/PowerMyMac /Guide on How to Clone Mac Hard Drive to SSD
When it comes to the cloning topic, what do you expect from the process? If you are planning to clone Mac hard drive to SSD, let us take a close look at what is the cloning process all about. Generally, it is recommended to clone the hard drive of your Mac in case you decide to upgrade the hard drive with a solid state drive (SSD), replace an old or corrupted drive with a new one or if you are going to create a bootable hard drive.
AOMEI Backupper is a disk cloning utility that's free to download and use. A key feature of the software is the ability to clone a large disk to a smaller SSD drive. Paid Mac Cloning Software. Here are a couple of the most popular paid third party software solutions. They’ll also allow you to clone your Mac’s external hard drive to another external drive. You’d use these when you need to clone often. And you want to create clones on a schedule.
The software has a Mac Clone Utility Tool which clones the hard disk bit-by-bit. This would make the process of upgrading a disk or replacing it much easier and hassle free. The tool also allows the user to migrate their Mac Data from HDD or SDD with much ease. Home Tips Top 6 Best free drive cloning software for Win&Mac 2019 updated Top 6 Best free drive cloning software for Win&Mac 2019 updated If you had purchased a new Hard drive and want to transfer all the data which is exactly present in the previous hard drive of your PC, then you need to clone your drive. Easy-to-Use Disk Clone Software for Mac OS. DoYourClone for Mac offers reliable and easy disk cloning solution for Mac users. It is the best tool to clone hard drive or backup hard drive data under Mac OS. If you want to make a full copy of your hard drive or backup your hard drive data on Mac, DoYourClone for Mac is a good choice.
In most cases, all these demands can be achieved with the help of cloning. Essentially, when you clone the hard drive, you will no longer worry about reinstalling the operating system as well as transfer folders, files, applications and some configurations on the new hard disk. Another advantage with the cloning process is that if you have a duplicate hard drive with setup volume, it can aid in booting your Mac easily in case of unexpected disasters.
Article GuideWhat are solid state drives (SSDs)?How to clone Mac hard drive to SSDShould I backup or clone?Let's wrap it up
What are solid state drives (SSDs)?
![Software Software](https://www.disk-partition.com/information/images/hdd-cloning-software-free-download/copy-disk.jpg)
Before you decide to clone Mac hard drive to SSD, let us take a close look at SSDs. Solid state drives or SSDs utilize flash memory to keep data. If built into a computer, they are usually seen as chips on the circuit board. You can also find them in 2.5” format that you can install in a laptop or an external enclosure.
Generally, SSDs are quiet, compact and fast, especially if you are starting up a computer or waking up the device. Remember that hard disks might go into sleep mode when not used for a certain span of time and takes a few seconds to spin up. SSDs also utilize less power, run cooler, lighter and do not have any movable parts which make them suitable for laptops.
When you accidentally drop your laptop when the hard drive is spinning, there is a likelihood for the drive to be damaged and lose data. SSDs are generally more dependable, and in case they fail, you can still read data whereas you cannot do this with a hard disk.
Nevertheless, SSDs are considered as a costly option if you are considering the cost to storage ratio. At present, you can purchase an 8TB external drive for less than $150 while that same amount of money will only provide you with a 500GB SSD.
People Also Read:How to Partition A Hard Drive on Mac?How to upgrade your MacBook Pro with an SSD?
How to clone Mac hard drive to SSD
There are several reasons why it is best to boot from an external hard drive. In case you prefer to keep your files synchronized from a desktop and laptop, enlarge your storage or have an on-hand bootable backup duplicate of your system, there is an unseen feature in Disk Utility that makes the process an easy task.
Essentially, booting from an external hard drive is usually slower, even if you are using the latest Thunderbolt or the USB-C drives. They are relatively sluggish than the solid state drives (SSDs) that are found in most of the latest Macs. Although this is not suggested for daily use, it is a possible option.
Using Disk Utility
If you are going to clone Mac hard drive to SSD, it is recommended to use Disk Utility.Simply open Disk Utility from the Spotlight (Command+Space) or on the Utility folder in your applications. You will be presented with a list of all the volumes including the internal hard drive and the external hard drive.
It is important to note that the “Restore” option in Disk Utility will work by copying the files from the backup to your core drive. It is ideally intended to the utilized for Recovery mode to reinstate the hard drive in case a failure occurs.
Once you decide to set your external drive as the restore target, you can switch that action around and copy files from the main drive to the backup. Choose your external drive in the sidebar, tap on the “Restore” button in the menu and select your main drive as the “Restore From” option. You have the option to choose an ISO image, but it does not have much use.
Tap on the “Restore” button and Disk Utility will initiate the copying process. In most cases, the process is relatively a long one which is based on the speediness of your external drive as well as its link to your Mac. Due to this, it is recommended to have a rapid hard drive with USB-C, Thunderbolt or USB 3.0 connections.
