In this article, you’ll learn how to migrate Windows 10 to a new drive. You’ll get solutions to safely copy your Windows 10 to a new partition or a new drive.
All technological items require an upgrade sooner or later. Whether it is hardware or software, we cannot stand using something forever. At a certain point in time, you need to upgrade, be it an application, operating system, or computer hardware.
If you are unable to execute large files or if your computer is not able to run the operating system smoothly, you may need to upgrade the system.
Many times just upgrading the hard disk drive might do the trick. Most old computers still have magnetic hard drives and changing it to an SSD (Solid State Drive) will speed up the operating system and apps.
Replacing the old hard disk with an SSD will also increase the life of your desktop PC or laptop.
Table of Contents
- How to migrate Windows 10 to a new drive
- Migrate Windows 10 to a new hard disk drive (HDD)
- How to move the installed Windows 10 to the new drive
- Wrap Up
How to migrate Windows 10 to a new drive
If you have purchased a new SSD or a traditional hard disk, there is no need to worry about having to install your Windows 10 from scratch.
Instead, you can move your old installed Windows 10, with all the settings and apps to the new drive. Yes, it is possible to move your installed Windows 10 to a new location drive.
The content of the old drive will be exactly replicated in the net drive and we will be explaining everything in detail.
Migrate Windows 10 to a new hard disk drive (HDD)
There are different possible ways to move your present Windows 10 installation to a new drive. There is some third-party software available too, that can make the migration simple and straightforward.
However, in this section, we will be focusing on how to move Windows 10 to a new drive using the native Windows utility.
With some versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7, Microsoft started giving a built-in option called “System Image”. This particular utility is available in Windows 10 as well.
“System Image” allows you to replicate an image of your Windows installation along with the partitions.
You can use “System Image” to copy your installed Windows 10 and move it to a different location. You can either use a USB flash drive or an external USB HDD (Hard Disk Drive) and keep the snapshot of your system there.
How to move the installed Windows 10 to the new drive
Once you have successfully copied the installed Windows 10 to a different location, follow the steps below to move it:
- Restart your computer and use your Windows 10 install media to boot the system. Make sure that your USB flash drive or external USB HDD containing the Windows 10 image is connected to the computer;
- As you have used the Windows 10 install media to boot the system, some options will appear on the screen;
- Select “Repair your computer”;
- Click “Troubleshoot” and then “System Image Recovery” menu;
- The system will detect your external HDD or USB flash drive with the latest image that you have created;
- Follow the on-screen prompts and click “Next” to start the recovery process;
- Depending on your computer, external HDD, and size of the image, the process may take some time;
- Once it is complete, Windows 10 will boot, and you will see your old desktop along with all the settings;
- You can now enjoy using your Windows 10 on the new hard disk.
Migrate Windows 10 to an SSD: How to do it
You could use the “System Image” and migrate the Windows 10 following the same procedure as for the hard disk. However, we recommend using “System Cloning” instead to copy your Windows 10 using a software utility.
There are different programs that you can use to migrate Windows 10 to your new SSD. You can check our article on How to clone the operating system to an SSD with all the details regarding all software available for this process. In this section, however, we will teach you how to migrate Windows 10 to an SSD using AOMEI Partition Assistant.
AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard is free software that comes with a “Migrate OS to SSD” wizard, and you can use it to transfer your Windows 10 to your new SSD easily. Please note that the freeware only supports the migration of OS from one MBR (Master Boot Record) disk to another MBR disk.
If you want to migrate your Windows 10 from GPT (GUID Partition Table) to MBR or vice versa, you’ll have to purchase the professional version of AOMEI Partition Assistant.
Steps to migrate installed Windows 10 to the new SSD:
Once you have downloaded and installed AOMEI Partition Assistant, go through the following steps:
- Run AOMEI Partition Assistant. Make sure that your SSD is connected to the computer;
- Click “Migrate OS to SSD” on the left side. Press “Next” to continue;
- A window will pop up asking for the location on your destination disk, which is the SSD in your case;
- Select an empty partition or unallocated space on the SSD and click “Next”. Please note that the migration will remove the existing partitions (if any) on the SSD;
- The program will now ask you if you want to alter the information of your drive. You can check the settings and click “Next” again;
- You can overview all the settings once again. If you are satisfied with everything, press “Apply” on the top left of your AOMEI Partition Assistant to complete the cloning process;
- Once the cloning of your Windows 10 is complete, restart your computer and enter BIOS;
- Change the 1st boot device to your SSD, save changes, and exit;
- The system will restart, and your migrated Windows 10 will boot on your computer;
- Congratulations, you have successfully moved your installed Windows 10 to your new SSD. You can enjoy using the OS with all your settings on your new SSD now.
Wrap Up
Moving your working copy of Windows 10 to a new drive is a straightforward process. It does not matter if you get an SSD or the traditional HDD. The migration process is always possible.
You do not need to worry about losing your settings, data, or other files in your existing Windows 10 if you are planning to get a new hard disk or SSD. Either by using the built-in tool offered by Windows 10 or by using other third-party software, you can easily migrate Windows 10 and start working using your new disk drive.
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