How to Transfer Windows to a New Hard Drive?

Theo Lucia

Jun 03, 2026 • Filed to: Take Data Backup • Proven solutions

TL;DR:

You can transfer your Windows operating system to a new HDD or SSD by either directly cloning the partition using third-party software like AOMEI Backupper or by manually creating and restoring a system image using native Windows tools.
    ● The native Windows method requires a complex sequence involving saving a system image to an external source, altering BIOS boot settings to run Windows installation media, and restoring the OS data via Advanced Startup.
    ● AOMEI Backupper simplifies the migration by bypassing installation media and using a direct Disk Clone module, which includes an SSD Alignment tool and an Intelligent Clone feature to optimize transfer time and target disk space.
    ● Regardless of the chosen method, you must prepare the correct SATA connection cables for the new drive and create a prior system backup to prevent user file loss during the transition.

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A friend of mine recently asked me this as he wanted to migrate from an HDD to an SDD on his Windows system. Just like him, a lot of other PC users also encounter the same issue and would like to move the Windows system from one drive to another. Honestly, anyone can transfer Windows to another drive using its inbuilt or third-party tools. To make your job easier, I will let you know how to move Windows to another drive in two different ways.

Part 1: Before Transferring your Windows System

Before you learn how to move Windows 10 to another drive, kindly ensure the following things:

Tip 1: Prepare all the hardware units

At first, I would recommend checking the SATA or any other cable that you would be using while changing the disk. Also, make sure that you have a working SDD or HDD with its authentic cable that you can use for Windows migration.

Tip 2: Use a Professional Migration Tool

Ideally, you can learn how to transfer Windows 10 to a new hard drive using its inbuilt option or a professional tool. To make your job easier, you can use a resourceful tool like AOMEI Backupper.

• The application has dedicated options to clone the entire disk or maintain a backup of your Windows drive.
• With its Disk Clone option, you can migrate the Windows drive to any connected external drive.
• You can clone the entire sector or perform a sector-by-sector clone of the selected disk.
• It has an inbuilt Intelligent Clone feature that can save your time and space while migrating Windows.
• AOMEI Backupper fully supports all the major hard disk types, brands, and formats. The application is extremely easy to use and won’t need technical hassle to operate.

Tip 3: Take a Prior Backup of your System

Learning how to transfer Windows to an SSD drive can always be a tedious situation. Chances are that you might end up losing some of your system or user files in the process. To avoid that, I would recommend using AOMEI Backupper that can maintain a system or disk backup on any preferred location.

Part 2: How to Move Windows to Another Drive (HDD or SSD)?

Ideally, you can learn how to transfer Windows 10 to a new hard disk using the inbuilt utility of Windows or by using any reliable third-party application.

Solution 1: How to Transfer Windows to a New Hard Drive Using the Inbuilt Features?

If you also want to learn how to move Windows to another drive, then you first need to create a system image. Later, you can use a Windows installation media so that you can install the same copy of Windows to your PC in the following way:

Step 1: Prepare a Windows System Image

To prepare the image of your system, you can just go to its Settings > Update & Security > Backup and visit the old Backup and Restore option.

As a dedicated window for Backup and Restore would be opened, you can go to the sidebar and click on the “Create a System Image” button.

This will launch a dedicated wizard where you can first select the connected drive where you want to save the system image.

Lastly, you can select the Windows drive so that you can easily maintain the system image of your PC on the connected SSD/HDD.

Step 2: Create a Windows Installation Media

If you already have Windows installation media ready, then you can skip this step. Otherwise, you can just connect any another source and launch the Windows installer media to commence its setup.

All you need to do is follow a basic click-through wizard, letting you create a Windows installer media and select if you wish to keep your existing files or not.

Step 3: Change the BIOS Settings on your system

Great! Now when you have all the resources, you can just restart your computer and enter its BIOS settings by pressing the relevant key (F2, F10, ESC, DEL, or any other key). As the BIOS Settings would be launched, you can go to the Boot tab and change the booting sequence accordingly.

Step 4: Reinstall Windows and Restore the System Image

In case there is an issue with the Windows system, then you can first run the installer from the connected source. This will open a dedicated Windows setup wizard that you can go through to install a fresh copy of the OS on the computer.

Once Windows is up and running on the system, you can restore the data from the system image. To do that, you can just go to its Settings > Recovery and perform an Advanced Startup. When your computer would restart via the Advanced Startup, go to its Settings > Troubleshoot > System Image Recovery.

This will open a dedicated wizard that you can follow to restore the system image to your computer.

Solution 2: How to Transfer Windows to a New Hard Drive with AOMEI Backupper?

If you are running short on time, then you can also take the assistance of AOMEI Backupper to learn how to move Windows to another drive. It is a user-friendly application that can clone your Windows drive to any other connected source. In this way, you don’t have to go through the hassle of maintaining a system image or restore points to meet your requirements.

To learn how to move Windows 10 to another drive with the help of AOMEI Backupper, just follow this basic drill:

Step 1: Choose the Disk Clone Module

At first, just connect your disk to the computer and launch the AOMEI Backupper application. From the list of the provided options, go to the “Clone” feature from the sidebar and click on the “Disk Clone” button.

Step 2: Select the Source and Destination Disks

Now, to start the process, you first need to select the source disk you wish to clone, which would be the Windows partition in this case.

As you would proceed, the wizard would ask you to select a destination disk as well. Here, you can select any connected SSD/HDD drive where you want to move the Windows data.

Step 3: Start the Windows Migration Process

After selecting the Source and the Destination disks, the application would provide their preview. You can further go to the “SSD Alignment” option from the bottom to make the needed changes. In the end, just click on the “Start Clone” button, and simply wait as the application would migrate the Windows drive.

Since it might take a while to successfully migrate the entire disk, it is recommended not to close the application in between or remove the connected drive.

Part 3: People Also Ask

• How can I transfer Windows 10 to a USB Flash Drive?

There are a few ways to transfer Windows 10 to a USB flash drive. You can either create an ISO file that you can transfer to the drive or maintain a system image on it. To make things easier, you can use a tool like AOMEI Backupper and follow the above-listed steps to back up the Windows drive.

• How to move the installed programs to another drive in Windows 7?

If you already have their installer, then you can just uninstall the programs first, and install them again on the new drive. Besides, that, you can also use dedicated third-party tools to migrate all the installed programs.

• Can my applications be installed on any other drive than C?

Yes, while installing any program, you can select a destination where it would be saved. It can be D, E, or any other drive instead of C. In most cases, C is just the default drive since it is the partition where Windows is installed.

There you go! By now, you can easily learn how to transfer Windows 10 to a new hard drive via two different methods. To make things simpler, I have even discussed other things like can you move Windows to another drive or the vital points to consider in advance. Since the inbuilt OS migration option in Windows can be extremely complicated, you can consider a dedicated tool like AOMEI Backupper that would let you clone and backup/restore the entire disk seamlessly.