How to Clone M.2 SSD with Only One Slot [Step-by-Step Guide]
M.2 SSD is the next-generation storage device of the solid-state drive. It's smaller, faster, and more power-efficient than a regular SSD. So most people choose to use it as their hard drives. But with the use time increases, more and more data is stored in the SSD, and it gradually becomes full. At this time, cloning M.2 SSD to a larger one is the best choice if you don't want to delete any data or reinstall the previous system. Moreover, if your M.2 SSD is going to fail soon, cloning it to another one in advance can avoid any data loss.
What to Prepare If Your PC with Only One Slot
Most laptops nowadays come with only one M.2 slot for an SSD. If you want to clone M.2 SSD to another one, you are required to have two M.2 slots generally. But if your PC only has one slot, how can you do it?
Actually, there are ways out.
For laptops that only have one M.2 slot, the first way is to use a bootable cloning tool and an external USB HDD to clone a bootable hard drive. So, you boot into the cloning tool, make a drive image into the HDD, then shut down, replace the M.2 SSD with the larger one, boot into the cloning tool again and copy the drive image from the HDD into the new drive.
Another available way is using a USB to M.2 SSD converter, and you can use the adapter to connect M.2 SSD to your computer through the USB interface.
So let's summarize what you need to prepare if your computer only has an M.2 SSD port. If you use the first way, you'll need an external USB HDD; if you choose the second way, you need a USB to M.2 SSD converter and an extra USB cable.
Reliable SSD Cloning Utility - Make the Cloning Process Easier
No matter which method you choose, a reliable cloning tool is very necessary. Although Windows offers a built-in tool, called Backup and Restore to create a system image, you may encounter various issues while using it, like the Windows backup stuck at 97%, 57%, or 99%, failing to back up, etc. It will also take a lot of time on it.
Therefore, we recommend using professional disk cloning software, like Qiling Disk Copy, to help you. It is an ultimate disk cloning utility for Windows 11/10/8/7 to make the cloning process as easy as possible. Look at the information below to get know more details about Qiling Disk Copy:
- Faster speed & less time: Qiling Disk Copy provides a faster cloning speed than other tools and requires less time to clone a hard drive.
- Flexible clone source: You can use it to copy only OS or copy only the used sectors of the source disk to another SSD.
- Bootable cloned SSD: The computer can be successfully booted from the cloned SSD.
- Multiple clone source: You can use Qiling Disk Copy to clone disk, system and partition.
- Migrate Windows 10/11 without reinstalling: This disk cloning software can easily migrate Windows installation from HDD to SSD or SSD to another SSD of SATA/M.2/NVMe type. This will save lots of time and money.
- Upgrade hard drive without losing data: Qiling Disk Copy ensures a smooth upgrade from one hard drive to another as it copies files, programs and OS as they were.
Based on the above advantages, Qiling Disk Copy is definitely your best choice to clone M.2 SSD. Now, let's see how to clone it step by step.
A Step-by-Step Guide to Clone M.2 SSD with Only One Slot
If you choose to use the first way, use an external USB HDD, you need to connect the USB HDD to your computer and use the Qiling Disk Copy to clone M.2 SSD. Then you can follow the steps below to clone your M.2 SSD.
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 clone" 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.
Step 4. Click "Proceed" to officially execute the task.
A message now appears, warning you that data will be lost. Please confirm this message by clicking "OK".
When the cloning process finishes, replace the old M.2 SSD with the new one, and restore the system image to the new M.2 SSD. You don't need to reinstall the Windows system again because the cloned SSD is a bootable one.
If you choose the second method of using a USB to M.2 SSD converter, connect the adapter to your PC first, and then follow the steps above to clone M.2 SSD. when finished, install the new M.2 SSD to the computer, and boot your computer from the new M.2 SSD.
Wrapping Up
That's how to clone M.2 SSD with only one slot. Hope this article is helpful to you. If you have any further questions, please real contact us. Also, if you need reliable disk cloning software, don't forget to try Qiling Disk Copy!
Note:
When cloning a hard drive with Windows 11/10/8/7 installed, we recommend you clone it to an external hard drive or connect the target disk to your computer via USB-to-SATA cable so that the disk copy program can detect and show it as unallocated space in the main interface.
FAQ on Cloning M.2 SSD with Only One Slot
1. Does M.2 slots matter?
The M.2 slot is designed for different applications and supports various widths and lengths. So it depends on what you're using the M.2 SSD for. If you're using it for storage, then any M.2 SSD will work fine. But if you're looking to use the SSD for speed, then ensure you get an M.2 PCIe SSD.
2. How do I clone NVMe SSD to another NVMe SSD?
To clone NVMe SSD to another NVMe SSD, you can use professional disk copy software like Qiling Disk Copy. It provides two cloning modes for you to clone NVMe SSD: clone only OS or used sectors. You can choose one of them according to your needs.
3. Can you clone an M.2 SSD to a SATA SSD?
Yes. You can clone an M.2 SSD to a SATA SSD as long as the SATA SSD is larger than the used space on your M.2 SSD. And you can use disk cloning software like Qiling Disk Copy to help you with that.
4. Can I swap M.2 SSD without reinstalling Windows?
Creating a bootable cloned disk will eliminate the hassle of reinstalling Windows systems and programs if you want to save time and money. Of course, you can also clone only OS to the new M.2 SSD if you don't want to move everything from your old drive.
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