How to clone a hard drive for free

Cloning your hard drive or SSD is a simple way to transfer all your data, apps, and settings to a new drive. This allows you to enjoy the benefits of a new drive, such as improved performance, larger capacity, and advanced features, without having to reinstall everything. With the right tool, you can even do it for free.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to clone your hard drive for free.

Before you begin

This guide assumes that you have a source drive (the drive you’re cloning from) and a destination drive (the drive you’re cloning to) installed and ready for use. If they are not ready, refer to our guides on buying an SSD or instructions on how to install an SSD in your laptop or PC.

Before you start, ensure that there is no important data on the destination drive, as it will be wiped clean during the cloning process.

How to Clone a Hard Drive

There are several disk cloning applications available, but for this guide, we’ll use the free version of Disk Genius. Although there are paid versions with additional features, they are not necessary for cloning a hard drive.

Step 1: Download DiskGenius from the official website and install it following the standard procedure. Make sure to install it on a separate drive, not the destination drive.

Step 2: Launch DiskGenius. It will display a partition view of your drives and provide detailed information about each partition and installation.

Ensure that both your source and destination drives are listed. Then, select Tools from the top menu and click on Clone Disk.