How to Copy Partition to Another Drive via CMD [Full Guide]

User Case: Move Partition from One Disk to Another from CMD

Compared with cloning entire disk, copying a partition involves migrating only a selected partition (a part of the whole disk) from one disk to another, leaving out other partitions and data on the source disk. In this guide, we will show you how to copy partition to another hard drive in CMD. Also, there is another alternative solution to it.

Why Need to Copy Partition to Another Drive?

There may be many reasons for you to copy partition to another drive using CMD. Some common scenarios include:

• Disk upgrade or replacement: When upgrading to a larger hard drive or SSD, you may want to copy the needed partitions to the new disk to maintain all your data and settings.
• Data backup: Creating a copy of important partitions provides a backup in case of data loss, hardware failure, or other emergencies.
• Partition reorganization: If you want to reorganize your disk space or redistribute data between partitions, copying a partition to another drive allows you to achieve this without losing any data.
• Getting rid of bad sectors: If the original disk suffers some bad sectors, you can copy important partitions to another disk to avoid bad sectors.
• Separating Data from OS: Some users prefer to keep their data on a separate partition from the operating system for easier management. Copying a partition to another drive enables you to maintain this separation.

How to Copy Partition to Another Drive using CMD

Short for Command Prompt, CMD is an excellent command line interpreter application that comes with Windows. It's used to execute entered commands. To copy partition to another drive on Windows 10 or other operating systems easily, you can use the Xcopy command. Xcopy is a command-line utility in Microsoft Windows that you can use to copy files and directories from one location to another.

Note: As Xcopy cannot create a partition, please make sure to have an active partition readable on the new drive. You can use the Diskpart tool to create a new partition and set it as active. Once done, you can follow the guide below to move files and folders from one partition to another on a different drive.

Step 1. Search for "cmd" in the Windows search bar. Select the Run as administrator option under Command Prompt.

Step 2. Then, input the Xcopy command below, and click Enter.

• xcopy c:\ f:\ /s /e /h /i /c /y (c: refer to the source drive letter and f: refers to the destination drive letter, you can modify them according to your situation)

/s - copying directories and subdirectories till they get emptied
/e - copying every subdirectory, including empty
/h - duplicating hidden files and system file attributes
/i - force Xcopy to assume that the destination is a directory
/c - force Xcopy to continue copying without considering errors
/y - suppressing prompt for confirming overwritten files

Step 3. When the copy process is completed, close the Command Prompt windows and check if the partition is copied successfully.

Alternative Way to Copy Partition to Another Drive - Easy & Free

As you can see, it is a bit complicated to copy partition to another drive with CMD because it requires various parameters. To complete this process more easily and safely, you can rely on the professional free disk cloning software - AOMEI Backupper Standard. Below are some advantages of it:

🏆 User-friendly interface: It has a clear interface with a user-friendly design, so all users even novices can use it hassle-free.
🏆 Various cloning options: It supports Partition Clone for only copying the partition and Disk Clone for cloning specific disks. System Clone is available in the Pro version for copying only the Windows OS.
🏆 By default, it uses Intelligent Clone to copy only used sectors; and you can also use sector by sector clone to copy all sectors.
🏆 If you clone to an SSD, it offers SSD Alignment to accelerate the read and write speed of the SSD disk.

How to copy partition to another drive free using this software, you can click the download button below to install this disk cloning freeware on your computer and proceed with the steps below! (PS: Please connect your disk to computer in advance if you wish to clone to an external drive)

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Backupper. On the main page, select Clone -> Partition Clone subsequently.

▶If you need to move Windows partition to another drive, you can upgrade to the Pro version and use the System Clone function.

Step 2. Select the partition you want to clone and click Next.

Step 3. Choose the target drive and click Next.

Step 4. Check the SSD Alignment option if you are cloning to an SSD. Then, click Start Clone to launch the cloning process.

Notes:✎...

If you want to clone every sector on the source partition, you can enable Sector By Sector Clone. It requires the destination partition to be equal to or larger than the source partition.

You can resize the partition size on the destination disk with Edit Partition. It is available in AOMEI Backupper Professional and higher editions.

FAQs of Copying Partition to Another Drive via CMD

#1. Can I copy a partition to my SSD?

You can clone only one partition to SSD or HDD with professional and reliable disk cloning software like AOMEI Backupper. Also, you can use it to clone the whole disk or Windows OS.

#2. Can I copy a specific folder within a partition to another drive using CMD?

Certainly, you can use Xcopy to copy folders and subfolders from one drive to another easily. Employ the "Xcopy [source] [destination] [options]" command with the path of the folder, like Xcopy C:\test D:\test /E /H /C /I, then you can copy the "test" folder and its subfolders from C drive to D drive easily.

#3. Are there any potential risks or limitations when copying a partition using CMD?

While CMD tools are powerful, errors in command input may lead to data loss. Always double-check commands, and be aware that certain system or locked files may not be copied using CMD alone. Regularly verify the integrity of copied data. Or, you can directly turn to reliable cloning software for an easy and secure partition clone.

Final Words

That’s all about how to copy partition to another drive with CMD. Also, an easy and free cloning tool - AOMEI Backupper Standard is introduced. It can help you not only clone partition to another disk, but also clone disk to another disk, from HDD to SSD or vice versa.

What’s more, it provides you with useful backup functions like System Backup, Disk Backup, Partition Backup, File Backup, etc., which offer you all-around options for important data protection.