[Windows Clone] How to Clone OS in Windows 11/10/8/7

This article is for users with the following questions: 

• How to clone OS to SSD without reinstalling the Windows operating system?
• How to clone OS to a larger HDD in Windows 10?
• How to clone the system disk without any boot problems?

Are you running out of disk space on your system disk and want to upgrade to a larger hard drive or a new SSD for better computer performance? Or do you plan to back up your personalized system with many licensed applications and settings to prevent unexpected system crashes? If so, one of the most effective ways to achieve the goal is to clone Windows 10/8/7 operating system to HDD or SSD with disk cloning software. 

Before you dive into how to clone your OS on Windows 11/10/8/7, it is necessary to know what you need to prepare for this process. Here is a table for you.

Download One Awesome OS Migration Software - EaseUS Disk Copy

Free Download OS Cloning Software - EaseUS Disk Copy

How to clone OS to a new hard drive without reinstalling the OS and make sure that it can boot successfully? Cloning the Windows operating system and data copying is not the same, and can not be done by the simple copy-and-paste method. But don't worry, there are some OS cloning programs clone out there that will do the job for you. All you have to do is choose a professional and trusted application.

EaseUS Disk Copy comes with a disk cloning feature that enables you to easily clone your files, operating system, and applications to another HDD or SSD without data loss. You can use this Windows clone tool to:

• Clone system, disk, and partition
• Migrate Windows 10 from HDD to SSD without any data loss
• Transfer Windows 10 to a USB flash drive
• Clone OS from HDD to smaller SSD
• Back up the Windows operating system for later use

Now, download the freeware and take a look at the following step-by-step guide to clone OS.

Video Tutorial: How to Clone OS Disk to New HDD/SSD

Here, you'll learn how to clone the OS disk to another new HDD or SSD with booting issues. Let's check:

 

Step-by-Step Guide to Clone OS to HDD/SSD in Windows 10/8/7

Follow the step-by-step guide below to use EaseUS Disk Copy to clone OS to a new hard disk quickly. To boot your computer from the cloned hard drive, you need to restart your computer, enter BIOS, change the boot order, and make the new hard drive as the first boot device.

Click the button below and activate EaseUS system clone software in advance.

1. Clone System Disk to New Hard Drive Using EaseUS OS Cloning Software

Prior Notice:

• The "Sector by sector copy" asks the size of your destination disk to be at least equal to or larger than that of the source disk. Leave this feature unchecked if you wish to clone a larger hard disk to a smaller hard disk.
• All data on the destination disk will be completely erased, so take care.

Step 1. To start copying/cloning an entire disk to another, choose this disk as the source disk under "Disk Mode" and click "Next".

Step 2. Choose the other disk as the destination disk.

Step 3. Check the disk layout of the two disks. You can manage the disk layout of the destination disk by selecting "Autofit the disk", "Copy as the source" or "Edit disk layout". 

• "Autofit the disk" makes some changes by default on the destination disk layout so that it can work at its best status.
• "Copy as the source"does not change anything on destination disk and the layout is the same as source disk.
• "Edit disk layout" allows you to manually resize/move partition layout on this destination disk.

Tick the "Check the option if the target is SSD" option to put your SSD in its best performance.

A message now appears, warning you that data will be lost. Please confirm this message by clicking "OK" and then click "Next".

Step 4. Click "Proceed" to officially execute the task.

2. Set Up Windows OS Boot from the Cloned Hard Drive

After cloning, you need to do the rest operation to ensure a smooth start.

Step 1. Restart PC and press F2/F12/Del keys to enter BIOS.

Step 2. Click the boot option, change the boot order, and set OS to boot from the new disk.

Step 3. Save the changes, exit BIOS, and restart the PC.

Conclusions

The EaseUS OS cloning feature offers you the easiest solution to clone Windows OS to a new hard drive, including a bigger HDD or smaller SSD. It also supports partition clones to move data from the old disk to a new one or clone MBR disk to GPT disk or GPT disk to MBR.

For any problem using the tool, you can contact our technical support for help via live chat or email support: [email protected].

How to Clone OS FAQs

Here are a few questions related to the Windows clone. If you also have any of these problems, you can find the methods here.

Can you clone an OS?

You can clone the Windows operating system with a capable disk partition cloning software, like EaseUS Disk Copy. This drive cloning tool allows you to migrate your operating system and applications to another hard drive without fresh installing again.

Can I clone just the operating system?

Cloning the operating system needs the cloning of the system partition and boot partition. In order to solve the problem that the system partition and the boot partition are not on the same disk and the computer cannot be booted properly after cloning, you’d better use the disk cloning feature to clone the Windows operating system.

Will clone a hard drive clone the OS?

With professional disk cloning software, by choosing to clone the system hard disk drive, you can clone OS in Windows 10, 8, and 7 with ease.

How do I clone my OS drive?

Download and install EaseUS Disk Copy on your Windows computer, then:

Step 1. Run the program, choose your system disk as the source disk under "Disk Mode" and click "Next".

Step 2. Choose the target disk as the destination disk.

Step 3. Check the disk layout of the two disks. Click "Proceed" to officially execute the task.

Step 4. Set up Windows OS boot from the cloned hard drive.

What is the best free cloning software?

You can use the free trial EaseUS disk cloning to help you clone a disk or partition. It can easily upgrade your hard drive from the old disk to a new one or clone the MBR disk to a GPT disk or GPT disk to MBR.

How do I clone my OS to a new SSD?

To clone OS to SSD or HDD to SSD for better performance, follow the steps below:

Step 1. In "Disk Mode", select the OS disk that you want to clone.

Step 2. Select the SSD as your destination.

Step 3. Edit the disk layout and then click "Proceed" to continue.