Once Disk Utility completes the task, you can turn off your Mac and press on the Option when it starts to restart again. You will be presented with the boot switcher and you are allowed to boot from the external hard drive. You can utilize your Mac as usual but remember that it is separate from the installation on the main internal hard drive. Take note that any settings that you alter or files that are saved there will not be reflected on the primary installation.
You can perform the same process in a reverse manner if there is a need to copy the files back over or to restore the backup in case your computer malfunctions.
Should I backup or clone?
Generally, hard disks can be backed up or cloned. Remember that there are differences between the two with their own advantages and drawbacks.
Backing up a hard drive
If you are going to back up a hard drive, the entire content of the chosen drive or partition is backed up into a file on the targeted location. All data is saved into a single file. When a complete backup of the hard drive is carried out, the whole operating system along with the installed applications and settings are also set aside. The file can be protected or encrypted with a password.
The advantage of this approach is no other than simple management since a single file contains the whole backup. You can also compress the backup file so that it utilizes less space.
As for a drawback, you need a backup software to be able to reinstate the system or data to a previous state or to access documents and files.
Cloning the hard drive
If you are going to duplicate or clone Mac hard drive to SSD, a copy of the drive is created directly on the target location. This simply means that you have an instant copy including the hard disk structure. A cloned disk or drive includes all the partitions from the source drive or disk.
An advantage with cloning is that the data is directly copied to the specified location and can be utilized and edited directly. The duplicated system drive which includes the operating system can be mounted as a fresh drive and booted right away.
As for the drawbacks, a clone requires more space since the partitions are created immediately on the targeted disk. Due to this, it is not likely to compress or add encryption to the data.
Let's wrap it up
If there is a need for a backup to be created regularly, it is recommended to opt for the hard drive backup. This usually takes up less space and allows the creation of extra backups.
In case you require a bootable extra drive to be operational after an unforeseen crash and to lessen the downtime period, it is best to clone Mac hard drive to SSD.
Generally, both methods have been proven to be the ideal choice. A consistent drive backup for daily data along with a clone of the system drive is essential for easy accessibility in case of emergencies.
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Free DownloadWhat's the Best Free Disk Cloning Software for Windows 10
If your hard drive has run out of disk space, exposed to disk write/read failures, or becomes too slow to boot Windows, you will request a hard drive replacement. There are a number of reasons why you might want to clone disk or clone hard drive. The following are four typical scenarios for disk cloning.
- Upgrade a hard drive: make upgrading from a small one to a big one, or from an old one to a new one
- Change HDD to SSD: to keep consistent with the new IT era of installing light and fast SSD on a desktop or laptop
- Create a backup image: to maintain a full and exact copy of a hard drive or a partition for future use, for example, unexpected disaster recovery
- Recover data from a damaged hard drive: to gain a way of retrieving data from a corrupted hard drive that becomes inaccessible, or not readable
- Use disk cloning software to create a bootable USB or CD/DVD drive.
To clone a hard drive means to make a 1-to-1 copy of the original drive. It's the quickest and easiest approach to replace a hard drive along with its data. By cloning a disk to a new one, you can escape from the tedious work of transferring data and programs to the new drive. Since disk cloning has so many benefits, what's the most popular and free disk cloning software on Windows10? EaseUS Todo Backup has its competitiveness.
Free Cloning Software Windows 10
EaseUS free hard drive cloning softwarehas a slick interface and a range of cloning options. Although it is free, it provides many advanced features that are not limited by time, and these advanced functions can only be found in the commercial versions of its competitors.
Download Top Free Disk Cloning Software to Clone Disk
After downloading and installing EaseUS free disk cloning software, you can begin to clone disk to disk. The cloning process is simple to follow, and you can learn it in a few seconds. However, you still need to take a close look at the several underlying points so that you can make full use of it without difficulty.
1. It's possible to clone a larger hard drive to a smaller one, for example, 512GB to 256GB, but the used space of the 512GB hard drive should be under 256GB. The rule applies to a drive partition as well.
2. As soon as you launch EaseUS Todo Backup on your computer after installation, the software will prompt you a message asking you to create an emergency disk. This is a very helpful feature in case your computer crashed and won't boot someday. You can try to boot the machine from the EaseUS Todo Backup bootable disk to perform a recovery.
3. What if you're planning OS migration from HDD to SSD? You can also ask EaseUS Todo Backup for help but have this prior notice in your mind:
- To ensure an absolutely free entrance to the System Clone feature, you need to download thehome versionby visiting the product page.
- It's a 30-day free trial, which is enough for you to finish the task of migrating the system C drive as well as the boot partition from one drive to the other.
Check both video and text tutorials on how to clone HDD/SSD with EaseUS free hard drive cloning software.
