Making an external hard drive or a solid-state drive is referred to as hard drive cloning software. The contents are stored as a disc image file and may be transferred to storage media like a DVD, hard drive, or USB drive. If your original hard drive cloning software fails, you can immediately replace it with the clone. This saves you the trouble of having to reinstall your software system. The following is a curated list of the top 10 best hard drive cloning software tools, including their popular features and website connections. The list comprises both open-source (free) and commercial (paid) software.
10 Best Free Hard Drive Cloning Software For 2023
A one-to-one Hard Drive Cloning, completely bootable and identical to the original, is created by cloning it. You’ll want to clone your disc if you’re backing up vital data, relocating to a shiny new computer, or upgrading to a solid-state drive (SSD). Learn how to Hard Drive Cloning Software for Windows 10 computers and Macs with our step-by-step tutorial.
A cloned hard drive is an identical replica of the original, including the operating system and all the files it needs to start up and run. Just note that cloning a disc and backing up your files are different:
- Backups copy only your files. When you back up to an external hard drive or to the cloud, you’re making replicas of your information, but that backup cannot operate as an independent disc on its own.
- Mac users may conduct backups with Time Machine, while Windows users also have their own built-in backup applications.
- Cloning duplicates everything.
- A cloned drive is a carbon copy of the original in every way. If you insert a cloned disc into a computer, you’ll be able to start it up and use it normally.
1. Paragon Drive Copy
Paragon Drive Copy Professional allows you to migrate a disc to a bigger drive. It also helps you manage hard drive partitions properly.
Features:
- Users may keep their discs appropriately organised.
- This utility enables users to clone their OS to a USB flash drive and use it.
- Copy or recover files to a hard drive with varied sector sizes.
- It allows the user to conduct partitioning operations to keep drives appropriately organised.
- This utility features a built-in wizard that recovers many types of photographs.
2. Acronis
Acronis duplicates a computer’s operating system, software, patches, and storage. It allows you to copy the configurations of several PCs so that each system is similarly set up.
Features:
- It delivers a comprehensive picture of your PC at a single moment in time.
- This software determines when, what, and where to backup your vital data.
- Acronis safeguards your important documents by employing rigorous security measures.
- It gives you the easiest approach to backing up your data and cloning drives.
3. O&O Diskimage
O&O Diskimage DiskImage allows you to recover the system and to duplicate or clone a hard drive or PC. It supports Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7.
Features:
- It is straightforward to restore files, folders, drives, and discs.
- This software helps you increase the system’s driver integration.
- It has expanded functions for control using command lines.
- You can easily construct virtual hard drives.
- This program enables monitoring and alerting of security threats.
- You can alter the specified DPI setting of a connected monitor by
4. AOMEI Backupper
The AOMEI Backupper programme enables you to move your operating system to another disc without having to install it again. This software enables you to upgrade your hard drive from an old disc to a new one.
Features:
- You can clone one disc to another without disrupting the operating system.
- Statistics should be cloned sector by sector.
- It supports GPT (GUID Partition Table) and MBR (Master Boot Record) partition styles.
- Clone HDD (Hard Disk Drive) to HDD, HDD to SSD (Solid-State Drive), or SSD to SSD for disc upgrades and data relocation.
- Services are accessible for Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows, etc.
- It allows you to access your crucial files on your tablet, mobile phone, or laptop using your cloud network account.
5. EaseUS Clone
The EaseUS Clone software package allows you to clone a smaller hard disc drive to a bigger hard disc drive. You may also use it to clone a hard drive to an SSD to boost speed.
Features:
- It allows you to clone an MBR (Master Boot Record) disc to a GPT (GUID Partition Table) disc, or a GPT disc to an MBR disc, from your small-sized disc to a big-sized disc.
- To avoid data loss, clone a single partition or a group of partitions rather than the entire drive.
- This software programme enables you to restore erased data or backup your system.
- You can restore files, the system, partition, or drive.
