If you have a device running Windows 11, you can use Clonezilla to transfer the installation with the settings, apps, and files to a new (faster) SSD or HDD that is equal to or larger than the original drive without reinstallation. Or another scenario where Clonezilla can come in handy is to clone a drive as a backup before making system changes. In this guide, you will learn the steps to use Clonezilla to clone an installation of Windows 11 to another drive.
Clone Windows 11 to SSD or HDD with Clonezilla
The cloning process is straightforward, but you still need some preparation. For example, you will need to connect the new drive to the computer, create a Clonezilla bootable USB media, complete the cloning process, and reconfigure the hard drive to ensure you are using the entire available space.
Connect clone drive
Connecting a traditional HDD, SSD, and NVMe M.2 drives will vary per manufacturer and computer model. You must check your computer manufacturer support website for more specific details to complete this task. You shouldn’t use an external USB drive because it can’t be set as a boot device. However, you can use an external drive to create a backup.
Create Clonezilla bootable media
The most straightforward approach to creating a USB bootable media is to use the Clonezilla ISO file with Rufus, a third-party tool designed to create bootable USB flash drives for Windows 11 and other platforms. You could download the Clonezilla zip file, but if you make a mistake using the instructions, it can break your current installation. To download and create a Clonezilla bootable USB flash drive, use these steps:
Download Clonezilla ISO file
To download the Clonezilla ISO file, use these steps: After you complete the steps, you can proceed to use Rufus to create a USB bootable media.
Create Clonezilla bootable USB with Rufus
To create a bootable media for cloning, connect a USB flash drive with at least 4GB of storage, and use these steps:
Create Clonezilla bootable USB with Tuxboot
You can also create a Clonezilla USB with the Tuxboot app with these steps:
Once you complete the steps, you need to make sure that the device can boot from USB before you start your device with the tool.
Usually, you will need to access the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) by hitting one of the function keys (F1, F2, F3, F10, or F12), the ESC, or the Delete key during boot. Once inside the firmware, find the “Boot” section, ensure the boot order is set to the Windows 11 drive, and save the configuration. The firmware can be different depending on the manufacturer and computer model. As such, make sure to check your manufacturer support website for more specific instructions.
Clone Windows 11 to new drive using Clonezilla
To use Clonezilla to clone Windows 11 to a new SSD or HDD, use these steps: Once you complete the steps, Clonezilla will clone the data from the source (Windows 11 drive) to the destination drive.
After the process, either replace the old with the new drive on the computer or remove it to store it as a backup.
Reconfiguring cloned drive
If the drive you cloned has more capacity than the original drive, use the “Disk Management” app to expand the volume to make the additional space usable. Once you complete the steps, the main Windows 11 volume on the drive will expand using the unallocated space.
Move recovery partition
If you can’t expand the main partition because the recovery partition is on the way, you will need to use a third-party tool like GParted to move the partition to the end of the drive. After you complete the steps, you can use the previous steps to expand the installation partition with available space on the drive.
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