How to Create Disk Image in Windows 10/11 [2 Free Ways]

What is a disk image for?

A disk image is a precise replica of a disk, encompassing all files, the file system, boot sector, and other metadata. Creating a disk image effectively makes a full backup of the hard drive with Windows 10/11 installed, saving it as a single file that can be stored on internal or external drives, or network locations.

There are several compelling reasons to create a disk image:

✔ Data backup and recovery: Creating a disk image ensures that the original data on the disk is preserved in its entirety. By making a bit-for-bit copy, you can extract the desired data from the image at any time, providing a reliable and efficient way to access and utilize the stored information.
✔ Reducing downtime: A disk image serves as a vital backup solution, providing a safeguard against hardware failure or disaster recovery scenarios. By regularly creating disk images, you can restore your computer to a previous state, even in the event of a severe failure, ensuring business continuity and minimizing downtime.
✔ System deployment and cloning: Disk images are often used to deploy or clone a pre-configured operating system (OS) and application (APP) setup across hard drives or even computers and servers. For instance, when upgrading from a traditional hard disk drive (HDD) to a solid-state drive (SSD), you can directly restore a disk image to the new drive, eliminating the need for a time-consuming reinstallation process.

This article will guide you through the process of creating a disk image in Windows 10/11, and provide a free solution for downloading a disk image creator.

How to create a disk image in Windows 10/11

While Windows 10/11 offers a built-in Backup and Restore tool, inherited from Windows 7, this method can be cumbersome and error-prone. Users may encounter issues such as:

The drive is not a valid backup location
When attempting to create a disk image or backup in Windows 10/11, you may encounter an error message indicating that there is not enough disk space to create the volume shadow copy of the storage location. This error can be frustrating, especially if you're trying to backup or image a large drive.
When attempting to recover or restore your system disk, you may encounter an error message indicating that no disk can be used for recovering the system disk. This error can be frustrating, especially if you're trying to recover from a system crash or failure.

In order to ensure a smooth and efficient system recovery process, it's essential to use a robust and up-to-date disk imaging program.

Way 1. Download free creator to make disk image

To create a complete and accurate image of your entire disk, including your Windows operating system, settings, and all installed applications, you need to use a specialized disk imaging utility. These tools are designed to capture the entire disk, including all operating system files, settings, and data, in a single image file.

Qiling Disk Master Standard is a highly-regarded, free disk imaging software for Windows that can effortlessly image hard disks in various Windows versions, including Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, Vista, and XP. This software is particularly useful for creating a complete and accurate image of your entire disk, including hidden partitions.

📁Many file systems	NTFS, FAT32, FAT16, EXT2, EXT3, etc.
💾Various storage devices	External hard disks, solid state drives (SSD), USB flash drives, thumb drives, network attached storage (NAS), hardware RAID, dynamic disks, discs (CD/DVD), etc.
🔰Complete backup options	It is not only a disk image creator of Windows 10, but also an effective backup toolfor files/folders, partitions and operating system.
💿Bootable media creation	It enablesyou to create a bootable media which can boot your computer intoWinPE andperformoffline system restore.

Ready to take the first step in creating a reliable backup of your system? Click the button below to download the free Qiling Disk Master Standard, the best free disk imaging software for Windows.

Free Download
Windows 11/10/8/7, 100% Secure

How to create Windows 10 disk image with free tool

Qiling Disk Master is designed to be user-friendly, making it easy for anyone to create a hard disk image in Windows 10 without requiring any technical expertise. This ensures data security and peace of mind, especially when upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 or experiencing any other system issues.

1. To create image backup from a disk, launch the main interface and select Disk Backup under Backup tab.

Are you looking to create a complete system image of your Windows 10 operating system? Look no further than the **System Backup** feature.

2. Once you've initiated the backup process, it's time to select the disk that will be backed up. This is a crucial step, as it ensures that the correct data is included in the backup.

3. To ensure that your disk image is safely stored, click on the second column to select a location. This is an important step, as it determines where your backup will be stored.

4. Before proceeding with the backup, take a moment to review the backup settings. This is an essential step to ensure that the backup process is set up correctly.

▪ Backup Options: email notification, compression level, intelligent sector or sector-by-sector backup, etc.
▪ Schedule Backup: set the backup task to run automatically based on Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Event triggers, USB plug in (the last 2 modes are available in advanced editions).
▪ Backup Scheme: choose full/incremental/differential backup, and create a retention policy for automatic backup cleanup (you need to upgrade to advanced editions to enjoy this feature).

