How to Clone SSD to HDD in Windows 10, 11 (Secure Boot)  

How to Clone SSD to HDD in Windows 10, 11 (Secure Boot)


Why clone SSD to HDD in Windows 10/11?

In the majority of cases users want to clone their HDD to an SSD to gain better performance, for example, see this guide: clone Dell hard drive to SSD. But why would somebody clone their SSD drive to a hard drive?

Actually, it can be quite helpful in some of the following situations:

What Windows 10/11 cloning software should you use?

No matter if you’re using Windows 10/11 or Windows 7/8, it is hard for you to perform an SSD to HDD clone using the built-in utilities. Because Microsoft does not provide any disk cloning software. As a result, you should instead look to use reliable third-party cloning software to migrate SSD to HDD.

Qiling Disk Master Professional is one such secure, reliable, and specialized disk cloning software that allows you to clone SSD to hard drive in Windows 10/11 (both 32 bit and 64 bit) without reinstalling. Here are the main features that are used when cloning SSD drives.

In addition, bad sectors will not prevent the SSD from being cloned as Qiling Disk Master supports cloning a hard drive with bad sectors. If you prefer not to clone the entire drive, you can clone only system drive and boot related drives to hard disk drive with System Clone feature. Why don’t you download it and have a try?

 

How to clone SSD to HDD securely in Windows 10/11

Notes:

Step 1. Connect the HDD to your PC. Install and launch Qiling Disk Master Professional Edition. Click on Clone and then click Disk Clone.

Clone SSD to HDD in Windows 10

Step 2. Now you need to select the SSD disk in Windows 10/11 as source disk. 

Choose SSD

Step 3. Select the new HDD as destination hard drive.

Choose HDD

Step 4. The default setting will only clone the used part of the SSD. If you prefer to clone both used and unused part, you should select Sector by Sector Clone. When you are happy with the selections, hit Proceed to clone SSD to HDD in Windows 10/11.

Start to clone SSD to HDD

* It is possible to edit the partitions on the HDD by clicking Edit Partitions. It will be unavailable if you check the Sector by sector clone box.
* If you clone hard drive to SSD or clone SSD to larger SSD in Windows 10/11, please check the SSD Alignment feature to improve the read and write speeds of the destination SSD.

Step 5. Shut down your computer after cloning SSD to HDD. You can now change the boot priority in the BIOS so that you can boot Windows 10/11 from the cloned HDD. We suggest you remove the source disk when performing the boot test.

Helpful Tips:

Troubleshooting: Cloned hard drive won't boot in Windows 10/11

Some users have complained that the newly cloned hard drive won’t boot after the cloning process has finished.

The first thing you should check is the boot order.

Boot Order

If the boot order is correct then it is likely to be a boot mode issue (UEFI/BIOS). If you have cloned GPT to MBR disk, you will have to change from UEFI to Legacy (or vice versa) in the startup menu.

UEFI BIOS

If you’re still unable to boot Windows 10/11 from the cloned drive, read the cloned Windows 10/11 won't boot guide for more solutions.

FAQs about copying SSD to HDD

1. Does Windows 10 have cloning software?

No, Windows 10 doesn't have cloning software. If you wish to clone an SSD or HDD, you must use professional cloning software, like Qiling Disk Master, to help you.

2. How long does it take to clone SSD to HDD?

It depends on how much data you need to move, how quickly the cloning program runs, the read and write speeds, the computer system, and the hard disk, etc. To clone 500GB data, the average time it takes is one and a half hours.

Verdict

Qiling Disk Master Professional Edition is a fantastic tool when you want to clone SSD to HDD in Windows 10/11. It has an entire range of useful features and functions and can also help you clone an HDD to an SSD (even when the SSD is a smaller drive). It also applies to clone all kinds of HDDs and SSDs, such as clone Windows 10 to M.2 SSD, clone HDD  to Samsung SSD in Windows 10, replace laptop HDD with SSD, clone SSD to larger SSD, clone hard drive to WD SSD, etc.

The complete disk cloning software also includes a raft of powerful backup features that lets users perform incremental or differential backups in Windows 10/11 to keep their data safe. These allow you to easily restore your system with disaster recovery in case anything goes wrong.

Related Articles


Is this information helpful?     

What can we do to improve this information? (Optional)
Refresh Please enter the verification code!