How to Clone UEFI Disk to SSD and Boot Successfully

Why clone UEFI disk to SSD?

Cloning a UEFI disk to an SSD means creating an exact copy of the data, system files, and partitions from a UEFI-enabled disk (usually GPT) onto a solid-state drive (SSD). It offers several key benefits:

• Improved Performance: SSDs are significantly faster than traditional HDDs, leading to quicker boot times, faster file access, and better overall system responsiveness.
• Better Reliability: SSDs have no moving parts, making them less prone to physical damage and more reliable over time compared to mechanical hard drives.
• Easier Upgrades: Cloning allows you to transfer your entire operating system, applications, and data from your old UEFI GPT disk to a new SSD without needing to reinstall everything.

Best UEFI disk clone software for Windows 11/10/8/7

Some SSD manufacturers offer disk cloning software to help users upgrade HDD to SSD, such as Samsung Data Migration, Intel Data Migration Software and Seagate DiscWizard. 

However, those hard drive cloning utilities are not compatible with all brands of hard disks, and even not work for every model within specified brands. Besides, they have limited cloning features, such as not support partition clone, dynamic disk clone, etc.

Looking for a more reliable UEFI disk clone software? AOMEI Backupper Professional offers you more powerful cloning functions.

★ It provides multiple clone modes, including System Clone, Disk Clone and Partition Clone. You can choose the right mode based on your needs. ★ It aligns SSD partitions during cloning, helping to improve the reading and writing speed of the destination SSD. ★ It is capable of hot clone, which means you can continue using your computer during the cloning process. ★ It supports all branded HDDs/SSDs, including Samsung, Crucial, PNY, WD, etc.

Now download AOMEI Backupper and have a try.

How to clone GPT HDD to SSD with secure boot

Here’s how to clone UEFI disk in Windows 11/10/8/7. Take cloning to a smaller SSD as an example.

💡 What to do before cloning 1️⃣Connect the target SSD to your computer and ensure it’s detected. 2️⃣The cloning process will overwrite everything on the target drive, so if there's any important data on it, go to Backup tab and make a backup first.

Now check the detailed steps below.

1. Execute the best UEFI disk cloning software after installing. Then choose Clone -> Disk Clone in turn on the main window.

2. Pitch on the UEFI (GPT) disk as the source disk, and click Next.

3. Choose the smaller SSD as the destination disk, and press Next.

Tip: Make sure the smaller SSD can hold all the data from the UEFI/GPT disk, or it will fail to clone due to insufficient space.

4. Preview the operation to cloning UEFI (GPT) disk to SSD, check SSD Alignment option, and then press Start Clone.

Note: If the UEFI disk contains more than 3 primary partitions and you are cloning it to an MBR disk, the program will copy the first 3 partitions by default. To make the cloned data intact, you can click Edit Partitions > Convert the destination disk from MBR to GPT to change the partition style of the target SSD.

Boot from the cloned SSD

After performing UEFI disk clone to SSD in Windows 11/10/8/7, you could shut down the computer, replace the original UEFI/GPT hard disk with the smaller SSD. Your computer should automatically boot from the new SSD.

If not, enter BIOS via F2, F10, F12, DEL or ESC key (depending on your manufacturer) while booting. Then manually set the smaller SSD as the first boot device.

Bonus: UEFI boot vs. BIOS boot

Here is a quick overview of UEFI boot vs. BIOS boot.

	UEFI	BIOS
Partition Scheme	Uses the GPT (GUID Partition Table) scheme, which supports larger drives (over 2TB) and more partitions (up to 128).	Uses the MBR partitioning scheme, which is limited to 2TB disks and only supports four primary partitions.
Speed and Efficiency	Faster boot times and more efficient system management. It can initialize hardware in parallel and supports modern technologies like Secure Boot and faster system resume.	Slower boot times as it initializes hardware sequentially and lacks advanced features like Secure Boot.
Compatibility	Required for newer operating systems (like Windows 10 and 11) and modern hardware.	Compatible with older hardware and operating systems, but less commonly used in modern systems.

Summary

Cloning a UEFI disk to an SSD is an effective way to enhance your system's performance, improve reliability, and ensure a smooth upgrade without the hassle of reinstalling your operating system and applications. By using AOMEI Backupper, you can easily transfer your entire system, including boot partitions, to a faster and more efficient SSD.

For users who run Windows Server systems and want to clone hard drive in Windows Server 2019/2022/2025, etc., AOMEI Backupper Server is at hand. Go for AOMEI Backupper now!

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