How to Clone C Drive on Windows 10 in 2026 [Newest Solution]

This article details how to clone C drive on Windows 10 and introduces a safe and efficient tool to help with this issue. Besides, it guides you on how to perform it step-by-step.

On this page, you will learn a detailed guide on how to clone the C drive on Windows 10 and get a safe cloning program to help with this issue:

Can I clone C drive on Windows 10? Yes, sure. We noticed many users ask for help on Reddit, Quora:

How do I clone my entire C drive to a new hdd?
byu/waffeli intechsupport

No worry. Let's first learn more about cloning the C drive on Windows 10. What does it truly mean to clone your system drive? To clone C drive effectively is to execute a tripartite operation:

• Bit-for-Bit Replication: Creating a perfect disk image of the OS, installed programs, personal files, and the hidden boot sectors.
• Boot Configuration Transfer: Seamlessly adapting the Master Boot Record (MBR) or GUID Partition Table (GPT) for the new storage medium.
• Hardware Abstraction Layer Update: Ensuring the cloned Windows 10 OS loads the correct drivers for the new SSD or HDD.

This article can help you with this issue since it introduces a professional cloning tool and guides you on performing it step-by-step. Do not forget to share this post to help more.

Read Before Cloning C Drive

Adherence to this checklist mitigates over 90% of common cloning pitfalls. Make sure you prepare well for your C drive cloning.

Then, it's time to select a reliable cloning software. While Windows offers "Backup and Restore," it lacks crucial functionalities for a true hard drive upgrade:

• No Intelligent Cloning: Cannot migrate OS to a smaller SSD by copying only used sectors.
• Non-Bootable Image: Creates a proprietary file format, not a directly bootable drive.
• Lacks Modern Optimization: No support for SSD alignment or NVMe protocol tweaks.

Safe & Efficient C Drive Cloning Software Free Download

How to clone the C drive in Windows 10? The most practical and effective way is to use the reputable hard disk cloning program, EaseUS Partition Master Free. It includes the disk clone and partition clone features, developed for cloning a hard drive/solid-state drive/partition to another drive/partition in all versions of Windows.

This tool also offers the following benefits:

• ✅Cloning only the sectors used on the source disc to a smaller SSD.
• ✅Support for making bootable media to clone the hard drive without loading Windows.
• ✅Cloning of deleted/lost files to the target hard drive using the "sector-by-sector cloning" method.

How to Clone C Drive on Windows 10/11?

❗IMPORTANT: Before we start cloning C drive via EaseUS Partition Master, read the notes below that will help make your cloning process smoother.

Guide 1. Clone the C Drive

Now, let's start to use EaseUS Partition Master to clone your C drive. And, don't forget to repeat the following steps to clone the system partition to another volume in the new disk drive so to make your OS bootable.

Step 1. In EaseUS Partition Master, select "Disk Clone" from the left menu. Click "Clone Partition" and "Next".

Step 2. Select the source partition you want to clone from and click "Next".

Step 3. Choose your the target partition and click "Next "to continue.

• If you clone partition to the existing partition, you should transfer or back up data before cloning to prevent it being overwritten.
• Check warning message and confirm "Yes".

Step 4. Click Start and wait for the clone to complete.

You can check how to clone partition or system reserved partition on this video tutorial.

You haven't finished the process yet. Now, you need to follow the next guide to set your target drive as the boot drive.

Guide 2. Change the Boot Order

Follow the instructions below to boot your PC:

Step 1. Press the function key F8/Del/F2 during the initial boot to enter the BIOS setup. 

Step 2. In the boot options, click on "Change boot order" and select the target drive as the boot drive.

Step 3. Don't forget to save the changes and exit.

Just now, we have explained how to clone C drive to another drive in Windows 10 with EaseUS Partition Master and how we can set the target drive as a boot drive. It is time to learn more features of EaseUS Partition Master now.

BONUS: Customize C Drive Cloning Service, No Boot Issue

For personalized guidance on resolving this issue, please access our professional support team via the portal linked below.

Optimizing Your Newly Cloned Disk for Peak Performance

After successfully cloning your C drive and confirming it boots correctly, a few simple optimizations can ensure your new SSD delivers its full potential for speed and longevity.

Confirm 4K Alignment: Proper alignment is crucial for SSD performance. (See how to 4K align SSD after clone)

Enable TRIM: The TRIM command helps your SSD efficiently manage data and maintain long-term speed. To enable it, open Command Prompt as an Administrator and execute the following command: fsutil behavior set DisableDeleteNotify 0. This tells Windows to actively inform your SSD which data blocks are no longer in use.

Manage Page File: The page file (virtual memory) can cause frequent writes to your SSD. If your system has 16GB of RAM or more, consider moving the page file to a secondary HDD to reduce unnecessary writes on your primary SSD, which can help extend its lifespan. You can adjust this setting under System Properties > Advanced > Performance Settings > Advanced > Virtual Memory.

Conclusion

The reasons for needing to clone your hard drives in Windows 10/11/8/7 are fully explained here:

• Replace a failed drive with a good one to avoid data loss due to drive failure one day.
• Efficiently transfer all your data from one disk to another for easy backups instead of manually copying files file by file.
• Upgrade your current small old hard drive with a larger one for more space, or upgrade from HDD (hard disk drive) to SSD for better performance.

This article details how to clone the C drive in Windows 10 and set the target drive as the boot drive. In addition, this article mentions a professional and effective utility program. With the help of EaseUS Partition Master, you will be able to clone your C drive in Windows 11/10/8/7 quickly and efficiently without losing any data.

It also works as the perfect partition manager and has many other amazing features: clone partitions to another drive, merge partitions, move partitions, convert an MBR (Master Boot Record) disk or a GPT disk without deleting them, completely erase hard drives and partitions, etc.

Clone C Drive on Windows 10 FAQs 

We have already learned how to clone the C drive. There are some related questions that people often ask, so if you are interested, please read on.

1. How do I clone just the C drive to SSD?

Windows don't come with a cloning program, so you need to turn to a professional third-party tool, EaseUS Partition Master. Follow the steps:

Step 1. Download EaseUS Partition Master and launch it.

Step 2. Click "Clone Partition" under the clone section and click "Next."

Step 3. Select the C drive as the source partition and another one as the target partition. Then, click "Next."

Step 4. Click the Start button and wait for the clone to complete.

2. Does cloning a drive make it bootable?

No, cloning a drive means cloning everything on this drive to another drive, but if you want to make the cloned drive bootable, you need to change the boot order in the BIOS settings.

3. Can I replace the C drive with SSD?

Yes, SSD is a nice choice if you want to install it as your C drive because it is more durable, quieter, faster, lighter, and less expensive. Many PCs are equipped with SSDs to install Windows OS.