In my case, I'm cloning to a drive the same size as the old one, so I don't need to change anything. You may now need to change partition sizes so that they fit a smaller or larger hard drive. Ensure they are in the same order on the external destination drive as they are on the original drive. Remember, this process will erase any data stored on the destination drive.Ĭlick and drag the partitions from the disk you want to clone. Click the destination disk to which you want to write a clone - this can be an external hard drive or an internal drive connected by an enclosure.A blue rectangle will appear when the disk is selected. In this case, I'm choosing my C: drive because it is the drive I'm swapping out.

Launch Macrium Reflect from your Start menu, desktop or taskbar.Ĭlick the disk you want to clone.It's also good practice to clean up any files on your system, especially if you're moving to a smaller drive - you can't have more data than the new drive can hold. For just the cloning and backup software, you'll spend about $40.īefore you begin with Macrium Reflect, ensure the drive you're going to clone to is connected to your PC. Just don't expect a fancy user interface.Īcronis True Image: There are a few buying options to choose from when it comes to Acronis - there is also a 30-day free trial - including subscription options that come with 50GB or 1TB of cloud storage. It supports a ton of file systems and it plain works. Its UI is super simple to use, and you can even set an automatic file sync that will keep your backup up to date.Ĭlonezilla: This free, open-source cloning tool has been around for a long time, and with good reason. Some are paid, some are free, but they all do pretty much the same thing.ĪOMEI Backupper: Like Macrium Reflect, there is a fully-functional, free version of AOMEI that lets you create system images, back up hard drives, and clone drives. Click Next when the download is finished.Ĭlick No or type your information if you want to register Macrium Reflect.Īlthough Macrium Reflect is our choice for a cloning tool, there are other options.Click Download when you are satisfied with the options listed in the window.Launch your web browser from the Start menu, desktop or taskbar.The first step is to get Macrium Reflect installed on your PC. See our solid-state drive buyer's guideĪlthough there are plenty of options when it comes to cloning-and-backup software, Macrium Reflect has a free version that works great for any casual users who need to make a copy of their hard drives.See our external hard drive buyer's guide.If you're in the market for a new internal drive but unsure of where to start, check out our SSD buyer's guide. If you need a new external hard drive for this process, have a look at our roundup of the best external drives money can buy.

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