On the hardware level, storage upgrades have become pretty easy. However, most people find cloning to be complex and stressful because your important data is involved in the whole process. In case something goes wrong, your precious data can be under threat. So, this isn’t just a list of the best software but also how to safely use these software to move your data from one drive to another. You can be migrating the OS after a drive upgrade or doing any other critical data move. This article will make sure to give you the best solution possible.
There are certain criteria on which you can choose the best cloning software and they are really simple to look for. For me, it is always the incremental backup and bootable media creation. However, there are people who may prioritize pricing, encryption, or speed of operation. So, I have evaluated all the programs and given each of these programs stars on the main criteria. I hope this will help you make your decision easily.
1. Macrium Reflect X (Best Overall and Free)
I have been a regular user of Macrium Reflect (now Macrium Reflect X) for the last 8 years. I have done so many SSD upgrades and OS migrations using this program. It is easy to use, quick, and offers a backup option. It comes with a 30-day trial period, which is enough for most users because they use these software for single use. All the important features are available in the trial version, and with the professional version, you get complete access to all these features for $49.99/year for one computer.
Read Full Macrium Reflect X 2025 Review
Key features of Macrium Reflect include removable media imaging and cloning, OS image creation, restoration, bootable media creation, direct disk cloning, backup scheduling, and ransomware protection. You can check all the features and download Macrium Reflect X right here. It is available for Windows and Linux operating systems.
| Pros ✅ | Cons ❌ |
|---|---|
| Reliable & Fast | No Mac Support – Windows-only software. |
| Trial Version Available | Advanced features require technical knowledge. |
| Incremental & Differential Backups | Paid version can be Expensive |
| Bootable Rescue Media | No Cloud Backup – Only have local and network storage. |
| Ransomware Protection | Limited Automation – Scheduling options could be more flexible. |
For some people, Macrium Reflect can be complex to use, and I believe this is because Macrium Reflect X gives you many other features along with cloning. The process of cloning is explained below.
How to clone the drive using Macrium Reflect Free?
1. Open Macrium Reflect
- Launch Macrium Reflect and wait for it to detect all drives.
2. Select the Source Disk
- Under the “Create a backup” tab, locate your current system drive (the one you want to clone).
- Click “Clone this disk…” under the selected drive.
3. Choose the Target Disk
- Click “Select a disk to clone to” and pick your new SSD/HDD.
- If there’s existing data on the target disk, Macrium will erase it.
4. Adjust Partition Sizes (Optional)
- If the new drive is larger, you can resize partitions by dragging them to adjust space. You can also choose to copy the partition as they are or delete the existing partitions on the target drive. However, you can choose to leave everything to copy the partitions from the source to the target drive.
5. Start Cloning
- Click “Next” → “Finish” → “OK” to begin cloning. Then, you can choose the backup during the cloning process or refuse.
- The process may take minutes to hours, depending on disk size.
6. Swap the Drives (For OS Migration)
- If cloning your system drive, power off your PC and swap the old drive with the new one.
- Enter BIOS (F2/F12/DEL at boot) and set the new drive as the boot disk.
2. DiskGenius (Free)
DiskGenius is an all-rounder tool for storage drives and I have talked about its bad-block feature in this article. But, it has a dedicated OS migration tool which is great if you don’t want to spend money on paid tools like EaseUS ToDo Backup and AOMIE Backupper. The tool might look outdated but it does the job perfectly. The trail version is enough for cloning any kind of drive.
I found DiskGenius to be slower than the Macrium Reflect X but not by huge margins. You do not get backup options and limited automation features. However, it offers sector-by-sector cloning and SSD alignment although this feature can slow down the process even more.
You can choose for hot migration and also customize or delete the existing partitions and create new one. All in all, DiskGenius is a good
| Pros ✅ | Cons ❌ |
|---|---|
| 100% Free for Cloning | Slower Than Some Paid Tools |
| Clones Without Rebooting | Limited Automation – No scheduling options for cloning tasks. |
| User-Friendly GUI | Basic Bootable Version |
| Sector-by-Sector Cloning | |
| Supports SSD Alignment |
Step-by-Step Guide to Cloning using DiskGenius
1. Open DiskGenius
- Launch DiskGenius Free and wait for it to detect all connected drives.
2. Select the Cloning Option
- Click “Tools” in the top menu and choose “OS Migration” option.
- Now, because you are choosing the OS migration, the source drive is automatically selected and you’ll be asked to directly select the target disk. Make sure it is connected to the motherboard or USB.
3. Choose the Cloning Method or edit the partition
- If you want, you can remove the existing partitions or create new ones.
- “Copy all sectors” (Sector-by-Sector) – Exact copy (even empty space is cloned).
- Also, you’ll be asked to choose between “Hot Migration” and “Reboot to WinPE”. Choose hot migration if you want to clone without restarting Windows. Choose Reboot to PE if you are cloning a system drive (recommended for OS migration).
- Click “Start” and confirm to begin the cloning process. Wait for the process to complete
4. Swap the Drives (For OS Migration)
- If cloning your system drive, shut down your PC, remove the old drive, and replace it with the new one. Then you can boot into the BIOS/UEFI and change the boot priority.
3. Clonezilla (Best Free & Open-Source)
Clonezilla is the best free and open-source program that I occasionally use for mass deployment via multicast, which allows me to clone multiple systems simultaneously. However, I would say this software is not for beginners. It is completely a text-based program that has to run through the command line interface without any GUI. While it is powerful, it demands a level of technical knowledge. There are many guides on YouTube but I will provide you one here as well.
