How Do I Clone Windows to SSD for Free? Your Reliable Guide

Tracy King updated on Dec 26, 2023 to Partition Master | How-to Articles

Do you know how to clone Windows system to a new SSD for free? Is there a free solution that works to clone Windows OS to SSD for free without any boot issues? Sure! This page will show you how to do so. Follow and learn the details.

Need a full & reliable tutorial to clone Windows to SSD for free? Stay here, and you'll get a complete guide on how to clone Windows to SSD on Windows 11/10/8 and even older operating systems.

In this article, you'll learn:

  • Can I and How Do I Clone Windows to SSD for Free? 
  • Guide On Cloning Windows to SSD with a 100% Free Solution
  • Benefits of Clone Windows to SSD

Key Takeaways of Clone Windows to SSD Free:

  • Cloning Windows to SSD requires you to turn to a reliable OS cloning software for help, as Windows doesn't have a cloning tool.
  • This page will recommend a free & reliable solution to guide you in fully cloning Windows to SSD for free in simple clicks.

Can I and How Do I Clone Windows to SSD for Free? 

"Can I clone my OS to SSD without reinstalling Windows and for free?" - question on Quora.com

Yes, you can clone Windows to SSD successfully with reliable OS cloning software to replace or upgrade the OS disk on your current PC or duplicate the system to a new computer. 

So, how do I clone Windows to SSD for free? Reliable and free system clone software - EaseUS Partition Master Free can assist you in fulfilling this task with simple clicks. This software is sophisticated in OS cloning and system migration with its Partition Clone features.

Here is a brief step guide to cloning Windows to SSD for free:

  • Prepare SSD - install, initialize, and partition SSD
  • Download OS cloning software - EaseUS Partition Master and Clone Windows to SSD for free
  • Set the PC to boot from the new SSD with cloned Windows

Now, you can move to follow the next guide, and you'll learn how to clone Windows to SSD successfully. Also, share this tutorial to help more of your friends move their Windows OS to a new SSD for free:

 

Guide On Cloning Windows to SSD with a 100% Free Solution

To clone OS to SSD, here are the detailed steps that you can follow:

#1. Install, Initialize, and Partition SSD

Step 1. Open the computer or laptop case, and install SSD to your computer correctly.

Step 2. Fasten the SSD and close the computer case.

Step 3. Reboot the PC and open Disk Management, right-click on SSD, and select "Initialize Disk".

Step 4. Set SSD to the same disk type as the OS disk on your PC.

Step 5. Right-click on the unallocated space in SSD and select "New Simple Volume".

Step 6. Set a driver letter to the new partition, set its file system as NTFS, and confirm.

Note that you need to create two partitions if your Windows OS and boot partition are separated on two different volumes.

#2. Clone Windows to SSD for Free

Note that when the OS and boot partitions are two separate volumes, you'll need to use the Copy Partition feature in EaseUS Partition Master Free twice. Here are the steps:

Step 1. Select "Clone" from the left menu. Click "Clone Partition" and "Next".

Step 2. Select the source partition and click "Next".

Step 3. Choose your the target partition and click "Next "to continue.

  • If you clone partition to the existing partition, you should transfer or back up data before cloning to prevent it being overwritten.
  • Check warning message and confirm "Yes".

Step 4. Click Start and wait for the clone to complete.

You can check how to clone partition or system reserved partition on this video tutorial.

Apart from cloning Windows OS to SSD for free, you can also apply EaseUS Partition Master to upgrade your data disk to another drive for free, for example, to clone SSD for free, clone hard drive to SSD for free.

#3. Set PC Boot from New SSD

Remember to remove the SSD and connect it to the target computer if you want to use the cloned Windows on a new computer.

Now, you can follow the steps here to set the PC to boot from the new SSD with cloned Windows:

Step 1. Reboot the PC and press F2/F8/Del keys to enter BIOS.

Step 2. Go to the boot menu and set the SSD as the boot drive in the boot priority section. 

Step 3. Confirm and save the changes, and reboot the PC.

So this is the entire procedure of how to clone Windows to SSD for free with the help of EaseUS Partition Master and its cloning feature. If you like this tutorial and want to help more of your friends upgrade their system to a new disk for free, share this page to help them instantly:

 

Bonus Tip: What To Do with Old System Disk After Cloning Windows to SSD

Some Windows users may need further guidance on managing the old OS drive after they clone Windows to a new SSD. Here we have two solutions for you:

1. Delete All Partitions on the Old Disk for New Usage

If you plan to repartition the old disk and use it to store more data on it, you can directly delete the old disk partitions and create new volumes on it.

EaseUS Partition Master, with its Delete All Partition and New-Disk Guide, can fully help you with this.

2. Wipe Old Disk and Clean Up Data to Sale

If you want to wipe and sell the entire old disk online, you can use the Disk Wipe feature in EaseUS Partition Master for help. It will reset your disk, permanently erase all existing data, and set the disk as fresh as new.

EaseUS Partition Master is not only a free system cloning software for Windows 10, Windows 11, and older systems but also provides multiple free features to assist users in optimizing disk performance, including:

  • Create, delete, format, wipe, merge, and extend partitions.
  • Convert data disk between MBR and GPT, NTFS and FAT32.
  • Clone data disk, copy data, and system partition.
  • Check file system errors, test bad sectors, check disk health, and test HDD/SSD speed.
  • 4K align SSD, change cluster size, etc.

The Benefits of Clone Windows to SSD

The benefits of cloning Windows to SSD are various, and the basic reason is that SSD performs better than HDD in multiple aspects.

When you clone Windows to SSD, you can also gain a series of improvements on your PC, and they are:

01

Benefits of Clone Windows to SSD within PC:

  • Speed up Windows boot up and shut down duration.
  • Speed up computer reading and writing speed.
  • Improve software and gaming program performance.
  • Save more space for data storage on the source disk.
  •  
02

Benefits of Clone Windows to SSD and Use on New PC:

  • Clone and duplicate Windows OS to use on a second or more computers.
  • Make an exact copy of the source OS with installed software to a new computer.
  • Duplicate Office computer to home or remote computer.
 

Final Verdict

Cloning Windows to SSD can efficiently improve the performance of an old PC and optimize the system, programs, and disks' reading and writing speed to a large extent. For a free solution in cloning Windows to the SSD, EaseUS Partition Master Free deserves a try.

FAQs About Cloning Windows to SSD for Free

If you have more questions on cloning Windows to SSD for free or OS migration, follow and find answers here below:

1. Is there free cloning software for Windows 10?

Yes, sure. Here is a list of free disk cloning software that you can trust for Windows 10:

  • EaseUS Partition Master Free
  • EaseUS Todo Backup Free
  • Clonezilla
  • Macrium Reflect Free

2. Can I clone just Windows 10 to SSD?

Yes, you can just clone Windows 10 to SSD with the partition copy feature in EaseUS Partition Master. First, initialize SSD and create at least two volumes with the NTFS file system. Second, run to clone the system and boot volumes to SSD one by one. Last, when the process is complete, set the SSD as the boot drive on Windows 10 in BIOS settings.

3. How do I clone my SSD to another SSD for free?

  • Prepare a new SSD to the same disk type as the old SSD.
  • Launch EaseUS Partition Master Free on your PC.
  • If the old SSD is an OS disk, use the Partition Clone feature to clone SSD partitions to the new disk one by one.
  • If the old SSD is a data disk, directly use the Disk Clone feature to clone it to the new SSD.