AOMEI Cloner
How to Bit Copy SD Card on Windows
In this article, you’ll learn what bit copy is and how to bit copy SD card on Windows in 2 easy methods, along with step-by-step instructions.
By Ivy Updated on July 25, 2025
What Is a Bit Copy and Why Is It Necessary?
A bit copy (or sector-by-sector copy) is a low-level duplication method that replicates every single sector of your storage device, including:
- all data, even deleted or corrupted files.
- partition tables and boot sectors
- empty/unallocated/badspace
This creates a perfect 1:1 binary replica of the original SD card- something regular file copying can’t achieve. It helps to keep your precious family photos, videos, or working documents, recover files from failing or damaged cards, or clone SD card to larger SD for more capacity, etc.
⚠️Note: Bit copy SD card requires the total capacity of the target card to be equal to or greater than the original SD card rather than the used space. Since it copies all sectors of the SD card, it takes longer, about 30-60 minutes for 128GB cards. You can’t exclude any unwanted data.
How to Bit Copy an SD Card (2 Methods)
Here you’ll get 2 effective methods and how to clone SD card bit by bit without any issues.
Method 1. Bit Copy SD Card using Win32DiskImager
Win32 Disk Imager is a free, lightweight tool that supports creating bit-by-bit copies of SD cards on Windows. It involves the Read and Write process.
💡 What do you need:
1️⃣ Use high-quality card readers.
2️⃣ Prepare a larger SD card as the destination disk.
3️⃣ A working Windows PC.
4️⃣ Backup important files (if any) on the larger card.
Step 1. Download Win32 Disk Imager from the official website. Then, open it after installing and go to the Device menu to select the SD card you want to bit copy. Be sure to insert the two SD cards into your computer.
Step 2. Then, go to the folder icon and choose where to save the .img file.
Step 3. Click Read to copy all sectors to the .img file. Just wait for the process to complete.
Step 4. After creating an image file, go to the Device menu and select the new SD card as the destination disk.
Step 5. Click the folder icon and select your saved .img file. Click Write to bit copy SD card.
Method 2. Sector by Sector Copy SD Card using AOMEI Cloner (3 Steps)
AOMEI Cloner is a reliable cloning software that can clone SD card bit by bit (1:1 copy) in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, etc., and Windows Server. You don’t need to create an image file first.
AOMEI Cloner- Easy to use and no technical skills required.
- Cloning scope - clone any types of SD cards, i.e., standard card, SDHC, SDXC, and SDUC, or individual partitions.
- Intelligent clone (default) - clone only the used sectors of a drive, save time and effort.
- Sector by sector clone - optionally, clone all sectors, including empty and bad sectors.
- Edit Partitions - partitions on the larger SD card are automatically resized.
- Compatible with most popular SD brands, such as Samsung, Lexar, SanDisk, PNY, Kingston, etc.
100% Secure⚠️The destination disk will be overwritten or deleted during cloning. Be sure to backup important data (if any) on it to prevent permanent loss.
Step 1. Connect the two SD cards to your computer using a reliable card reader. Then, open AOMEI Cloner and click Clone > Disk Clone subsequently.
Step 2. Select the old SD card as source disk and new SD card (with equal or larger capacity) as destination disk.
Step 3: Check Sector by sector clone and click Start Clone to clone SD card bit by bit. It will automatically enable Add unused space to all partitions in Edit Partitions to resize partitions of the larger SD card.
Free download AOMEI Cloner for direct copy!
Conclusion
With Win32DiskImager and reliable cloning software - AOMEI Cloner, you can bit copy SD card on Windows to create a 1:1 copy. The first one is more like a backup and restore software that requires you to create an image file first and then write to larger SD card.
The latter is easier and more strateforward. It allows you to directly clone SD card bit by bit without imaging it first and auto resize partitions of a larger SD card. Free download it to have a try!
FAQs
1. Does bit copy preserve deleted files?
Yes! A bit copy clones every sector, including deleted files, as long as you don’t add new data or format the SD card. Thus, it’s often used for data recovery.
2. Why is my bit copy so slow?
Bit copy covers all sectors, even empty ones, thus taking longer. You can optionally use a USB 3.0+ card reader to achieve even faster speeds.
3. How do I copy an SD card to another SD card?
You can choose to manually copy files or clone one SD card to another using reliable cloning software, such as AOMEI Cloner. The first option is time-consuming and likely to miss some files. The latter one creates an exact copy of an SD card in 3 easy steps.
100%
Clean & Secure
