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How to Copy Your Windows Installation to an SSD

If you’re looking to upgrade your computer to a solid-state drive but don’t want to start everything back up from scratch, here’s how to transfer the data from your old hard drive.

Updated March 7, 2024
ADATA Legend 960 SSD (Credit: Kyle Cobian)

These days, most new PCs ship with an internal solid-state drive installed. However, if you're still using a traditional spinning hard disk, you're missing out. Swapping it for an SSD is one of the best upgrades you can make to speed up your computer. It'll boot faster, programs will launch instantly, and games won't take as long to load.

You could always reinstall Windows from scratch—in many cases that may even be preferable. However, if you have the right tools, you can get your Windows machine up and running much quicker by copying your entire drive over to the new SSD.


Buy the Right SSD

Crucial T500 ssd on a table
(Credit: Joseph Maldonado)

If you're looking to upgrade, we have recommendations for the best overall drives and worthwhile cheaper alternatives. Make sure to buy the right form factor for your computer (some laptops will use 2.5-inch drives, while others use the "gumstick" M.2 format). You also want one big enough to fit your data. If you have a 500GB drive now, you probably want a similarly sized (or larger) SSD.

The only exception is if you're on a desktop computer and have room for multiple hard drives. In that case, you could store Windows and your programs on the SSD while putting your music, movies, and other media on a second, larger hard disk—though this can be a bit more complicated, as we'll discuss below.


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1. Back Up Your Data (and Free Up Space)

windows storage
(Credit: PCMag / Microsoft)

Before you start messing around with your drives, it's absolutely necessary to first back up your data. An accidental click can result in you erasing everything, so don't continue until you've backed it all up. If you don't have a backup solution yet, check out our favorite software for the job. Windows also has File History for backing up important documents, and an image file can save your entire system. Copying important data to an external hard drive will also do in a pinch.

If you're upgrading to an SSD that's smaller than your current hard drive, you'll want to take extra care here. This isn't as common as it once was, thanks to bigger, less expensive SSDs, but if that's the case for you, you'll need to delete some files and free up space on your hard drive before cloning it. Otherwise, your data won't fit on the new drive. Once your data is safe and secure, continue to the next step.


2. Plug In and Initialize Your SSD

orico docking station
Orico Hard Drive Docking Station (Credit: Orico)

During this process, you'll need both your SSD and old hard drive connected to your computer at the same time. If you're using a laptop with only one hard drive slot, that means you'll need an external adapter, dock, or enclosure that can connect your bare SSD to your computer over USB. If you're on a desktop PC with room for more than one drive, you can just install it internally alongside your old hard drive.

Plug your SSD into the adapter, then plug that into your computer. If it's a brand-new drive, you probably won't see the drive pop up in File Explorer, but don't worry; it just needs to be initialized first. Open the Start menu and type "partitions" in the search box. Click the Create and format hard disk partitions option, and Disk Management will open.

windows partition
(Credit: PCMag / Windows )

You will be prompt to initialize the drive using either the GPT or MBR partition table. I'll be using GPT for my SSD, since I have a modern PC with a UEFI firmware. If you have an older PC with a traditional BIOS, you may need to use an MBR partition table. If you aren't sure, look up your specific PC model (or motherboard if you built your computer) to see which type of firmware it uses.

If you aren't prompted to initialize the drive, and don't see it in Disk Management, double-check that it's properly connected to your computer, and that the enclosure or dock is powered on (if necessary). See our guide to troubleshooting a hard drive that won't show up for more. Once the drive has been initialized, you should see it show up in the bottom pane of Disk Management as unallocated space. From there, you should be good to go.


3. Clone Your Drive

diskgenius software
(Credit: PCMag / DiskGenius)

There are many different drive-cloning tools on the market, and unfortunately, there are few free one-size-fits-all options anymore. If your drive manufacturer has its own migration program, that might be your best bet. For example, if you bought a Samsung SSD, we recommend downloading Samsung Data Migration and following the instructions in the user guide. Western Digital and SanDisk users can use WD's version of Acronis True Image to copy their data using these instructions.

For this guide, we used DiskGenius—a free drive-cloning tool that works with any brand of hard drive and SSD. Just download the installer for the free home version and run through the wizard to get it up and running on your PC. If your drive manufacturer doesn't offer a migration tool, DiskGenius is your next best bet. For step-by-step instructions, see our guide on cloning your hard drive.


4. Install Your SSD

ssd installation
(Credit: Whitson Gordon)

Next, shut down your computer. It's time to install that SSD in your machine permanently. If you have a desktop PC with more than one hard drive slot, you can leave your old hard drive in as extra storage, and just install your SSD alongside it.

If you have a laptop or desktop with only one hard drive slot, you'll need to remove your old hard drive and replace it with your SSD. This process is a bit different on every machine, so check the documentation supplied by the manufacturer of your computer (or your motherboard, if you built the PC).


5. Reboot From Your New Drive

bios boot options
(Credit: Whitson Gordon)

Once you're finished installing the SSD, you'll need to tell your computer to boot from it. (This may not be necessary on laptops with just one drive, but if you experience problems booting, it can help on some PCs.) Turn your computer on and enter its BIOS/UEFI setup. You can do this by pressing a specific key—such as Del or Esc; it'll say on the screen—as the computer boots.

From there, look for the boot options in the BIOS menu. We can't tell you the exact location, since it differs depending on your computer's manufacturer. Once you find the boot menu, select the option to change the boot sequence. Choose your SSD from the list as the first boot drive, then head back to the main BIOS menu, save your settings, and exit.

Your computer will reboot, and if all went well, it should plop you back into Windows faster than ever before. Open File Explorer and check to confirm that your SSD is, in fact, the C: drive. If everything looks good, you're ready to rock. If your old drive is still installed, you can erase it and use it to store extra files, or you can disconnect it entirely.

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About Whitson Gordon

Contributing Writer

Whitson Gordon is a writer, gamer, and tech nerd who has been building PCs for 10 years. He eats potato chips with chopsticks so he doesn't get grease on his mechanical keyboard.

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About Jason Cohen

Editor, Help & How To

As PCMag's editor of how to content, I have to cover a wide variety of topics and also make our stories accessible to everyday users. Considering my history as a technical writer, copywriter, and all-around freelancer covering baseball, comics, and more at various outlets, I am used to making myself into an expert.

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