How to Migrate Windows 11 to SSD? Try 2 Ways Here!

User Case

“I build this PC a couple of years ago, and accidentally installed Windows 11 on to hard drive, rather than my SSD. I only learned about this recently, as my system has been frequently slowing to a crawl, my C: disk getting stuck at 100% usage basically rendering my system unusable for up to half a minute at times. It's extremely frustrating. Now, I want to migrate Windows 11 to SSD. Is there a way to do this without installing the system? Thanks a lot.”

There may also be some users who installed Windows 11 on a hard drive by accident. Then they would like to migrate the system from HDD to SSD. So, this article offers the easiest way to migrate your Windows 11 to SSD without reinstalling the system. You can read below for more details.

Reasons for Migrating Windows 11 to SSD

Windows 11 is an operating system developed by Microsoft. It was officially released on June 24, 2021. With Microsoft making Windows 11 the next-generation operating system, many users are choosing to update their systems to Windows 11. At the same time, many users also want to migrate Windows 11 from HDD to SSD. This is mainly attributed to two reasons.

• Improve performance: It can greatly improve boot speed and overall system performance.
• No need for a clean install: You will get a complete copy of windows 11 without changing any of your files, programs, and settings.

Best Disk Clone Software for Windows 11/10/8/7

To migrate Windows 11 to SSD without installing the system, you can choose a professional disk clone software - AOMEI Backupper Professional. It includes disk clone, system clone, and partition clone. There are some of its advantages below:

• Intelligent clone: Under the default mode, it only copies the used sectors and therefore you can easily clone a larger HDD to a smaller SSD and boot from the cloned SSD successfully.
• SSD alignment: It can accelerate the reading and writing speed while you clone a disk to an SSD.
• Live clone: It can operate the disk clone task in the background without affecting the normal use of a computer.
• Sector by sector clone: It will clone all sectors, whether they are used or not.
• Multiple SSD types and brands: It supports various types (SATA, NVMe, PCIe, M.2, U.2) and brands (Samsung, Seagate, WD, Intel, etc).
• Different systems: It supports Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista, etc.

That’s all for disk cloning software. Don’t hesitate to download it using the download button below.

AOMEI Backupper

Easiest hard drive clone software for Windows PC.

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Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

How to Move Windows 11 from HDD to SSD Easily

Please keep reading below, and I will show you the specific steps to migrate OS to SSD in Windows 11. AOMEI Backupper offers two functions to help you. You can choose them according to your own needs.

•  If you want to clone the system disk with all partitions included, you can use disk clone feature. See Way 1.
•  If you only need to migrate OS to SSD, then choose system clone feature. See Way 2.

Preparation before Cloning

Before you start cloning Windows 11 to SSD with AOMEI Backupper, you need to do some preparatory work.

• Obtain an SSD with the correct form factor and interface: Most laptops have 2.5-inch drives with a thickness of 7 or 9.5 mm and different interfaces such as SATA, IDE.
• Get an adapter: You need a SATA-to-USB adapter or an M.2 to SATA or M.2 to PCIe adapter, which depends on the disk interface.
• Check the space used for HDD and SSD: You need to make sure your SSD has more space than the total amount of the OS and other related drives you want to migrate.
• Clean up the disk to get more space: You can uninstall some software and clear out unneeded files.
• Backup important files in advance: Since the target disk will be completely overwritten during the cloning process.

Way 1: Clone Windows 11 to SSD via Disk Clone

You will use AOMEI Backupper for migrating Windows 11, and you can follow the graphic tutorial for details.

Step 1. Connect the SSD to your computer using the adapter you prepared. Install and open AOMEI Backupper Professional. Click Clone > Disk Clone.

Step 2. Choose your previous hard drive as the source disk that you want to clone, then click Next.

Step 3. Select the SSD as the destination disk, and click Next.

Step 4. Tick SSD Alignment to accelerate the reading and writing speed of the SSD disk. Then, click Start Clone.

Notes:
◑ Edit Partitions: You can change the partition size using this feature.
◑ Sector By Sector Clone: It will clone all sectors, ensuring that all data on the source disk is copied. Furthermore, this feature is generally available when cloning disks of the same or larger size. If you clone from a large disk to a small one, checking this option will cause clone failure instead.

Way 2: Migrate Only OS to SSD in Windows 11 via System Clone

Step 1. Connect the SSD to your computer. Run AOMEI Backupper and choose Clone > System Clone.

Note: The software will automatically select the operating system and the boot partition needed for booting.

Step 2. Select the SSD as a destination location and click Next.

Step 3. Remember to tick the SSD Alignment option to improve the read/write speed and lifespan of the target SSD. Then confirm the operation and click Start Clone.

Reboot from the New SSD

The last thing you need to do is to make Windows 11 bootable on the new SSD. Follow the below steps:

1. Restart the computer and press F2/F10/Del key to enter BIOS.
2. Go to the Boot Menu. At the boot priority section, set the new SSD as the first boot drive.

3. Press F10 to save all the changes and restart the computer.

Summary

When you need to migrate Windows 11 to SSD, AOMEI Backupper Professional can help you achieve the goal easily. If you want to clone the whole disk, Disk Clone is a good option. If you just want to clone the system, you can certainly choose the System Clone feature.

In addition, this software also provides system backup, disk backup and other related functions that can help you to backup your computer or important files and data before cloning. So, don't hesitate to download and use it!