Do you want to clone a hard drive in Windows 11? Find out how to clone a hard drive on Windows 11 with or without software by following this guide.

Why should I clone a hard drive in Windows 11?

How do I clone a hard drive in Windows 11? I need to replace my old hard drive with my OS installed. Can I reinstall Windows 11 on my new hard drive or just make a full copy?

Quick Navigation:

  • Method 1. clone disk in Windows 11 without software
  • Method 2. clone disk drive in Windows 11 with Donemax Disk Clone

Do you want to learn how to clone a hard drive in Windows 11? As always, we have the answer. It’s great to have a backup, but it’s not always enough. Backup is not the same as cloning.

Backup is crucial for anybody who uses a computer. But it is occasionally necessary to clone the drive for several reasons such as replacing your old hard drive or upgrade hard drive to SSD for better performace. Windows 11 includes an integrated backup feature to build a hard-disk clone.

Cloning your hard drive with a drive cloning utility like Donemax Disk Clone is a wise decision because it allows you to swap out the existing hard drive in the event of a system failure and restore your system quickly. Cloning your hard drive entails making a digital copy of all your data on a different hard disk.

How to clone a hard disk in Windows 11?

Many users may think cloning hard drive is a hard task and beyond their capabilities. To do so, all you need is the appropriate strategy. For your convenience, we’ll show you how to clone a disk on Windows 11 using two distinct approaches. Just follow the guide to clone hard drive on Windows 11 with or without software.

Method 1. clone disk in Windows 11 without software

The following are the detailed steps for cloning a hard drive by using the control panel with its built-in backup feature on Windows 11.

Step1: Type ‘Control’ into the Run prompt and press Enter to open Control Panel.

Step 2: Click ‘Backup and Restore’.

Step 3: Click ‘Create a System Image’ on the left panel.

Step 4: You are then asked to select destination to save the system image such as external hard disk, DVD, or network location.

Step 5: Click ‘Next’ and it will list the drives to be backed up, and the total storage space to be taken up.

Step 6: Click ‘Start backup’ To initiate system image creation. It will sequentially back up the drives and create a disk image that you can restore.

Step 7: Restore the disk image to the new drive.

It’s worth nothing that Windows’ technique does not create an ISO or a conventional system image, instead, it creates a folder called WindowsImageBackup in which everything is saved. To restore your PC, Windows needs Virtual Hard Disk and other files.

After the process is complete, a system repair disk will be generated. It’s a good idea to make one because it will help you boot your computer if it gets corrupted or you receive a BSOD. The repair disk also includes Windows system recovery tools, which can rescue Windows from a serious issue or re-image your machine using a system image.

Method 2. Clone hard disk drive in Windows 11 with Donemax Disk Clone

If you are not a Windows professor, you can try to use a disk cloning software to help you quickly clone a disk on Windows 11 PC. Here, we recommend you to try Donemax Disk Clone - a powerful and easy-to-use disk cloning software for Windows 11.

Just free download and install Donemax Disk Clone for Windows on your Windows 11 PC. Then you can run it to help you clone hard drive. To clone an entire disk on Windows 11, just follow the steps below:

Windows 11 Disk Cloning - Donemax Disk Clone

  • Clone hard drive partition, entire disk, HDD, SSD, USB flash drive, memory card, external hard drive on Windows 11.
  • Simple steps to clone data from one disk to another.
  • 100% safe and easy to use.

Step 1. Run Donemax Disk Clone on your Windows 11 PC, and then choose Disk Clone.

Step 2. Select the source disk and destination disk. Donemax Disk Clone will clone the source disk to the destination disk. Click Next.

Step 3. You can edit the layout of destination disk, and then click Clone.

Donemax Disk Clone will quickly clone the OS and data from the source disk to the destination disk.

Conclusion

Stop trying to figure out how to clone a hard disk in Windows 11. We’ve provided you with a step-by-step guide to help you stop worrying about this issue. Following our instructions, you may easily clone your SSD or hard disk on Windows 11.

Must-do Tip Before Disk Cloning:

  • please back up data on destination hard drive if they are important for all the data on the destination disk will be wiped after cloning.

#1 How to clone a hard disk to a new drive on Wndows 11?

  • Install the new drive to your Windows 11 PC
  • Download and install Donemax Disk Clone on your computer
  • Launch the software and select Disk clone
  • Select the disk as source and the new drive as destination
  • Click “Next” to apply cloning
  • And then the disk will be cloned to the new one.

#2 What is the best disk cloning software for Windows 11?

#3 Does cloning a hard drive copy the OS and make it bootable?

#4 Do I need to activate Windows 11 after cloning?

The cloning capability of Donemax Disk Clone is a lifesaver. There is also a free trial available. You never need to worry about the unexpected failure of your hard disk. Users always have a good time with Donemax Disk Clone. With this tool, cloning disk on Windows 11 isn’t complicated.