Step 1. Launch EaseUS Todo Backup and select the 'Clone' feature from the list on the left.
Step 2. Choose the original disk as the source disk and click 'Next'.
Step 3. Choose a destination disk, which can be another HDD/SSD or an external USB hard disk. Just be sure that the destination disk is larger than the source disk. Tick the option 'Optimize for SSD' under 'Advanced options' when the destination disk is an SSD for improved results. Click 'Next'.
Step 4. Preview the disk layout and click 'Proceed'.
Other 9 Free Disk Cloning Software to Clone Hard Drive
In addition to EaseUS free hard drive cloning tool, there are so many other disk cloning programs available. It can be a challenge to select one. To save your time, we recommend these hard drive cloning tools based on their ease of use, how powerful they are, and their overall usability and reliability.
List of the popular hard disk cloning software:
Acronis True Image
Acronis True Image (https://www.acronis.com/en-us/personal/computer-backup/) is a fast and powerful cloud disk cloning tool and imaging application. It also features advanced artificial intelligence technology and blockchain data notarization, providing real-time protection against encryption and ransomware. This high-quality disk cloning software is a great choice for personal users to back up and protect your systems. You can start the 30-day free trial.
Key features:
- Compatible with both Windows and Mac systems
- Run a backup in the background while working on other tasks
- Unique cyber protection solution effectively safeguards all of your data, apps, and systems
- Multiple disk cloning and backup options: Mirror imaging, Disk cloning, and All-in-one recovery drives
![Free Disk Cloning Software For Mac Free Disk Cloning Software For Mac](/uploads/1/2/6/3/126336945/674765484.png)
Clonezilla
Clonezilla (https://clonezilla.org/) is one of the top free disk cloning, disk imaging, data recovery program. There are three versions of Clonezilla available to download: Clonezilla Live, Clonezilla Lite Server, and Clonezilla SE. The Clonezilla SE version or server edition of the program can clone over 40 computers at the same time. It's is a great open-source disk cloning and imaging software.
Key features:
- Clone disk/partition to a separate hard drive
- Support Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems
- Support multiple file system: FAT 12/16/32, ext2/3/4, NTFS, HFS+, UFS
- Provide a number of encryption options to encrypt disk images with eCryptfs or use AES 256-bit encryption
Macrium Reflect Free Edition
Macrium Reflect Free Edition (https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree) is a very popular hard drive cloning solution for both personal (especially the free version) and commercial/enterprise use. It is compatible with Windows operating system, enables you to do disk imaging and disk cloning, allows you to access images from the file manager, and creates a Linux rescue CD. You can fully restore non-booting systems with the free version, as well as schedule backups or create live images of your OS.
Key features:
- Easy to use and intuitive user interface
- Clone an entire hard drive or specific partitions
- Rapid Delta Cloning increases cloning speed by copying file system deltas
- The free license also covers business use
- Support Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP plus Linux
- Support FAT 12/16/32, exFAT, NTFS, HFS+ and ReFS
Paragon Backup & Recovery Free
Paragon Backup & Recovery Free (https://www.paragon-software.com/free/br-free/) is a free disk cloning software that can create backups and partitions. You can use this hard drive cloning tool to back up the operating system and migrate it to a new computer. You can also choose to copy the entire hard disk or partition. Its quick recovery allows you to return to normal operations after a system problem occurs.
Key features:
- Come with a wizard to assist the user in restoring backup images
- Recovery Media Builder tool enables you to create your own recovery environment
- Community Edition is available completely free for the non-commercial purpose
- Backup files, volumes, and disks entirely or pick one at a time
Active@ Disk Image
Active@ Disk Image (https://www.disk-image.com/index.html) is a disk cloning and imaging tool for Windows that can be used to make an exact copy of any PC disk. The disk images may be used for backups, PC upgrades, or disk duplication purposes. It is compatible with Windows XP, 7, 8, 8.1, Server 2003, Server 2008, Server 2012, Server 2016, Linux, FreeBSD, and Solaris.
The free version of this hard drive cloning program allows you to create and restore disk images, compress images, and mount images as virtual drives.
Key features:
- Support storage devices including HDD, SDD, USB, CD, DVD, Blu-ray, and more
- Variable disk copy utilities: Disk to Image, Image to Disk, Create Raw Image, verify Image, Copy Disk to Disk, Clone Disk, Mount Image, etc.
- Provide three image compression options: fast, normal and high
- Mount images as virtual drives
Iperius Backup
Iperius Backup (https://www.iperiusbackup.com/index.aspx) is a complete Windows utility for data backup and hard disk cloning. The software supports cloud services such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, Amazon S3, Azure Storage, and more. Cloud backups are secured with AES 256-bit encryption to ensure your data is safe.
Iperius Backup is a top HDD or SSD disk cloning and imaging tool for enterprise users that enables you to perform files, databases or VMs backup.
