How to Clone SD Card in Windows

Amy Dennis

Dec 25, 2024 • Filed to: Take Data Backup • Proven solutions

Cloning SD cards is not the same as transferring files by copying and pasting. Currently, most electronic devices such as smartphones, e-book readers, tablets, or digital cameras use these cards due to the large storage capacities they can achieve without sacrificing portability. On these cards, the devices not only store files but also store applications and their settings, for this reason, cloning an SD is the best option if you are looking to save time and maintain the applications and settings of your devices.

Part 1: Methods to Clone SD Card

Although it is common to copy and paste files from a removable media such as SD Cards, sometimes there are so many files that the procedure can be very tedious and time-consuming, in addition to making the mistake of not passing any document, photo, or video.

Currently, one of the most common uses for SD cards is to store the information of smartphones, digital cameras, e-book readers, tablets, or any other electronic device that requires a large storage capacity without taking up much physical space inside of the device. Often, devices not only store files that you can view, but they also store settings and preferences data that you have configured from electronic devices. These files are usually hidden or encrypted to protect the integrity of the information and for this reason, it is not feasible to just copy the content of your SD to another storage device, since in this way, you would have the information but not the configurations or encryption keys that are required to use such information from another device.

Cloning your SD Card will allow you to copy all your files to a disk without any modification, making it a safe and very useful process, which can be done using specialized software. Later I will talk about this process and I will show you how to do it with great ease.

Part 2: Why Clone SD Card?

Backing up the information you work with is always a wise decision. It is important to consider that adversities can emerge and make you lose your information, either due to physical damage or even, due to the small size of SD cards, making them easy to lose and misplace.

As mentioned above, the cloning process of your SD Card will respect the entire organization of your documents and files, this means that an exact copy of the content will be made, and the file name or type will not be modified, and the folders will be kept intact. This represents a great advantage over the manual process of copying and pasting information since this process will ensure that every one of your files will be copied and you will not run the risk of missing any.

The cloning process of an SD Card may not be as popular because it is perhaps faster to just copy and paste the information, but it is not uncommon for users to forget to transfer a file to their disk in this process and this can have a very negative impact if this file contains important information. This is a very determining reason to encourage you to clone your SD Card.

In addition to the aforementioned, there are other important reasons why this process is recommended. Below I will show you three of them:

1. Update storage device: Sometimes users want to update their storage devices for various reasons, either because they want to have a device with a higher capacity or one that has a higher write and read speed. There may exist devices such as digital cameras that use standard size SD Cards and the next version now requires a micro or mini SD. It is important to reiterate that when an SD stores applications or systems with custom configurations, the best backup option is through device cloning since in this way the backup copy preserves all the configurations of the original device. Saving you a lot of time and effort.
2. Back up files: Making backups is one of the mandatory tasks that any user who handles important information must do. People who work with SD Cards generally have important content from devices such as cell phones or cameras, so cloning represents having your information backed up. You should remember that SD Cards, like any removable media, may run the risk of stopping working and, also, they are very easy to misplace due to their small size, so having all the files, photos, and videos stored on the computer represents much tranquility for the user and will prevent his information from being at risk and in total dependence on his card.
3. To keep important data safe: Most of today's portable devices that have removable media inputs work with micro SD Cards or Mini SD Cards, which are less than an inch long and are relatively easy to misplace. As cloning your removable media is also a backup, your information will be safe on your computer and you will not depend exclusively on your SD Card working perfectly. Also, with the cloning process, you will ensure that one hundred percent of your information will be copied to your computer and not a single file will be lost or deleted, which is an advantage for any user, mainly for those who handle large amounts of data and files, so making a "copy-paste" can be somewhat risky.

Hint: SD cards are non-volatile memory flash drives. This means that they do not need the energy to keep the information stored, however, technically, the information is energy interpreted in binary language, and this information is stored in tiny cells within the SD. Thanks to flash technology, it is possible to achieve high read speeds, however, SD cards, in the same way as any other flash memory, have a limited lifetime, which is defined by the amount of information that can be store in the cells of the device before they completely lose the ability to retain such information. Therefore, its life cycle will be reduced as more information stores in them. This can be a serious limitation, mainly for those who use these memories to store their videos and photos of very high-quality cameras because of the great size of the files, therefore, if your SD Card storages file with high amounts of Gigabytes, you will have to take into account that its useful life will decrease substantially.

So, I must reiterate the importance of cloning your SD Card. Sometimes we rely too heavily on technology, which has gotten more sophisticated over time, and devices tend to develop better to increase their usefulness, but you never know when devices may stop working, and, avoid depending on it, performing this procedure is very worthwhile.

Part 3: How to Clone SD Card in Windows?

To clone your SD Card in Windows, you need a specialized program to do it and the best one to perform this task is Wondershare UBackit. This software was designed to perform all kinds of backup processes with great ease and includes a feature that will assist you to step by step to clone a drive or partition with total security.

To do the cloning process, you don't have to do any complex tasks. Below I will show you how to do it:

Step 1: Go to "Disk Clone"

Once you have opened the program, you should go to the "Clone" section located on the left panel. Then click Start to continue.

Step 2: Select the "Source Disk"

Here you need to select your SD as the source clone disk and then, click on "Next"

Step 3: Choose the Destination Disk

Once you've selected the "Source Disk", you need to select one "Destination Disk".

Step 4: Confirm the process

After that, there will be a popup message saying that all the data stored on the destination disk will be erased. If you're okay with that, just click Continue. And click Clone to get the process started.

Step 5: Complete Disk Clone

Now you just need to wait a few seconds or minutes to let the process complete.

Conclusion

SD cards are without a doubt, one of the best options available for storing large amounts of information on a portable device. Also, SD cards have excellent performance in writing and reading tasks. For this reason, they are the most commonly used devices in portable electronic devices. However, backing up information from these devices is not something to be taken lightly. Fortunately, Wondershare UBackit can perform this process without complications. It will be enough with a few clicks and you will have successfully cloned your SD.