Once you master Clonezilla, it will save you a lot of time allowing you to clone multiple disks at the same time. Also, it supports multiple file systems, encryption, and unattended operations through scripts. Clonezilla is widely used in enterprises as well for deploying software and virtual machines. Clonezilla is widely used in Linux operating systems because some people find it a good alternative to DD and GParted. However, we will just explore its capabilities for simple disk cloning.
You’ll need the Clonezilla ISO file (downloaded from the official website) and a USB flash drive. You can boot Clonezilla just like any other live USB. You just get into the boot menu and choose the Clonezilla flash drive.
| Pros ✅ | Cons ❌ |
|---|---|
| Completely Free & Open-Source | Not Beginner-Friendly (Command-Line Interface) |
| Supports Windows, Linux, and macOS | No Graphical User Interface (GUI) |
| Fast Cloning & Imaging Process | Limited Support for Incremental & Differential Backups |
| Highly Secure with AES-256 Encryption | No Built-in Cloud Backup Option |
| Portable – Can Run from USB/CD Without Installation | Manual Setup Required for Advanced Features |
Here is a detailed guide on how to use Clonezilla for cloning and restoring the operating system as image file.
4. EaseUS Todo Backup (Easiest to use but paid)
This is perhaps the easiest software that I have ever used for cloning any drive. Although the cloning feature is paid, it is worth giving a chance if you can afford it. Within just a few clicks, you can clone one drive to another. You can choose to clone the entire disk, operating system, or just the specific partitions. When I am writing this article, the EaseUS Todo Backup Home version is available for $39.95 for one computer for a year with 1TB of cloud storage. The lifetime variant is available for $79.95.
Disk cloning isn’t as hard as people might think and paying these amounts isn’t mostly necessary. However, there are people who just want to easiest way out and this program is made for those people. So, if you can purchase, just go for it and easily clone your drive without any hassles.
| Pros ✅ | Cons ❌ |
|---|---|
| User-friendly interface, great for beginners | A paid version is required for advanced features like incremental backups |
| Supports both system & disk cloning | Require a paid version for cloning |
| Allows cloning from HDD to SSD with partition resizing | Slower cloning speed compared to some competitors |
| Can create bootable rescue media | A paid version required for advanced features like incremental backups |
Step-by-step cloning process using EaseUS Todo Backup
Make sure to have a paid version before you proceed.
1. Open EaseUS ToDo Backup
- Launch EaseUS ToDo Backup and go to the “Clone” feature. Again, without the paid version, you can’t use this feature but you can backup the data and OS if you want.
- Select the type of clone you want to do i.e. Disk clone, system clone, or partition clone.
2. Select the Source Disk and Target Disk
If you choose OS cloning, the program will automatically pick the source drive and source files for you. You just have to pick the destination drive where you want to move the file.
5. Start Cloning
- Click Proceed to begin the cloning process and wait for it to complete.
- If cloning your system drive, shut down the PC and replace the old drive with the new one.
- Boot into BIOS (F2/F12/DEL at startup) and set the new drive as the boot disk.
5. MiniTool ShadowMaker (Another Paid but Great Tool)
MiniTool ShadowMaker is another great paid software for cloning Hard drives or SSDs. It gives you the benefit of a monthly plan at 12.99/month for 1PC. The free version only gives you simple options like external backup, restore, sync, etc. However, the paid plan will offer you features like cloning, image restoration, etc. The user interface isn’t as interesting as the EaseUS ToDo Backup but it does the job perfectly. So, again, if you want to spend a little less amount for a single clone or some clones for a month, you can take its monthly plan and cancel later.
Step by Step guide for drive cloning using MiniTool ShadowMaker
1. Install and Open MiniTool ShadowMaker
First of all, install the software from the official website and get its paid version called ShadowMaker Pro or Pro Ultimate. Open the program.
2. Go to the Clone Menu
Inside the Tools tab, click the Clone Disk option.
3. Choose the Source Drive
On the next page, you’ll see all your drives connected to your computer. Choose the drive from where you want to clone the operating system. Once the drive is selected, hit Next.
4. Choose the Destination Drive
Now, you’ll select the drive where you want to clone your data. Make sure to have a drive capacity similar or more than the data stored on the main drive.
5. Proceed for cloning
Once you have selected both source and target drives, you can click start and then just wait for the cloning to complete.
Wait until the process is completed and then install the new drive with the cloned operating system.
What to do after cloning?
I want to make this article not a listical but a guide so I want to tell you how you can run your system using the new drive with the cloned operating system.
1. Enter the BIOS or UEFI
Depending on your motherboard, there will be a special key like Esc, Del, F11, F12, etc which you’ll have to press repeatedly when the system is booting up. You will then enter the BIOS or UEFI menu of your computer. It can look something like this.
2. Change Boot Order
Make sure the drive is connected to the computer. Now, find the boot option which is easy to locate in the older BIOS menus. In the modern UEFI menus, you can find them in the Advanced folders. You just move your new drive (where the OS is installed) to the top of the list.
If you don’t find the option, you can find the BIOS/UEFI guide of your motherboard model on the internet. Once, you have changed the boot order, you just save the settings and reboot. You’ll now boot into your system from the new or upgraded drive with the same files and operating system. However, if you face any issues, the comment section is always open for you.
I hope this helps!