How Do I Clone SSD to External Hard Drive in Windows 11/10/8? 2 Ways Available
You can clone an SSD drive to an external hard drive on your Windows computer. This page shows how to easily and quickly clone a HDD/SSD to an external HDD/SSD without losing any data, and provides a step-by-step guide on how to do it on your Windows 11/10/8/7 computer.
How Do I Clone My SSD to an External Hard Drive?
The process of cloning a SSD or hard drive involves duplicating all data from a source drive and saving it to a target disk or location.
Cloning a disk to another one is a more secure and faster alternative to copying and pasting. When you need to backup or clone all saved files on a hard drive or SSD, using a disk cloning solution is a good first choice.
To clone an SSD to an external hard drive as a backup, follow these steps:
- #1. Prepare and Initialize External Hard Drive
- #2. Clone SSD to External Hard Drive with Computer
- #3. Clone SSD to External Hard Drive without Computer
For Option 2 and Option 3, you can simply follow one of them to clone your internal SSD to an external HDD. If you're a beginner or looking for a commercial solution, Option 2 is a good guide to follow. Let's get started.
#1. Prepare and Initialize External Hard Drive
Tool: a new SSD with an equal or even bigger capacity than the source SSD, Disk Management.
Duration: 2-3 minutes
To clone a disk, the target drive should have at least the same capacity as the source SSD. If the target drive is smaller, the cloning process will fail.
To get started with using a new storage device, you should first initialize it if it's a brand new unallocated drive. This can be done by following the steps below:
Step 1. Connect the external hard drive to your computer via its USB cable.
Step 2. Open File Explorer and check if you can see the new external hard drive.
If not, continue with the next steps.
Step 3. Right-click the Windows icon and select "Disk Management".
Step 4. To make your external hard drive detectable by a computer, first, check if it's properly connected to the computer via USB or other interfaces. Ensure the drive is turned on and the power cord is securely plugged in, if applicable.
If the external HDD shows as "Unknown, Not Initialized", right-click on it and select "Initialize Disk". Then, select the disk type for the external HDD.
Right-click on the "New Volume" icon, select "Change Drive Letter" and assign a new drive letter to the external hard drive.
#2. Clone SSD to External Hard Drive with Computer
Tools: external hard drive with USB cable, computer, disk cloning software.
Duration: 2-10 minutes, or so.
| Pros: Easy to use, fast, no data loss. | Cons: Not Free |
Connect the external hard drive to your computer, ensure it's detected, and use reliable disk cloning software to proceed.
Qiling Partition Master allows you to copy everything on your SSD to an external hard drive using its Disk/Partition Copy feature, making it easy to back up your data. Additionally, the software offers more advanced operations beyond just copying, providing a comprehensive solution for managing your storage devices.
How to Use:
Step 1. Select the source disk.
Right-Click the disk that you want to copy or clone. Then, select "Clone" in the menu that appears.
Step 2. Select the target disk.
Select the desired hard drive or solid-state drive as the destination and click "Next" to proceed.
Step 3. View the disk layout and edit the target disk partition size in one paragraph shortly: To view and edit the target disk partition size, navigate to the disk layout and select the target disk. Then, adjust the partition size as needed, taking care to ensure sufficient space for the operating system and other essential applications. Ensure that the partition size is large enough to accommodate the desired operating system and applications without running out of space.
Then click "Continue" when the program warns it will wipe out all data on the target disk. (If you have valuable data on the target disk, back up it in advance.)
To customize your disk layout, you can choose from three options: "Autofit the disk", "Clone as the source", or "Edit disk layout". If you want to leave more space for the C drive, select "Edit disk layout" for further customization.
Step 4. Click "Proceed" to start the disk cloning process.
#3. Clone SSD to External Hard Drive without Computer
Tool: A portable external hard drive can be connected to a computer using a USB cable, or it can be connected to a computer through a hard drive docking station, which allows for easy and convenient access to the external hard drive's storage capacity.
Duration: 10 minutes or even longer, dependable.
| Pros: 1-click clone, don't need a computer. | Cons: expensive for purchasing a hard drive docking station. |
If you don't want to clone your SSD via a computer, you can try a hard drive docking station, which is a bit expensive but easy to use, and involves purchasing the docking station and then using it to clone your SSD to an external hard drive.
Make sure your hard drive docking station is connected to a stable power source to ensure it functions properly.
How to Use:
Step 1. Connect the hard drive docking station with power.
Step 2. Insert the SSD into the docking station.
Step 3. Connect the external hard drive to the docking station via a USB port.
Step 4. To start the cloning process, press the power button to turn on the docking station, followed by pressing the OTC/OTB button.
When the processing lights on the top are all on, it means the cloning process completes. After this, you can safely eject the external hard drive and SSD.
Clone SSD to External Hard Drive, Which Way Is Better?
We provided two solutions for cloning an SSD to an external HDD/SSD as a backup on this page. If you're wondering which method is better, note that both approaches have their own advantages and disadvantages.
Either two methods are easy to use, and the choice is yours. Qiling Editors' Choice is also an option to consider.
- 1. If you have a hard drive docking station, you can use it to access your external hard drive offline, making Option 2 a possibility.
- While purchasing a hard drive docking station for disk cloning can be a good investment, it may be considered a bit pricey for a home user.
- 2. For a hassle-free and cost-effective way to clone a commercial SSD to an external HDD, Qiling Partition Master is a reliable solution.
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