Best 2 Bootable Cloning Software to Clone Bootable Disk [Free&Paid]

Can You Clone a Bootable Drive?

Absolutely! You can clone a bootable drive, and it's actually more common than you might think. A bootable drive holds the critical elements that allow your operating system to run properly. A bootable disk clone is essentially a 1-to-1 copy of a drive that can launch your OS just like the original.

Whether you're backing up your system or migrating to a new drive, using bootable hard drive cloning software ensures your system remains fully functional without needing to reinstall the OS or software. On this page, we will cover the 2 best bootable cloning software to help you clone bootable drive with ease.

Top 2 Best Bootable Cloning Software

In this section, let's dig into the top two boot drive cloning software for copying system drives or bootable USB disks smoothly.

Option 1. Clonezilla

Clonezilla is a free and open-source disk imaging and cloning tool designed for system deployment, backup, and recovery.

It's a powerful utility preferred by tech-savvy users alike to perform full system backups or transfer entire disk contents from one drive to another like cloning hard drive to SSD. It supports a wide range of file systems like ext2, ext3, ext4, FAT, NTFS, and HFS+, making it compatible with Windows, Linux, and macOS systems.

How to Clone Bootable USB using the best free bootable cloning software Clonezilla

Step 1. Create a Clonezilla bootable media, and connect the drive that you want to clone bootable drive to, to your computer.

Step 2. Boot computer with the Clonezilla bootable USB, choose Clonezilla live, and press Enter.

Step 3. Choose your preferred language and keyboard layout. Select Don't touch keymap and Start Clonezilla and click Enter.

Step 4. Go on to select the device_device option, and choose Beginner mode.

Step 5. Then, select the disk_to_local_disk local_disk_to_local_disk_clone option and hit Enter.

Step 6. Select your computer boot drive as the source disk and another drive as the target disk.

Step 7. Then, choose -sfsck to skip checking/repairing source file system and select -k0 to use the partition table from the source disk, and press Enter.

Step 8. Select the action you want to perform after the disk cloning is complete. Then, confirm the cloning information by typing Y and press Enter to start the cloning process.

Step 9. When the cloning process is finished, power off your computer, and your cloned hard drive is bootable now as well.

As you can see, the process of bootable clone disk with Clonezilla is complex and requires many steps. You need to make sure that you follow each step correctly in order to complete the process, which can be very time-consuming for beginners. If you want to save time and make bootable disk cloning easier, you can seek help from AOMEI Cloner, a Clonezilla alternative for cloning disk with bootable USB. Keep reading and learn more in the next section.

Option 2. AOMEI Cloner

AOMEI Cloner is one of the most user-friendly and feature-rich bootable disk cloning software, which simplifies the cloning process with a clean interface. Equipped with Disk Clone, System Clone, and Partition Clone features, it makes cloning a bootable USB, migrating only your OS to a new drive, or copy critical boot partitions a piece of cake.

How to Clone Bootable Drive with AOMEI Cloner

Step 1. Install and open AOMEI Cloner. Click Clone and then select Disk Clone.

Step 2. Select your system drive or bootable USB drive as the source disk.

Step 3. Then, choose your new SSD/HDD as the destination disk.

Step 4. Confirm your cloning options, and click on Start Clone.

💡Tips:

• If you are cloning to a smaller drive or there are bad sectors on the source disk, it is advised to uncheck Sector by sector clone box as it will copy every sector from the source to the destination drive.
• If you are cloning to an SSD, tick SSD Alignment to improve the speed of reading and writing as well as prolong the service life of SSD.
• You can also use Edit Partitions to make full use of disk capacity.

Why Need to Clone Bootable Disk?

There is no doubt that manually reinstalling everything for system to run is quite time-consuming. Cloning a bootable disk helps in various aspects. For example:

• System migration: Move your OS to a new or faster drive.
• Full backup: Create a bootable backup in case of disk failure.
• Disk upgrade: Migrate to a new SSD without reinstalling Windows.
• Disaster recovery: When your primary system crashes, a bootable clone gets you up and running in minutes.

FAQs about Bootable Disk Cloning

#1. Does cloning a drive make it bootable?

Yes. If you are cloning a bootable drive and done correctly using dedicated bootable cloning software, like AOMEI Cloner. It can help you copy not just data but also boot records, system files, and partition tables necessary for boot functionality.

#2. Can bootable USB be reused?

Absolutely. A bootable USB can be formatted and used like any regular USB. However, formatting will remove its bootable structure and data, so be sure you no longer need it in that form.

#3. Can I use a bootable USB from another computer?

Yes, but compatibility depends on the hardware and OS configuration. Booting a USB with a system clone from a different machine may cause driver conflicts or boot errors unless the systems are similar. For best results, use tools that support universal restore features.

End it up

Cloning a bootable drive using reliable bootable cloning software is a good way to upgrade your hard drive or create a full backup for system failure recovery.

However, Clonezilla is a bit complicated and time-consuming for beginners. If you are looking for software that can clone bootable hard disks quickly and easily, then AOMEI Cloner is the best choice for you. Download and have a try!