Key features:
- Support incremental backup and synchronization
- Support hard disk cloning, P2V, recovery drive creation
- Backup databases including Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, PostgreSQL, and MariaDB
- Backup to NAS, USB drives, FTP, Cloud, S3
- Free to trial
Symantec Ghost Solution Suite
Symantec Ghost Solution Suite (https://www.broadcom.com/products/cyber-security/endpoint/management/ghost-solutions-suite) is one of the top hard disk imaging software that enables you to copy hard drive on Windows, Mac, and Linux operating systems. This hard drive cloning tool provides full solutions for imaging and deploying desktops, laptops, tablets, and servers.
Key features:
- Web-based user interface outfitted with wizards
- Migrate OS from HDD to SSD
- Compatible with various operating systems, including Windows, Mac, and Linux
DriveImage XML
DriveImage XML (http://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm) is an easy to use and reliable program for imaging and backing up disk and partitions. It provides two versions: Private Edition allows users to use without charge and Commercial Edition for commercial use. This disk copy tool enables you to create safe 'hot images' from drives in use. Images are stored in XML files, allowing you to process them with 3rd party tools.
Key features:
- Clone directly from disk to disk, from drive to drive
- Schedule automatic backups
- Support Windows XP, 2003, Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10
- Backup, image and restore drives formatted with FAT 12, 16, 32 and NTFS
O&O Disk Image
O&O Disk Image (https://www.oo-software.com/en/diskimage-backup-your-data) is a comprehensive disk management software with full features, including disk cloning, imaging, and remote scripting for Windows 7+ operating systems. With this hard drive cloning tool, you can back up an entire computer or single files whenever you want – even while the computer is being used. O&O DiskImage lets you carry out a system restore onto a computer whose hardware is different from the original machine.
Key features:
- Easy to use and highly customizable
- Support Incremental and differential backups
- Support SSD drives and the latest UEFI System
- Clone the entire hard disk and restore even to a system with different machines
The Final Word
When it comes to the suggestion of the best free disk cloning software for Windows 10, we put EaseUS Todo Backup on the top list in terms of its ease of use, capability, smooth cloning experience and a free trial of the system clone feature, which you can never enjoy in other third-party utilities.
Download EaseUS disk clone freeware now and spend the least effort to copy and clone a hard drive. EaseUS hard drive cloning software is just what you need to copy the exact data content of one hard drive to another, file-by-file and sector-by-sector. No data loss or system boot errors will ever happen.
Furthermore, it's a versatile data backup and recovery program for Windows computers, Windows-compatible storage devices (external hard drives, flash drives, memory cards, etc.), and network drives. Let this video introduction give you a quick glimpse at what EaseUS Todo Backup is meant to help you with the daily computer safety and facility.
Frequently Asked Questions About Free Disk Cloning Software
The following are the top topics related to free disk cloning software and how to clone a disk. Check the brief answers to these problems.
How do I clone a disk for free?
To clone a disk for free, you need EaseUS Todo Backup, which allows you to clone HDD or clone SSD with a few clicks:
Step 1. Download and launch EaseUS Todo Backup and select the 'Clone' feature.
Step 2. Choose the HDD or SSD you want to clone and click 'Next'.
Step 3. Choose a destination disk, which can be another HDD/SSD or an external USB hard disk. Make sure that the target disk is larger than the source disk. Tick the option 'Optimize for SSD' under 'Advanced options' when the destination disk is an SSD for improved results. Click 'Next'.
Step 4. Preview the disk layout and click 'Proceed'.
Does Windows 10 have cloning software?
Windows 10 doesn't come with hard drive cloning software. For free cloning software for Windows 10, try EaseUS Todo Backup. It is a free tool for cloning a hard drive. You can use this tool to make full copies, upgrade HDD to SSD, and replace the old disk without any data loss.
How do I clone my OS to SSD for free?
You can use the best disk cloning software - Ease Todo Backup to clone Windows 10 to smaller SSD with steps below.
Step 1. Connect the new SSD to your PC. Run EaseUS Todo Backup for Windows 10 Clone.
Step 2. Select 'System Clone'. Choose the new SSD as your target disk for saving the cloned Windows 10 system.
Step 3. Then click 'Proceed' to start cloning Windows 10 to HDD/SSD now.
After this, insert your new SSD into your computer and reboot PC, change the boot order to set computer boot from new SSD with cloned Windows 10 system:
- Restart PC and press F2 or F8 to enter BIOS settings.
- In the Boot option, select new SSD as the new boot drive and save all the changes.
- Exit BIOS and restart the computer, you should be able to see Windows 10 running on your new SSD without any problems.
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How do I clone a disk?
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There are many excellent disk cloning software enables you to clone a disk easily:
Free Disk Clone For Mac
Top free disk cloning software of 2021: