Complete Guide to Migrate Windows 11 to a New Hard Drive or SSD

If you looking for a complete guide to moving Windows 11 to a new hard drive or SSD, stick to this article and follow the process as listed below:

If your operating system is slow or not working, you may consider moving Windows to another drive, such as a faster and more efficient SSD. Though it is not an easy task, it will undoubtedly aid in improving your system speed. You don't need to worry; we will discuss and explain one of the best migrating tools to assist you with the process.

#1. Prerequisites: Prepare Everything Ready Before Migrating Windows 11 to New Hard Drive

Before jumping onto the "How To" part, you must keep in mind some important conditions to be prepared for the Migration of Windows 11 to a new hard drive. Let's get into the detail. 

Step 1. Download Windows 11 OS Migration Software

Windows 11 doesn't offer a good migration process. To make it less complicated, go for the option of EaseUS Partition Master. EaseUS Partition Master Professional is an efficient tool for migrating your OS to a new hard drive without reinstalling Windows or losing data.

Aside from OS migration, EaseUS Partition Master also assists you in creating a partition of your disk space and optimizing disk performance efficiently with multiple features. Download this Windows OS Migration Software, as it is a convenient solution for your disk space.

Step 2. Install a New Hard Drive/SSD on Windows 11 Computer Correctly 

Note: To install a new hard drive (or SSD) on your PC, you need to make sure to unplug all unnecessary devices, especially if they contain important data. Connect your new hard drive with a USB cable if there is only space for one hard drive installed in your computer. 

1️⃣. To install a new hard drive

• Open the computer case with a screwdriver.
• Plug the connection cable into your hard drive and insert it into the computer motherboard.
• Ensure the new hard drive is correctly installed and close the computer case.

2️⃣. To install a new SSD

• Open the computer case with a screwdriver.
• Connect the SATA SSD to the computer laptop motherboard via its SATA connection cable. Or, fasten the NVMe/M.2/PCIe SSD into the SSD slot.
• Close the computer case.

For a detailed step-by-step guide to installing a new hard drive/SSD in your PC, follow this tutorial mentioned below: 

Step 3. Initialize the New Hard Drive/SSD

Windows 11 requires GPT for OS installation. Here are the detailed steps to initialize the new hard drive to GPT on Windows 11:

• Reboot your PC once you've finished installing the new disk by following step 2. 
• Now, right-click Windows icon and then select Disk Management

• After right-clicking, select the option of ''Initialize Disk''.

• Select the correct disk, then click "OK" to set it to GPT partition style. 

After this, you are now good to go, and follow the complete guide below to start migrating Windows 11 to a new disk successfully.

#2. Complete Guide to Migrate Windows 11 to New Hard Drive

This guide will help you understand how you can transfer Windows 11, C drive files, apps, and programs to a new hard drive without reinstalling. EaseUS Partition Master enables you to eliminate the Windows reinstallation process by simply moving Windows 11 to another drive.

EaseUS Partition Master has made partitioning easy. It is designed for home, office, and service providers. If you are new to using the software, don't worry! Its self-explanatory guide helps you through the process.

Steps to migrate OS to HDD/SSD:

• Run EaseUS Partition Master, and select "Clone" from the left menu.
• Check "Migrate OS" and click "Next".
• Select the SSD or HDD as the destination disk and click "Next".
• Check Warning: the data and partitions on the target disk will be deleted. Make sure that you've backed up important data in advance. If not, do it now.
• Then click "Yes".
• Preview the layout of your target disk. Then click "Start" to start migrating your OS to a new disk.

• After this, click "Reboot Now" or "Done" to determine if you want to reboot the computer from the new disk immediately.

"Reboot Now" means to keep the changes instantly, while "Done" means you need to restart the computer later manually.

Note: The operation of migrating OS to SSD or HDD will delete and remove existing partitions and data on your target disk when there is not enough unallocated space on the target disk. If you saved important data there, back up them to an external hard drive in advance.

Alongside moving Windows 11 to a new HDD or SSD, you can also apply this software to transfer older Windows systems, such as:

Some of the notable features that made EaseUS an exceptional tool are listed below: 

• Migrating Windows Operating System or Windows Server OS with all C drive installed programs. You don't need to reinstall apps while using EaseUS Partition Master. 
• Support migrating Windows systems to all types of hard drives, SSDs, M.2 or NVMe SSDs, and hybrid drives. 
• EaseUS Partition Master has an easy-to-use interface that is designed so a beginner can also use it.
• This software allows any level of Windows users to execute operations.

EaseUS Partition Manager is available online, and you can easily download the trial version in your system. 

#3. Make Windows 11 Bootable on New Hard Drive/SSD

The last thing you need to do is to follow the below steps and make Windows 11 bootable on the new hard drive/SSD:

• Restart your computer.
• Keep pressing F1 or F2 or del or delete while rebooting to access the BIOS of your computer's motherboard.
• Go to the boot order section, switch the new hard drive or SSD as the boot drive.

• And save the changes by pressing F10 and restarting the computer.

So, this is the complete procedure of migrating Windows 11 to another drive. After this, you can then boot up your PC normally on the new SSD or HDD and enjoy a new computing life. If this page indeed helps you, please share this to help more of your friends online:

Why Need to Migrate Windows 11 to a New Hard Drive?

Stay calm if you are experiencing a similar case as listed here. The reason behind choosing OS migration instead of reinstalling the operating system could be various. 

If you are with one of the listed errors or issues, you can turn to the above-listed guide to migrate Windows to a new disk now:

To avoid these issues with old hard drives, upgrading to a new one is important. For a simple and complete solution to transfer OS from HDD to SSD, take EaseUS Partition Master as your first choice and follow this tutorial guide. You can make your OS boot from a faster and newer disk.

Migrating Windows 11 to a New Hard Drive Is Possible and Necessary, You Can Make It Alone

When it comes to switching data to a new drive, you can simply drag and drop some files and folders, such as the documents, music, photos, or videos folder to a new hard drive via Windows Explorer. However, you can't simply drag and drop the OS-related files to a new disk, as they won't be bootable.

This page covers everything you need to know about the migration of Windows:

• Preparation: Download OS migration software - EaseUS Partition Master, install and initialize the new SSD/HDD.
• Migrate OS to New Disk: Switch OS with C drive installed apps and data to a new drive in simple clicks.
• Make Windows Bootable on New Drive: Set and enable Windows to boot from the new disk with the transferred system.

Sometimes, when your computer or OS drive gets old, migrating the OS, like Windows 11, to a new hard drive is necessary. You can do this on your own with the help of reliable software. EaseUS Partition Master is a paid yet excellent tool that eliminates all hurdles.

It is simple software that assists you in migrating or transferring your data. It makes partitions and stores data. It does not necessitate the use of a separate hard drive. It will check for mistakes and allow you to correct them. Why don't you download it and test it out for yourself?

FAQs About Migrate Windows 11 to New SSD

Here we also listed some hot topics that are related to migrating Windows 11 to new SSD, and if you are interested, follow and find answers to these questions below:

1. How do I move Windows 11 to a new SSD?

• Install SSD to Windows 11 computer and initialize it to the same disk type as Windows 11 OS disk.
• Launch EaseUS Partition Master, go to the Clone section, and click "Migrate OS".
• Select the new SSD as the destination disk, and click "Next", "Yes" and "Execute Task".
• After this, reboot the PC and set SSD as the boot drive in BIOS settings, and then restart the PC.

2. Does Windows 11 have a migration tool?

No, Windows 11 doesn't have a migration tool to switch the OS to a new disk. To migrate the operating system, you'll need to turn to reliable OS migration software such as EaseUS Partition Master for help.

3. Can you replace SSD without reinstalling Windows?

Yes, sure. You can replace the SSD with the operating system successfully without reinstalling it.

• To do so, you just need to install the SSD to your computer and initialize it to the same disk type as the OS hard drive.
• Then, launch EaseUS Partition Master and use its Migrate OS feature to move the operating system to the new SSD.
• After this, set the SSD as the boot drive in BIOS settings and restart the PC.
• Finally, you can back up all useful content in the old disk and wipe the old OS disk for new usage.