✍ Helpful tips:

Create Recovery Environment:Consider leveraging a **Self-Booting Recovery Environment** to access the Windows Recovery Environment, providing a convenient and efficient way to perform system backups, restores, and other recovery operations. This advanced feature is particularly useful in situations where the system crashes, and a quick recovery is essential.
Create Bootable Media:The recovery environment created by Qiling Disk Master is stored under the path C:\Qiling Recovery. In the event of a C drive wipe or damage, this recovery environment provides a convenient and efficient way to restore your system.

▶ Learn more from video tutorial:

Way 2. Use Windows built-in utility to create disk image

1. Search for "backup" and open Backup settings from the result, then click Go to Backup and Restore (Windows 7).

2. To create a system image, follow these steps:

3. The backup process will automatically select all the drives required by Windows 10 to run, ensuring that your system image includes all necessary components. Next, you'll need to choose a destination for the disk image, such as an external hard drive.

4. Next, you'll need to select any additional drives you want to include in the backup. If you want to create a complete image of your entire hard disk, simply select all the drives displayed. Once you've made your selection, click the **Proceed** button to begin creating the disk image.

Disk image FAQs

Is ISO the same as disk image?

No, ISO file and disk image are not exactly the same, although they are related.

An ISO file is a digital representation of the contents of an optical disc, such as a CD, DVD, or Blu-ray disc. It contains all the files and folders that would be found on the physical disc, including the file system and data.

A disk image is a broader term that can refer to various types of digital representations of a disk or storage media. It can include not only optical discs (ISO files) but also other formats like disk images of hard drives, floppy disks, USB drives, and more.

Disk images can be used for various purposes, including backup, storage, and virtualization. So while an ISO file is a specific type of disk image, not all disk images are ISO files. Other disk image formats include IMG, DMG (used on macOS), VHD (Virtual Hard Disk), and many more, depending on the specific disk or storage media being represented.

Also refer to: Create ISO image from operating system

What is the difference between disk image and disk clone?

A disk image and a disk clone are 2 different methods of creating a backup or exact copy of a computer's hard disk.

Disk Image: A disk image is a file that contains an exact replica of an entire disk or a specific partition. It includes not only the files and folders stored on the disk but also the file system, boot sector, and other metadata. Disk imaging captures the entire contents of the disk and saves it as a single file, which can be stored on external storage devices such as an external hard drive or network storage.

Disk Clone: A disk clone, on the other hand, is an exact replica of a disk created by directly copying the data from one disk to another. It involves duplicating the entire disk sector by sector, including the file system, partition table, boot sector, and all data. The cloned disk is an independent copy that can be used as a bootable drive.

Why is a disk image corrupted?

If you're encountering an error message stating "Couldn't mount file: the disk image file is corrupted", it indicates that the disk image you're trying to mount is damaged or incomplete. Here are a few suggestions to address it:

Verify the integrity of the disk image: Ensure that the disk image file you have downloaded or received is intact and hasn't been corrupted during the transfer process. You can try downloading the file again or obtain a fresh copy from a reliable source.

Repair the disk image: Some disk image formats support repair options. Check if there is an option to repair or restore the disk image using the software or utility associated with that format.

Try different mounting software: If the built-in tools are not successful, you can attempt to mount the disk image file using different software or utilities. There are various third-party applications available for mounting disk images on both macOS and Windows.

Extract files from the disk image: If you're unable to mount the corrupted disk image file, you may still be able to extract individual files or data from it. Some disk image software allows you to extract files without mounting the entire image. Remember to always keep backups of important files to minimize the impact of data loss or corruption.

Summary

Using Qiling Disk Master, creating a disk image in Windows 10 is a straightforward process. Having a disk image at your disposal can also facilitate disk recovery with just a few clicks. Additionally, you can utilize the Disk Clone feature to create a copy of your hard disk, eliminating the need for disk imaging. This flexibility makes it easy to manage your data and ensure its safety. Disk Clone feature to create a copy of your hard disk, eliminating the need for disk imaging. This flexibility makes it easy to manage your data and ensure its safety.

To safeguard an unlimited number of computers within your organization, consider opting for Qiling Disk Master Technician. This tool comes equipped with the Qiling Image Deploy feature, enabling you to deploy or restore system image files on a server-side computer to multiple client-side computers across the network. Experience the convenience of this feature by trying it out now.