How to Move Windows 11 to Another Drive Without Losing Data

Do you wonder how to move Windows 11 to another drive? This article explains how to move Windows 11 to another drive without losing data using EaseUS Disk Copy, with a step-by-step guide and tips.

Windows 11's market share has been increasing since Microsoft ended support for Windows 10 on October 14th, 2025. You may want to transfer Windows 11 to a larger drive for better performance if it's installed on a small HDD or SSD, but you may lose your data during the Windows 11 installation. Don't worry! We will elaborate on how to move Windows 11 to another drive without losing data. Let's come to the details!

Is There a Way to Move Windows to Another Drive

When your current C drive is full, you may want to migrate Windows to a larger disk, whether an HDD or SSD, for better, more stable PC performance. In addition, moving Windows 11/10 to another drive can help you create a system backup for easy recovery in the event of a system crash. Can I move my Windows installation to another drive?

Yes. You can copy your Windows installation to an SSD or HDD or migrate OS to a new drive, and there are 3 different ways: cloning Windows 11/10 to another drive, clean install Windows 11 on a new drive, or performing a universal restore.

However, if you wonder how to move Windows to another drive without losing data, cloning is the best and most effective way. This is because cloning can help transfer everything, including data and the operating system, from one drive to another without data loss and Windows reinstallation. You only need to find a reliable disk cloning tool and get a USB-to-SATA cable to connect the drive to your computer.

Share this article on your social media to help others find a reliable way to move Windows to another drive without losing data!

Best Disk Cloning Software Free Download for Windows 11

As mentioned above, to go through a drive cloning procedure is the best way to move Windows to another drive, compared with performing a universal restore or clean installation. Unfortunately, Windows has no preinstalled cloning settings to clone a hard drive. Under such circumstances, EaseUS Disk Copy, a dedicated disk cloning tool, comes to help.

EaseUS Disk Copy is efficient and reliable disk clone software that helps you move Windows OS to another drive without reinstalling or losing data. It lets you clone HDDs or SSDs from various manufacturers on your Windows 11/10/8/7 computers and easily transfer data from an HDD to an SSD for better computer performance.

EaseUS cloning software can easily clone a hard drive, upgrade a hard disk, migrate Windows 11 to new SSD drives, or move Windows 11 to another computer. It can suit your different needs when it comes to disk cloning. Free download this practical system cloning software on your PC to help you transfer Windows 11 to another drive.

How to Move Windows to Another Drive Using EaseUS Disk Copy

After you download EaseUS disk clone software on your computer, you can use it to clone your Windows 11 to new hard drives or another drive:

Case 1. Move Windows 11 Disk to Another Drive

If you want to transfer Windows installation and all data to another disk, choose Disk Mode in Disk Copy and follow the steps below to transfer everything to the new disk.

Prior Notice:

• The "Sector by sector copy" asks the size of your destination disk to be at least equal to or larger than that of the source disk. Leave this feature unchecked if you wish to clone a larger hard disk to a smaller hard disk.
• All data on the destination disk will be completely erased, so take care.

Step 1. To start copying/cloning an entire disk to another, choose this disk as the source disk under "Disk Mode" and click "Next".

Step 2. Choose the other disk as the destination disk.

Step 3. Check the disk layout of the two disks. You can manage the disk layout of the destination disk by selecting "Autofit the disk", "Copy as the source" or "Edit disk layout". 

• "Autofit the disk" makes some changes by default on the destination disk layout so that it can work at its best status.
• "Copy as the source"does not change anything on destination disk and the layout is the same as source disk.
• "Edit disk layout" allows you to manually resize/move partition layout on this destination disk.

Tick the "Check the option if the target is SSD" option to put your SSD in its best performance.

A message now appears, warning you that data will be lost. Please confirm this message by clicking "OK" and then click "Next".

Step 4. Click "Proceed" to officially execute the task.

This video shows how to clone a hard drive using EaseUS Disk Copy:

Case 2. Move Windows 11 to Another Drive Without Moving All Data

If you just want to move Windows installation while keeping all the rest of the data on the old disk, you can use the Disk Mode feature in EaseUS Disk Copy. Here is how to migrate Windows 11 from one drive to another without moving all data:

Step 1. Connect the new disk: Install the new hard drive internally or connect it using a SATA-to-USB cable or external disk enclosure.

Step 2. Run the Cloning Software:

• Launch EaseUS Disk Copy.
• Select the System Mode. (It will automatically choose the C drive and system-related partitions.)
• Choose the new drive as the target disk.

Adjust target disk layout if necessary. "Auto-fit the disk" ensures the system partition uses the new drive's larger capacity.

Step 3. Start the disk cloning: Begin the Windows 11 migration process and wait for it to complete.

Share this article on your social media to help others find a reliable way to move Windows to another drive without losing data!

Pro Tip: How to Boot Windows 11 from New Hard Drive

After the OS migration, you need to replace the old drive with the new drive on your Windows PC. If you use a desktop PC, you can install the cloned disk alongside the old disk. If you use a laptop, you need to open the back case and install the new drive. Then, go to the BIOS settings to set the cloned drive as your first boot drive. Here is how:

Step 1. Restart your PC and hold the BIOS key to access the BIOS setup screen. The key varies by PC manufacturer but is generally F2, F12, Delete, or Esc.

Step 2. Head for the Boot section using the arrow key.

Step 3. Find the Boot Order or Boot Priority option and choose it.

Step 4. Top the cloned hard drive on the boot order list via the arrow key.

Step 5. Save the changes before quitting the BIOS setup screen. Reboot your PC, which will boot from the new hard drive.

Articles related to booting from a new hard drive:

To Wrap Things Up

Migrating Windows to another drive or a larger HDD/SSD will significantly improve your computer performance. If you do not know how to do it, this article details how to move Windows 11 to another drive without losing data. There are different ways to install/move Windows to another SSD or HDD, but cloning is the best way to migrate files or migrate Windows to another disk.

EaseUS Disk Copy is an easy-to-use cloning program that helps you migrate OS to another drive easily and quickly. It lets you clone an HDD to an SSD in 3 steps, without reinstalling the OS or risking data loss. Download this disk-cloning software to explore its practical features!

Migrate Windows 11 to Another Drive Without Losing Data FAQs

1. Will I lose everything if I change my HDD to SSD?

Generally, you will lose your files on an HDD if you just swap from an HDD to an SSD. However, if you clone your HDD to an SSD, nothing will be lost.

2. How can I swap my SSD without losing my data?

Cloning is the best and easiest way to swap SSD without any data loss because it can help you clone SSD to SSD without reinstalling Windows and losing data. In addition, the target SSD will have the same disk layout as the old SSD.

3. Can you move Windows to another drive?

Yes, you can move Windows to another drive. To transfer Windows from one disk to another, you have 3 ways: cloning your OS to another drive, performing a clean installation, and performing a universal restore (creating a system image backup on an external drive, and restoring it to the SSD via the system image recovery tool).

4. How to move everything from one hard drive to another Windows 11?

The following are the detailed steps to move everything from one disk to another on Windows 11 PCs:

• Download and install EaseUS Disk Copy and activate it.
• In Disk Mode, select the old drive as the source disk and click Next.
• Select the new drive as the target disk.
• (Optional). Adjust the disk layout.
• Click Proceed to start cloning the disk.