How to Move Microsoft Windows 11 from Hard Drive to SSD

If your PC’s primary storage is still a hard drive, by far the biggest speed boost you could give your system is replacing it with a solid-state drive (SSD).

Although SSDs are more expensive per gigabyte, they generally offer much better performance. Windows 11 should load much faster when the PC first starts, and programs should open in an instant.

Replacing a hard drive with an SSD is a relatively simple upgrade, although you must first transfer all data from your current hard drive to the SSD. We are going to tell you about this process.

How to Choose an SSD for Windows 11

The first thing you will need to sort out is the SSD itself and here there are two things to consider: drive size and drive capacity.

If you’re replacing a hard drive in a laptop, you’ll almost certainly need an internal 2.5-inch SSD that connects to the SATA port. Things are a little easier with desktop computers, which normally have spare bays that allow you to fit an SSD alongside your current hard drive.

A note on M.2 SSDs: Modern desktop motherboards are also often equipped with an empty M.2 slot, usually located just below the processor. This is designed to support smaller form factor SSDs, among other things, and is especially handy if you’re short on space or bay options. If you’re considering buying an M.2 SSD, just know that there are a variety of sizes and types, each with their own connectors – so be sure to do your homework in order to get the one you need.

Before making any purchase, verify that you can access the existing hard drive, especially on laptops or all-in-one PCs where it is not always possible to remove the internal storage. You may need to consult your laptop/PC manual – usually available on the manufacturer’s website – to find out how to access the hard drive and you may need special screwdrivers to access it.

SSD capacity is the other issue you need to consider. First you need to know how much data is stored on your current hard drive.

Open Windows ExplorerClick on This PC and see how much data is stored on your C: Drive. Beware of disks that have been partitioned, for example a system with Windows on C: and Data on D: – you have to add the two together in these instances.

Ideally, you want an SSD that’s larger than your current data pool, then leave room to spare. Beware, though, SSDs start to get very expensive when you go beyond the 2TB capacities.

If you are replacing the hard drive in a laptop or all-in-one, you may find that there are no spare drive bays to keep your old and new drives working at the same time. time. In this case, you will need to purchase a SATA to USB adapter/enclosure so that you can plug the SSD into the laptop’s USB port and copy data from your existing hard drive.

Finally, if you’re adding a new SSD to a desktop PC and plan to keep your old drive, you’ll need to make sure you have spare SATA cables to connect your new SSD to the motherboard and power supply. If you’re using an M.2 SSD, that won’t be a problem.

Moving Windows 11 to SSD: Clean and Backup Your PC

Before cloning data from the current hard drive to the new SSD, it’s time to do some housekeeping.

First, open Windows Searchtype ‘add’ and open it ‘Add or remove programs’ a function. Delete any apps that you no longer use or need, as there is no point in copying redundant data. Similarly, empty the Trash and Downloads folder and delete anything you don’t need. After that, you might find that you can get away with a smaller SSD, which will also be a lot cheaper.

Next, you should take a full backup of your PC, just in case something goes wrong. It’s a good idea to do this for most things involving your hard drive, but moving data to a new drive is quite a risky process without a backup.

Fortunately, Windows 11 has a variety of built-in backup options, including backing up files to Microsoft’s OneDrive cloud storage service or using the File history tool with an external hard drive/SSD. We are not going to detail these options in this article, but this site gives a good overview of the options.

Moving Windows 11 to an SSD: Plug in your new SSD

Make sure your system is completely shut down for the next step:

Once the backup is sorted, it’s time to plug in the SSD – either via the USB caddy or by putting it straight into a desktop PC.

If you’re adding an SSD to a desktop, just plug the new drive into a spare bay. Some PC cases come with dedicated SSD bays, often located on the back of the panel housing the motherboard. However, you may find that your enclosure only has HDD bays, in which case you will need to purchase an SSD caddy or adapter. Once secured, connect the SSD to the motherboard and power supply using SATA cables.

If you are using an M.2 SSD, simply place the drive in the spare slot on the motherboard and screw the other end in place using an M.2 screw.

Windows generally does not show new hard drives or SSDs in File Explorer until they are initialized and partitioned. To set it up, open Windows Search and type ‘partition’ and select the option to ‘Create and format hard disk partitions’. When you open it, you should have the option to initialize the disk using either Google Tags Where MBR.

It is important to note here that Windows 11 will only boot from disks formatted using Google Tags – so you must select this option. When the process is complete, the drive should appear as unallocated space in the disk management the window.

Move Windows 11 to SSD: Clone Hard Drive

Now is the time to start transferring data to your new SSD. There are plenty of software that can be used to clone hard drives, and the SSD you purchased might even come with some that do the job.

If you don’t have one on hand, the free version of Macrium Reflect will do fine. You will need to give your email address, and they will email you a download link and registration code. Install it on your Windows 11 PC, and when you get to the screen asking for a license key, just select Next and enter the registration code on the next screen.

Once Macrium is installed, select your current hard drive and click on the ‘Clone this disk’ button that appears below. This will bring up a wizard that will guide you through the process. Make sure all partitions on your current hard drive are selected for cloning, then select your newly created SSD as the destination drive. Ignore the prompts asking you to save a backup schedule and click OK to run the backup.

This process may take some time, depending on how much data you need to copy.

Moving Windows 11 to SSD: Replace Hard Drive (Laptops / All-in-Ones)

Now is the time to swap drives if you are replacing the old hard drive with the new SSD in a laptop or all-in-one. Be very careful when doing this – remember to note where any screws you remove come from and use anti-static tape or be sure to ground yourself before touching these sensitive electrical parts.

Once you’ve removed the old drive, simply slide the new SSD into the bay, then replace the screws.

Moving Windows 11 to SSD: Reboot from new disk

When you press the power button, your system may automatically boot from the new disk after replacing the old HDD with the new SSD. If not, or if you put the new SSD in a PC next to the old hard drive, you’ll need to tell it to boot from the new drive.

To do this, you will need to open the UEFI setup screen in the BIOS. You can do this by holding down a key immediately after pressing the power button. This can differ from system to system, but it’s usually the DELETE key or one of the function keys, like F1 or F2, along the top row of the keyboard. The key(s) you need to press are usually displayed on the splash screen that appears when you start your system, along with your motherboard manufacturer’s logo, but you can also find this information online using your model from PC or laptop and searching for ‘UEFI key’.

Once in the UEFI menu, find boot options and change the boot sequence to boot from the new SSD. Be sure to save your settings and Windows 11 should now load from your new drive.

If all of this is done correctly, you should notice immediate improvements in your system – it usually only takes a few seconds to boot to the desktop or login screen, and programs should load almost immediately.