samsung disks × Cannot clone a data disk |
3. Clonezilla
Clonezilla is a free and open source partition and disk imaging/cloning program. It supports system deployment, bare metal backup and recovery, and single drive/partition clone in various systems, such as Linux, Mac OS, Windows, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD, and more. There are three versions of Clonezilla available: Clonezilla live, Clonezilla lite server and Clonezilla SE (server edition).
|
Pros |
Cons |
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√ Clone entire disk or a specific partition √ Compatible with various systems |
× Cannot clone to a smaller drive × No user-friendly GUI |
Clone HDD to SSD for Free with Qiling Disk Master
Qiling Disk Master supports all popular brands of solid-state drives, including Samsung, SanDisk, Kingston, PNY, WD, etc. And it supports different disk interfaces, such as SATA, IDE and PCIe. For example, you can easily clone Windows 10 to NVMe SSD with this tool. The following is detailed step on SSD cloning.
◉ Prepare for HDD to SSD Cloning
- Make sure your new SSD has been correctly connected to the computer. If your computer has only one drive bay, use a USB-to-SATA adapter.
- The target disk will be overwritten. Back up important files if necessary.
- Download this free SSD migration software and install it.
◉ Detailed Cloning Steps
1. Click on the Clone button and select Disk Clone in the next window.
💡 Note: The free edition only supports cloning non-system disks. To clone a system disk, please upgrade to higher editions.
2. Select the original hard drive as the source disk and then choose the SSD as the destination disk.
3. Check the SSD Alignment option to optimize the performance of the destination SSD. Then, click on Proceed to begin the HDD to SSD cloning.
Sector By Sector Clone - If you want to clone every sector (including unused sectors) on the old hard drive to your SSD, tick this option.
Edit Partitions - If you are upgrading your SSD to a larger one, you can use the "Add unused space to all partitions" of this option to avoid unallocated space after cloning.
4. Now leave the process to complete. While you are waiting you can continue to use the PC as normal. Once the process completes, click Finish.
◉ Replace the Old Hard Drive with SSD Correctly
Shut down your PC and remove all external devices and connections first. Then, open the case cover, take out the old hard drive and install the new SSD in the same place. You'll need screwdrivers in practical operations. It is suggested to take a picture in advance to help you revert cable connections if you're not familiar with such things.
◉ Workaround: Migrate OS to SSD with Qiling Disk Master Free Edition
The direct way of disk cloning is introduced above. Actually, you've got another way to move Windows OS to new SSD via Qiling Disk Master free version. Just need more manual steps. Here is a brief guide.
Step 1. Create a system backup image using Qiling Disk Master backup feature. It is suggested to store the backup image on external drive or network path, or anywhere you can access from the WinPE environment.
Step 2. Create a bootable media, usually a bootable USB flash drive, via Qiling Disk Master tools. The flash drive should better equal or greater than 16GB.
Step 3. Restore the system image in WinPE environment. Boot up your computer with the bootable media. You'll see loaded Qiling Disk Master after log in. Click Restore and follow the wizard to complete.
9 FAQs on Hard Drive to SSD Cloning
Cloning is the process of copying all data from a source hard drive to a target drive, creating an exact replica of the original drive's contents, including the operating system, files, and settings.
Windows does not offer a disk cloning tool. You'll need a destination SSD with sufficient capacity, a cloning software (e.g., Samsung Data Migration (Samsung SSDs only), Qiling Disk Master, or Clonezilla), and a way to connect both the source hard drive and the target SSD to your computer (e.g., SATA-to-USB adapter).
Yes, you can clone larger drive to smaller drive. But, please note that the source hard drive's used space must be smaller than the capacity of the target SSD. You'll need to ensure that the data on the source drive fits within the available space on the SSD.
The time it takes depends on the amount of data being cloned and the speed of your hardware. Generally, it can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours.
Most cloning software will handle formatting and partitioning of the SSD for you during the cloning process. You typically don't need to manually format the SSD beforehand.
"Hot Clone" does support using computer during the process. However, if there is no emergency, it's generally best to avoid using the computer to prevent any potential data corruption or interruptions. Let the cloning process complete before using your computer again.
Cloning is generally safe if done correctly. However, there's always a slight risk of data loss, so it's a good practice to back up important data before starting the cloning process.
Cloning includes the operating system, programs, and licenses. However, you might need to reactivate some software, especially if it's tied to hardware identifiers.
After successful cloning, you can disconnect the old hard drive and boot from the SSD. Check if everything works as expected. You can then repurpose the old hard drive as additional storage or keep it as a backup.
Conclusion
What is the best free SSD cloning software for Windows? You may pick a suitable tool according to your specific situation:
※ If you plan to clone old hard drive to a Samsung SSD, Samsung Data Migration is a good choice.
※ If you want an SSD migration tool compatible with various systems like Linux, Mac OS, and Windows, you may pick Clonezilla.
※ If you need a data migration tool with flexible clone options and supporting all-branded SSDs, try Qiling Disk Master Standard.
Qiling Disk Master enables you to easily transfer data to your SSD (e.g., clone NVMe to NVMe SSD). It also brings you backup features including file and system backups. Its amazing restoration features allow you to recover your unbootable PC either by creating rescue media or by using the Qiling PXE boot tool.
If you're an IT technician or want to use portable cloning software anywhere and anytime, you may try Qiling Disk Master Technician or Technician Plus edition to create portable version.
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