Although Microsoft has released Windows 11 on October 5, 2021, Windows 10 is still a very popular Windows desktop operating system. If you are a Windows 10 user, you may want to migrate Windows 10 to SSD under the following circumstances:
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Your current system is installed on a hard drive, and booting your computer and loading programs is taking longer and longer.
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Your system drive is filling up with stuff, and your computer is running slower and slower.
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You want to use SSD for the operating system and HDD for storage for better computer performance.
So, how to transfer Windows 10 to SSD easily and securely? You need a reliable operating system migration tool - AOMEI Backup
Three types of clones
AOMEI Backup provides three types of cloning, namely disk cloning, system cloning and partition cloning. Both disk cloning and system cloning can help you migrate your operating system from one hard drive to another.
The difference is that disk cloning copies everything on the source drive, including the operating system, applications, drivers, and personnel files, while system cloning only copies the boot partition and boot-related partitions such as the C: drive, EFI system Partition and recovery partition.
Two cloning methods
AOMEI Backup has built-in smart sector cloning and sector-by-sector cloning methods. It uses the smart sector cloning method by default, copying only the used space on the source disk. If you want to clone a larger drive to a smaller drive, you should keep the default cloning method.
If you want to keep the same partition layout on the target disk, eg 100GB for C: drive, 50GB for D: drive, and 25GB for E: drive, you should choose the sector-by-sector method. The prerequisite for using this method is that the target disk capacity must be equal to or larger than the source disk capacity.
★ Supported cloning options
AOMEI Backup also provides other cloning options to meet your different needs. If you are cloning a smaller drive to a larger drive, you can use the Edit Partition feature to add unallocated space to an existing partition, thus making the most of the storage space on the target disk. If you are cloning to an SSD, then you can use the SSD alignment feature to increase the read and write speed of the target SSD.
★ Multiple disk types
AOMEI Backup supports a variety of disk types, including SATA hard drives, NVMe SSD and M.2 SSD, etc., and can help you perform NVMe swapping. What's more, it supports almost all common disk brands, such as Samsung, WD, Crucial and Seagate.
Detailed steps to migrate Windows 10 to SSD
First, connect the target SSD to your computer. You can connect it to an extra drive bay inside your computer, or connect it externally via a SATA to USB adapter. If the SSD is not empty, don't forget to back up your files. Then, follow these instructions:
Step 1. Download, install and launch AOMEI Backup VIP on your PC. Click Clone and select System Clone.
✍ Tip: If you want to clone Windows 10 SSD to SSD, select Disk Clone here.
Step 2. The program will automatically select the boot-related partition. Just select the connected SSD as the destination path and click "Next".
✍ Tip: If the target SSD contains any partitions, the program will prompt you to make a backup first. If you have already backed up what you want to keep, click OK to continue.
Step 3. Check SSD alignment to optimize SSD performance and extend its service life. Finally, click "Start Clone" to start transferring Windows 10 to SSD.
That’s how to migrate Windows 10 to SSD using the recommended OS migration tool – AOMEI Backup. In addition to Windows 10, it also allows you to transfer Windows 11/8/7 from old hard drive to new one. Thanks to the user-friendly interface, everyone can operate it easily.
Also, if you need free backup software to back up your operating system and important data, you can try AOMEI Backup Standard Edition. It provides a full range of backup solutions, including system backup, disk/partition backup and file backup.