Let's get started with the prerequisite steps of how to clone a hard drive Windows 11.
1. Prepare a new hard drive or SSD
You need to prepare a new hard drive or preferable SSD with more capacity to clone hard drive Windows 11. Remember the hard drive or SSD you will use for cloning needs to have more storage space than your existing drive.
2. Install and connect the new disk to the PC correctly
A SATA-to-USB connection cable is used to connect your hard drive with your PC if your PC has only one disk slot. Install the new drive to your laptop/PC if it has a second slot. The cable can also be ATA or SCSI.
3. Initialize new hard drive or SSD
Now, you will initialize the new drive in Disk management to clone hard drive Windows 11. To initialize, right-click on the Start icon and select "Disk Management".
The Disk Management dialogue box will open and direct you to initialize the SSD.
Choose MBR (Master Boot Record) or GUID partition table (GPT) and hit "OK". For modern computers, GPT is better.
Right-click on the unallocated button and create a new volume. This volume will be used for the purpose of cloning your hard drive.
In the Format Partition screen, choose a drive letter and press "Next". Allocate the desired space and letter and finish setting up. This is a very important step so follow the instructions carefully.
This is how you set up a new SSD or hard drive. For your convenience, we have attached screenshots of all the steps so you do not get confused.
4. Download disk cloning software
To make cloning simple, you can download third-party software. Make sure you download a reliable tool. Beware of the fraudulent tools as there are many on the internet. If you want a trustworthy tool, we have an incredible recommendation.
There are many available on the internet but not every tool is copper-bottomed. We like to use Qiling Backup software as it is a trustworthy tool. It never fails to impress us. You will save yourself from all the above-mentioned steps by using this tool to clone your hard drive. Your PC alone does not have the ability to perform the tasks that this tool can do for you.
You can download the software by clicking the download button. If you do not want to take our word for it, take its free trial now.
The Qiling tool has an efficient disk cloning feature. It supports all kinds of hard drives including HDD, SSD, M.2, NVMe, etc. We do not know any other tool that offers so many great features. You can ace so many tasks using this single tool. It not only does the job of partitioning but also has other excellent features too that we are listing below
You can use these features to safely clone your hard drive. The best thing about using this tool is not having to go through a number of confusing steps to clone your hard drive. The advanced features are there to meet all your cloning needs. To clone using Qiling software, launch the cloning feature on your PC and select the disk you want to clone. After that, select the destination disk and your job is done. The software will take care of the rest. It is an easy-to-operate tool. You can watch the tutorial or view the user guide on their website.
Step 1. Launch Qiling Backup and click "Tools and utilities" page, you can see clone and other utilities.
Step 2. Choose the source disk or partition as well as the target disk. (Make sure the space of the target disk is larger than that of the source disk or partition.)
Step 3. The clone would permanently wipe out all data on the target disk/partition. If you have backup your data in advance, just click "Continue."
Step 4. Click "Proceed" to start cloning.
This step is the final step. When you are done setting up and installing the new hard disk on your computer, make your new hard drive bootable. This is important as there is no use of all the above-mentioned steps without this step.
You need to set the computer to boot from the newly installed drive. Follow these steps to make your SSD or hard drive bootable successfully. Keep reading to get it done.
Restart your PC without removing the cloned hard drive or SSD from your computer. Press F2, F12, or Del key to enter BIOS.
Visit the boot menu and here you will be able to change boot priority.
Change boot priority and set the computer to boot from the newly cloned disk.. Save the changes. Exit BIOS and Restart your computer
Stop wondering how to clone hard drive in Windows 11. We have given you a detailed guide to stop worrying over this question. You can conveniently clone your SSD or hard disk by following our guide.
The Qiling tool's cloning feature is a lifesaver. It offers a free trial as well. You never have to worry about your hard drive crashing suddenly. It has multiple versions to keep up with the growing needs of the market. Qiling always brings us ease. Nothing is difficult with their tools.
You will always have a backup option through which all your data will come back. Clone hard drive windows 11 with Qiling tool.