How to Clone External Hard Drive to Another External/Internal Drive

User Case: How Do You Clone a Healthy External Hard Drive onto Another One?

Cloning external hard drive to another external hard drive or internal drive can be a piece of cake to switching the existing hard drive or upgrading to a larger disk. Follow this guide to copy external drive to another with simple clicks right now!

Prerequisites for External Hard Drive Cloning

Let's get started with the prerequisites for cloning external hard drive to make the process smooth and keep all data safe.

• Two drives: Your source external hard drive (the one to be cloned) and your target drive (can be internal or another external one).
• A computer with enough ports: You'll need enough USB or SATA ports to connect both drives at the same time.
• Check the storage capacity: Make sure the target drive has equal or greater capacity than the source.
• Reliable cloning software: Professional and trustworthy disk cloning software can help to make this task easier.
• Back up important files: Back up important files, especially on the target drive, as the cloning process will overwrite all data on it.

Best Hard Drive Cloning Software Free Download for Windows 11/10/8/7

When it comes to disk cloning, AOMEI Cloner is a very popular choice due to its rich features and ease of use. It is designed for all levels of users and supports a wide range of cloning scenarios: system disks, external drives, USB drives, SD cards, SSDs, and more.

What makes AOMEI Cloner the tool of choice for many users? Here is why:

• System Clone & Disk Clone & Partition Clone: Flexibily clone only the Windows OS, the entire drive, or just a specific partition per your need.

• Intelligent Clone: Automatically skips unused space for faster cloning and saving space, and allows to clone hard drive with bad sectors.

• Hot Clone: Clone a disk while using your computer - no need to shut down or reboot.

• SSD Alignment: Optimizes the performance of the SSD if you're cloning external hard drive to SSD.

It works seamlessly across Windows 11, 10, 8.1, 8, 7, XP, Vista, and Windows Server 2025, 2022, 2019, etc.

How to Clone External Hard Drive to Another External/Internal Drive

Follow these step-by-step instructions to clone an external hard drive with a breeze with AOMEI Cloner. You can also use this software to clone Windows to external hard drive or clone HDD to SSD hassle-free.

Step 1. Plug in the source external hard drive and the destination drive (can be internal or external).

Step 2. Launch AOMEI Cloner on your Windows computer, go to the Clone tab, and select Disk Clone.

Step 3. Choose the source drive - the external hard drive with the data you want to clone.

Step 4. Select the destination drive - another external or internal drive.

Step 5. Enable SSD Alignment if your destination is a solid-state drive. Click Start Clone to clone external hard drive to internal or external hard drive easily.

The Edit Partitions option allows you to convert the partition disk type from MBR to GPT or vice versa; and resize partitions on the destination drive with the Add unused space to all partitions or Manually adjust partition size option.

✍Note:

This Disk Clone function in the trial version can only be demonstrated. Please upgrade to the full version of AOMEI Cloner to clone external hard drive to another one.

Why Need to Clone an External Hard Drive?

There are loads of situations where cloning an external hard drive makes perfect sense:

• Drive Upgrade: When you're moving to a larger or faster drive, cloning helps you transfer everything without reinstalling software or reconfiguring settings.
• Backup Strategy: Cloning creates a bootable backup. If your main drive fails, the clone can keep you running with minimal downtime.
• Data Migration: Easily move files, applications, or systems from one machine to another without missing a beat.
• Disk Security: Have an exact replica of your critical files in case of corruption, malware, or accidental deletion.
• System Recovery: A cloned drive can serve as an instant recovery disk if your original one becomes unusable.

FAQs about Hard Drive Cloning

#1. Is it better to clone or backup a hard drive?

That depends on your needs. Cloning creates an exact copy of your drive, including OS, apps, and settings- ideal for upgrades or emergency recovery. Backup, on the other hand, usually involves copying selected files or partitions for long-term storage and retrieval. If you want a bootable replica ready to run, cloning is the better option.

#2. Can you clone to an external hard drive?

Yes. You can easily clone internal or other external drives to an external hard drive using tools like AOMEI Cloner. This is especially useful if you want to create a portable version of your system or a comprehensive data backup.

#3. What is the best software to clone a hard drive?

AOMEI Cloner is one of the top-rated disk cloning tools for Windows users. It's simple to use for basic users, easy to navigate, and supports advanced features like SSD alignment and sector-by-sector cloning.

Summary

Cloning an external hard drive doesn't have to be complicated. With a reliable tool like AOMEI Cloner and the right preparation, you can clone external hard drive to another external or internal drive in just a few clicks. Whether you're backing up data, upgrading your storage, or preparing for disaster recovery, cloning gives you a comprehensive and bootable solution.

You don't need advanced tech skills to get started - just the right guidance and tools. Once you've experienced the convenience of cloning, you'll wonder how you ever managed without it.