Easiest Way to Move Files & OS from One SSD to Another

User case: how to transfer SSD to SSD

Why move files and OS from one SSD to another?

SSDs come with better read/write and startup speed than HDDs, as well as higher pricing for equivalent capacity. Many users have purchased smaller SSDs (125/250/500 GB) for budgetary reasons. As a result, the cumulative files and programs can easily fill up the disk, resulting in insufficient storage space and slow computer operation.

But nowadays, SSDs have become increasingly popular and affordable with the progress of technology. In addition to capacity considerations, many users would also like to replace their SSD with a more advanced model for better experience, such as cloning SATA SSD to NVMe.

Sooner or later, it will become a necessity to switch to a new drive with larger capacity and better performance. But in many cases you may don't want to abandon your data on old SSD, or spend much time reinstalling Windows and apps, you may need to transfer files and OS from SSD to a larger SSD directly.

Two ways will be described in this page:

• How to transfer data from one SSD to another effortlessly
• Another way to move files from one SSD to another

How to transfer data from one SSD to another effortlessly

It is easy for you to transfer a small number of data files by the copy and paste method. But when it comes to large groups of files, various programs, and even the complex operating system, things won't be that easy.

If you still take the manual copy and paste way, your computer may fail to boot due to some hidden files missing. Therefore, you need a professional clone software like AOMEI Backupper Professional to help you move a large number of files from one drive to another efficiently, and copy programs, games and OS correctly.

Best disk cloning software for SSD and HDD - AOMEI Backupper

AOMEI Backupper is a reliable SSD disk migration software for Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP. It enables you to transfer all data from one SSD to another easily and securely.

Download this SSD cloning software - AOMEI Backupper to start moving files between any HDDs and SSDs.

*This version supports Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP. If you are a Server user, try the Server edition instead.

Transfer SSD to another SSD step by step

Preparations before moving data:

• Connect the target SSD to your computer and make sure it is detected.

• Download AOMEI Backupper. Install and launch it to get started.

1. Select "Disk Clone" under the "Clone" tab.

✍Tips:
◑ The Professional edition supports cloning both data disks and systems disks from MBR to MBR/MBR to GPT, or GPT to MBR/GPT to GPT. If you only want to clone data disks, you can pick the complete free Standard edition.
◑To move my OS from one SSD to another, it's suggested to try "System Clone" feature.

2. Select the original SSD that you want to clone as the source disk, and then click on "Next".

3. Choose your new SSD as the destination disk, and then click on "Next".

4. Tick “SSD Alignment” to accelerate the read and write speed of the SSD disk. Then, click "Start Clone" to begin cloning one SSD to another. Optionally, click "Sector By Sector Clone" to ensure data integrity.

✎Tips on disk space management and disk partition styles:

You can use the "Edit Partitions" feature to resize partitions with different options and convert the disk type.

• Copy without resizing partitions: It's the default option and will not resize the partition size.
• Add unused space to all partitions: It will add unallocated space to all partitions automatically.
• Manually adjust partition size: Extend unallocated space manually by selecting a partition and drag the unallocated space to left or right side.
• Convert the destination disk from MBR to GPT: Convert the partition style of the target disk to make it the same as the source disk. You can either convert from MBR to GPT or GPT to MBR.

✎Choose cloning mode accordingly:

While transferring data, this software runs in an intelligent-sector mode by default. It means only used sectors will be copied, those unused and logically bad sectors will be skipped. If your target drive is smaller than the source drive, then just keep the default settings.

However, if your target drive is larger than or equal to the source drive, you can tick the sector-by-sector clone option to make sure copying every sectors no matter used or not. This is especially useful when you want to clone a hidden recovery partition and ensure it still works on the target new drive.

How to move files from one SSD to another in Windows 10 for free

If you want to transfer data from one SSD to another for free, you can also turn to the powerful backup and restore features that are included in AOMEI Backupper Standard - the free edition.

As a free backup and restore tool, it can help you transfer all data including OS from SSD to SSD by backing up the old disk and restoring it on new drive. And you still can schedule backup disk to ensure data safety if you don't need to transfer it immediately Connect your SSD to the computer and follow the steps below to restore the backup image on SSD.

✍If you want to copy folders from one SSD to another with original format, you can use the Basic Sync feature.

1. First of all, you need to create a hard drive image with AOMEI Backupper Standard. It is suggested to save the disk image on a USB drive or network location to ensure the image's safety.

2. In the "Home" tab, select disk backup task and click "Restore" option.

3. You can choose to restore entire disk or a partition in the disk, and click "Next".

4. Select connected SSD as the destination disk. Confirm the operations and click "Start Restore".

📢Notes:
◑ If your system crashes or the disk fails, you can go to "Tools" > "Create Bootable Media" to make a Windows PE bootable USB or CD to start up computer and then perform disk image recovery.
◑ You can tick the "Universal Restore" option if you transfer the disk image to a new computer, thus ensuring the system is bootable after recovery (this feature is available in AOMEI Backupper Professional or higher).

Verdict

The above ways show you how to move files and OS from one SSD to another with AOMEI Backupper. Whether you clone drive to smaller SSD or larger SSD, this software can help you achieve it with only a few clicks and ensure secure boot.

In addition, AOMEI Backupper applies to clone all kinds of SSDs, such as clone HDD to Samsung SSD, clone HDD to Seagate SSHD, clone NVMe to another NVMe, etc.