6. Active@ Disk Image
Active@ Disk Image is a useful hard disc image software that enables you to make and produce a comparable copy of an SSD, USB, HDD, Blu-ray, etc. and put it into a folder. It is one of the top disc cloning software for Windows 10 that can be used for PC upgrades, cloning HDD to SSD, disc duplication, or backups.
Features:
- This hard disc cloning software supports Windows XP, 7, 8, 10, Vista, Server 2003, and 2012.
- You may clone the disc and mount any image as a virtual drive.
- This utility provides picture compression.
- A copy of a disc partition or hard drive comprises only occupied sectors.
- It provides the ability to image and repair fixed hard discs, solid-state drives, and detachable discs.
- After you’ve created the image, you’ll be able to check it.
Link to download: https://www.disk-image.com/index.html
7. Clonezilla
Clonezilla is a disc imaging or cloning application. The greatest disc Hard Drive Cloning Software for GNU/Linux, Intel-based MacOS, MS Windows, and FreeBSD can be found in this programme.
Features:
- Several copies of your hard drive can be restored from a single picture by cloning it.
- This free hard drive cloning software allows you to recover numerous local devices.
- Multicasting is supported by this programme.
- It provides AES-256 encryption for secure data access, storage, and transmission.
- This disc imaging software supports BMR and GPT partition formats on a hard drive.
- You can clone a disc and personalise your imaging and cloning.
Link to download: https://clonezilla.org/
8. Macrium Reflect 7
Macrium Reflect 7 provides a backup, disc imaging, and cloning solution for business as well as home usage. This free disc cloning software allows immediate disc cloning and is a safe solution to save your business and personal data. You may backup data to local, USB, and networked storage.
Features:
- It expands the disc space of your PC through quick delta cloning.
- Create pictures of a live/running Windows OS.
- Backups of virtual machines running under Microsoft Hyper-V can have their backups improved.
- This disc imaging software encrypts your backups.
- Schedule your backup using flexible templates.
- For quick data recovery, use this HDD to SSD cloning software, which allows quick data copying and restoration.
Download link: https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree
9. R-Drive Image
R-Drive is a software that allows disc image files to be generated for duplication and backup procedures. It includes an exact replica of a hard drive, a logical disc, and a partition.
Features:
- You may clone a hard disc and save drive image files on removable media such as Iomega Zip, Jazz discs, CD-R (W)/DVD, etc.
- It generates photographs without restarting your Windows system.
- The utility can recover photos onto their new drives, original discs, hard drives’ empty space, or partitions.
- Clone a disc by copying data from the source disc to the destination one.
- It can attach its picture files as read-only virtual discs.
- This HDD to SSD cloning software features a multi-language user interface.
Download link: https://www.drive-image.com/
10. Driveimage XML
Driveimage XML is another useful software for imaging and backing up partitions and logical discs. It enables you to save photographs in XML files and manipulate them with 3rd party software.
Features:
- You may copy directly from one hard disc to another one.
- This utility helps you clone hard discs, explore photographs, and extract data.
- You may launch DriveImage from either a WinPE boot CD-ROM or a live CD.
- This disc imaging software supports scheduling automatic backups.
- It lets you restore pictures to the same or another disc.
Download link: https://www.runtime.org/driveimage-xml.htm
FAQ
What is Hard Drive Cloning?
Hard drive cloning is the procedure of producing a 1 to 1 replica of the content of a hard disc or solid-state drive for backup purposes.
Which Is the Best Hard Drive Cloning Software?
The following are a few of the best options for cloning a hard disc:
- Acronis
- Paragon Drive Copy
- O&O Diskimage
- EaseUS Clone
- AOMEI Backupper
- Active@ Disk Image
- Macrium Reflect 7
- Clonezilla
How long does hard drive cloning take?
Cloning speed is a function of two factors.
- The amount of data that will be transferred (SSD or Hard Drive)
- Data transmission speed
Do note that a hard disc manufacturer like Western Digital may advertise a transfer rate of 200 MBps, but in the real world, you may accomplish just half of that speed.