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🔖 Summary: How to clone hard drive partition? Just download the best disk cloning software - DoYourClone to help you easily and securely clone hard drive partition on Windows/Mac OS and clone it to external hard drive, USB flash drive, etc.

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"Hi, I want to clone a 800GB hard drive partition to my WD external hard drive, how to do it?" - Mark

How to clone hard drive partition? Well, partition is a file system or parts of data storage media on the hard drive or it could be the process of dividing the free space on the hard drive to provide a file system on the free space on the hard drive, then the free space on the hard drive that has been given the file system while the hard drive is partitioned into two in the hope that the existing bad sectors will be separated into one unused partition.

clone hard drive partition

The term hard drive partition is often closely related to computers. This hard drive itself is a piece of hardware that functions as a storage medium on a computer. In order for more effective hard drive management, the term partition is needed in computer operation.

This write-up will introduce the professional disk cloning software to clone hard drive partition or entire hard disk. To ensure a smooth hard drive partition clone, paying attentions to the useful tips and following the guide and do the job step by step.

Easy method to clone hard drive partition

Hard drive partitioning is a method or way to share a hard drive on a computer that aims for more effective data management. This includes data that functions as a computer operation as well as ordinary data such as document files, photos, videos and so on. Then, can you copy data quickly from one partition to another on the same hard drive? You can. Here is how to clone a hard drive partition using the DoYourClone software.

DoYourClone

  • Clone hard drive partition to copy all data securely.
  • Create bootable copy for Windows and macOS.
  • Easy-to-use and 100% safe to clone hard drive data.

Download and install DoYourClone on your computer, then choose Partition Clone mode to clone one partition to another hard drive partition or USB flash drive, portable hard drive, etc.

Step 1. Select the source partition and the destination partition. It will clone the source partition to the destination partition. After confirming the right source and destination drives are selected, click Next button to continue.

clone hard drive partition

Step 2. Edit the disk layout, then click on Clone button to start to clone the source partition to the destination partition. Please note that the original data on the destination partition will be erased.

If the destination disk is an SSD, tick "Check this option if the destination is SSD" to ensure the cloned partition has the best performance.

clone hard drive partition

Step 3. It will take a while depending the size of data on the source partition. Once the cloning process gets finished, you can check the cloned data on the destination partition/external device.

clone hard drive partition

By using the drive partition copy feature on DoYourClone, you can easily copy data between partitions on the hard drive. This method is easier and faster than you have to use the regular copy feature of Windows or Mac OS. Then, for additional information, can you clone on a different hard drive? You can. DoYourClone also can help you quickly clone an entire hard disk.

Now you know how to clone hard drive partition using DoYourClone software. As you can see above, there isn’t so many steps to do. You only need to do a few clicks and wait for the process to be done. How easier can that be? Download DoYourClone here:

create bootable clone

How to clone Windows system drive?

Clone the Windows system drive and create a bootable copy of Windows.

Tips for successful hard drive partition clone

To ensure the hard drive partition cloning is smooth and successful, it's ensure to be careful and pay attention to the following tips:

1. Choose the right software for hard drive partition clone.

Use reliable cloning tools like DoYourClone. Ensure the software supports the file system of your partition (e.g., NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, APFS, HFS+).

2. Check source and destination partitions

Source Drive: Ensure the partition you're cloning is error-free. Run a disk check (chkdsk on Windows or first aid on Mac) to fix any issues.

Destination Drive: Make sure the destination drive has enough space to accommodate the cloned partition. It should ideally be equal to or larger than the source partition. Note that the cloning process will overwrite the destination partition. If there are files on the destination partition, back up the data first to avoid data loss.

3. Understand partition types

If cloning a system partition, ensure the destination drive is bootable. You may need to clone the entire disk (including the boot sector) instead of just the partition.

For non-system partitions, cloning just the partition is usually sufficient.

4. Choose the correct cloning mode

Sector-by-Sector Clone: Copies every sector, including empty space. Useful for creating an exact duplicate but takes longer.

Normal Partition Clone: Copies only used data, making the process faster and more efficient.

5. Disconnect unnecessary external drives

Disconnect additional external drives to avoid accidentally selecting the wrong drive during the cloning process.

6. Verify the clone

After cloning, verify the data on the destination drive to ensure all files and folders were copied correctly.

If cloning a system partition, test if the destination drive is bootable after cloning.

Conclusion:

Cloning hard drive partition to back up all the data or migrate the data to a new drive for data security. If you want to clone system drive and make sure it's bootable, it's better to choose clone the entire disk.

Check the source and destination partitions or disks before cloning. Use the trusted disk cloning software, such as DoYourClone, to ensure the clone will process smoothly. The software can help you clone any drives and also it's able to create bootable clone for system disk on Windows and Mac.

FAQs about cloning hard drive partition

1. When do you need to clone hard drive partition.

You would need to clone a hard drive partition in the following situations:

  • Clone hard drive partition to back up all data to another drive.
  • Move all data from a hard drive partition to another one.
  • Cloning a failed partition for data recovery without further damage to the failed partition.

2. Is there system built-in clone tool in Windows?

No. Windows operating system doesn't provide the built-in disk cloning tool. If you want to clone partition or disk, it's necessary to use third-party software.

3. Popular disk copy software for windows and Mac.

  • DoYourClone (Windows & Mac)
  • AweClone (Windows & Mac)
  • Donemax Disk Clone (Windows & Mac)
  • Disk Utility (Mac)

4. How to clone hard drive partition with DoYourClone?

To clone hard drive partition with DoYourClone, following the steps:

  • Download and install DoYourClone on your computer.
  • Connect both source and destination disks to the computer.
  • Choose "Partition Clone" mode.
  • Select the right source and destination disks.
  • Preview the disk layout and edit if necessary.
  • Start to clone the hard drive partition.

5. Could DoYourClone create bootable copy of system drive?

Yes, it's able to create bootable copy of system drive on both Windows and macOS with the software DoYourClone.

For Windows, it's better to choose "Disk Clone" mode to clone the entire system disk.

For macOS, choose "Clone OS" mode to clone the Mac system drive to another drive.

After the cloning, you can use the cloned drive as bootable device on the computer.

6. Why the cloned system partition is not bootable?

If you only clone a single system partition on Windows, the boot information might not be cloned to the destination disk. To ensure the cloned drive is bootable, it's suggested to clone the entire hard disk with "Disk Clone" mode.

7. What's the difference between cloning and imaging hard drive partition?

Cloning a hard drive partition will produce an exact copy of the data on the destination drive. The files and folders will be the same as the source drive. Also, it will overwrite the destination partition.

Imaging the partition will create an image file instead. All the files will be compressed into a image file and save to the destination disk. In this way, it will not overwrite the destination partition so will not affect the existing files on the destination partition.

DoYourClone

DoYourClone - Best Disk Clone Software

DoYourClone is a 100% safe, powerful and easy-to-use disk cloning program. It supports to clone any hard drive, clone HDD to SSD, upgrade old drive to new drive, create bootable clone backup for Windows and macOS. With this program, you can easily clone any hard drive. It supports sector by sector clone, SSD upgrade clone, etc.

DoYourData Author

Written & Updated by Darren

Darren is an senior editor at DoYourData. Since 2021, Darren has written 100+ articles about data recovery, Mac file recovery, disk management, disk clone, computer issue fixes, etc. He helps lost of users to recover important data, get the reliable data backup solution, find optimization for PCs and Macs.

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