Learn everything about
WinToHDD.

Upgrading to a faster SSD or replacing a failing hard drive no longer requires a clean Windows reinstall. WinToHDD system clone copies your entire Windows installation — OS, applications, settings, and user data — to any target drive in minutes.

What You Need

• WinToHDD Free (download from this site)
• Your source drive (current Windows installation)
• Target drive (new SSD, HDD, or NVMe — any brand)

Step-by-Step

1Download and Install WinToHDD

Download the 64-bit installer. Run it — it takes under 60 seconds. No account required. Always right-click → Run as Administrator — required for disk access.

2Select "System Clone"

From the main menu, click System Clone. This mode copies only Windows system partitions — including the EFI/System Reserved partition — skipping empty sectors for speed.

3Choose Source Drive

WinToHDD auto-detects the current Windows drive. Verify it is the correct disk (check size and label). All Windows partitions are pre-selected automatically.

4Choose Target Drive

Select the new drive from the list. All data on the target will be overwritten — double-check before proceeding. WinToHDD shows the planned partition layout with auto-resized partitions.

5Click Start and Wait

WinToHDD uses Windows VSS to create a live snapshot — you can keep using Windows while the clone runs. A typical 90 GB clone takes 5–15 minutes on SSD-to-SSD.

6Boot from the New Drive

Shut down. Swap drives or change boot order in BIOS (F2/Del/F12). Windows boots exactly as you left it — same apps, files, and settings.

Windows To Go lets you run a full, persistent Windows environment from a USB drive. WinToHDD makes creating one effortless.

What You Need

• WinToHDD Free or Pro
• A Windows 10 or 11 ISO (from Microsoft)
• USB 3.0 drive, 32 GB minimum (64 GB+ recommended)

Steps

1Open Windows To Go in WinToHDD

Select the Windows To Go mode. Browse to your Windows ISO — WinToHDD reads all editions inside automatically.

2Select edition and USB drive

Choose your edition (Home, Pro, etc.) and select your USB as destination. All data on the USB will be erased.

3Choose partition scheme

Select GPT for modern UEFI machines (2015+), or MBR for older Legacy BIOS systems.

4Start and boot

Process takes 15–30 minutes. Plug the USB into any PC, enter BIOS, boot from USB. Windows initializes on first boot in about 2–3 minutes per machine — your environment persists on the USB.

Both come from Hasleo Software. The answer to which you need depends entirely on your goal.

Use WinToHDD when you want to:

• Migrate Windows from an old HDD to a new internal SSD/NVMe
• Reinstall Windows from ISO without a USB stick
• Create scheduled system backups
• Manage disk partitions
• Build a WinPE rescue environment

Use WinToUSB when you want to:

• Create Windows To Go USB drives with more USB-specific options
• Create multi-edition bootable USB installers (more granular control)

WinToHDD vs Other Free Alternatives

Clonezilla requires a Linux live USB. Macrium Reflect Free was discontinued in 2024. AOMEI Backupper limits clone features to paid tiers. WinToHDD is the only free tool that clones while Windows is running — no reboot, no USB, no Linux command line needed.

WinToHDD's New Installation mode installs Windows 11 directly onto a drive from an ISO — no USB creation required.

Requirements

• Windows 11 ISO (from Microsoft Media Creation Tool)
• Target drive must be empty (or you accept data loss)
• System must meet Win 11 requirements: TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, 4 GB RAM, 64 GB storage
• WinToHDD v6.0 or newer

1Select "New Installation"

Open WinToHDD as Administrator. Click New Installation. Browse to your Windows 11 ISO and select the edition.

2Select the target partition

If the target drive is unformatted, WinToHDD creates the partition structure automatically (GPT with EFI + MSR + Windows partitions).

3Start and reboot

Click Start. After completion, reboot into the target drive from BIOS. Windows 11 runs its initial setup (OOBE) on first boot.

WinToHDD fully supports Windows 7, making it easy to migrate a Win 7 machine from a slow HDD to an SSD — even on 32-bit hardware.

Download the Right Version

For Windows 7 32-bit (x86): download the x86 installer from the Download page. For 64-bit Windows 7, the standard x64 installer works. Both are free.

Cloning Windows 7 — Steps

• Connect the new SSD/HDD
• Run WinToHDD as Administrator
• Select System Clone → choose C: as source
• Select the new drive as target
• Keep partition scheme as MBR (Win 7 typically uses MBR/BIOS)
• Click Start — completes in 5–20 minutes
• Swap drives or change boot order in BIOS