Best C Drive Clone Software for PC: Clone OS Safely

Need to clone C drive

Cloning C drive means to copy everything on C drive to another drive, including the operating system, applications and user files stored on C drive. If you are in one of the following situations, C drive clone is needed:

• C drive is failing. If you receive the error “Hard disk failure is imminent” when starting your computer, it’s time to clone C drive to another drive.
• C drive doesn’t have enough space. If your C drive has little free space and shows red in File Explorer, it’s a wise choice to clone C drive to a larger drive.
• C drive runs slowly. If your C drive is originally placed on an HDD, you may clone C drive to an SSD for higher reading and writing performance.

How to choose proper C drive clone software

As Windows lacks a built-in drive cloner, you need to find reliable third-party clone software. You may take these factors into consideration when choosing C drive clone software:

👉 Compatibility with operating systems and hardware

The clone software should be fully compatible with all Windows OS, including Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP. Also, it should support different disk types, such as IDE HDD, SATA HDD/SSD, NVMe SSD, etc.

👉 User-friendly interface and ease of use

It is preferable if the clone software is easy to operate and requires no technical skills.

👉 Speed and efficiency of the cloning process

You need a piece of lightning-fast disk cloning software. It will save you a lot of time when cloning large amounts of data.

👉 Additional clone features

A specialized disk cloning utility should offer abundant clone features, such as “Sector By Sector Clone” to copy every bit on the source drive, “SSD Alignment” to optimize SSD performance and “Edit Partitions” to make sure no unallocated space left on the larger destination drive.

Is there a clone tool that meets all the above requirements? The best C drive clone software - AOMEI Backupper Professional is the answer. Don’t hesitate to download it and have a try!

AOMEI Backupper

Easiest hard drive clone software for Windows PC.

Download Demo
Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7

How to clone C drive to a larger SSD in Windows 10/11

Before you start to clone C drive to an SSD in Windows 10/11, you should:

• Connect the target SSD and make sure it is detected. You may install it inside if your PC has two drive bays or connect it to a USB device.
• Backup files on the destination SSD if it is not empty.

Then, follow the instructions below:

Step 1. Choose Disk Clone option in AOMEI Backupper.

Run AOMEI Backupper. Click Clone on the left pane and select Disk Clone.

Step 2. Choose source drive (C drive).

Click on the current system disk to select it as the source disk and click Next.

Step 3. Choose destination drive (larger SSD).

Click on the SSD just connected to select it as the destination disk and click Next.

Step 4. Manage disk partitions.

In the Operation Summary page, click on Edit Partitions and then choose the Add unused space to all partitions option to make full use of the storage space on the larger SSD.

Step 5. Optimize SSD performance and start to clone.

Tick SSD Alignment to improve the performance of the target SSD. Then, confirm the operation and click Start Clone.

Boot from the cloned SSD

After the cloning process is finished, you can either change boot order in BIOS or replace the current drive with the target SSD to boot from it.

If you are cloning between different partition types (MBR to GPT or GPT to MBR), you should also change boot mode in BIOS to boot from the cloned drive.

Summary

Whether you want to clone C drive to a larger SSD or HDD, the best C drive clone software - AOMEI Backupper can do you a favor. It helps you transfer everything from C drive to another drive. Thus, you can enjoy better computer performance without reinstalling Windows and all your apps.

What’s more, it’s comprehensive Windows backup software that offers system backup, disk backup and file/folder backup features. Try it now to discover more!

FAQs about C drive clone

1. Can C drive be copied?

Surely yes. However, as C drive holds the operating system, you cannot copy it via the traditional copy & paste way. You need reliable C drive clone software to complete the task.

2. Can we clone only C drive?

That depends. If C drive is the only drive that is required for Windows to run, you can copy only C drive without suffering from boot errors. If there are other boot-related drives, such as system reserved partition or EFI system partition, you should copy all of them to ensure secure boot. (The System Clone feature is helpful in this condition.)