AOMEI Cloner
How to Clone 2TB HDD to 1TB SSD (3 Steps)
Confusing, if it’s possible to clone 2TB HDD to 1TB SSD? And how? Scroll down to learn more about cloning HDD to SSD with different sizes and step by step instructions (if possible).
By Ivy Updated on May 12, 2025
Both HDDs and SSDs are disk types, where HDDs are recommended for largecapacity and SSDs for high performance(with no moving part), mainly referring to fast read/write speeds. In addition, it’s more durable, security, energy saving, silent, etc.
Thus, many users want to clone HDD to SSD with different sizes, such as clone 2TB HDD to 1TB SSD, clone 1TB HDD to 500GB, clone 1TB HDD to 250GB SSD, etc. But is it possible? If yes, how? Scroll down to get a clear answer below!
Can You Clone 2TB HDD to 1TB SSD or Other Sizes?
How to clone a 2TB HDD to a 1TB SSD
Windows 10. The HDD has less than 300GB used. Both drives are installed and Balena etcher complained I could not clone a larger drive into a smaller drive. I don't know how to override it or if there is a better solution. Thanks
- Question from Reddit
Short answer: Yes, it is possible to clone 2TB HDD to 1TB SSD as well as other sizes, such as clone clone 1TB HDD to 250GB SSD, etc., as long as the used sectors of the original drive are smaller than or equal to the target SSD drive. Importantly, you need a reliable cloning software that supports cloning only the used sectors of a drive.
What Do You Need?
Before cloning 2TB HDD to 1TB SSD, you need to prepare the following items:
#1: Check the used space of 1TB HDD. You need to be sure it’s smaller than or equal to the target SSD drive in File Explorer. For disk with multiple partitions, please check all of them. Otherwise, you can’t clone 2TB HDD to 1TB SSD successfully.
#2: Manage your disk space manually. If the used space is larger or you want a better performance, try to uninstall useless programs, large files, clean up system files using Disk Cleanup, etc.
#3: Prepare a new SSD. Please check the motherboard and be sure the new SSD is compatible with your system. It can be SATA, M.2 SATA, M.2 NVMe (PCIe Gen3/4), etc. You can also consider other factors, like SSD brands (e.g., from Samsung, Crucial, WD, SanDisk, etc), read/write speeds, warranty, etc.
#4: Prepare an SATA or M.2 adapter or enclosure (if you are using laptops). Most laptops only have one slot, so you can only connect the target SSD externally.
#5: A reliable SSD cloning software - AOMEI Cloner. It offers users 3 cloning features, e.g., Disk Clone, System Clone, Partition Clone, and all of them use the Intelligent clone feature to clone only the used sectors of a drive by default. So you can easily clone 2TB HDD to 1TB SSD in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, and servers.
❤❤❤ Why Choose AOMEI Cloner?
- 👑Bootable clone - clone HDDs/SSDs and MBR/GPT system disks, including the operating system, system files, EFI or system reserved partition, etc., required to start Windows.
- Intelligent clone (default) - only clones the used sectors of a drive, making it easier to clone large HDD to smaller SSD, e.g. clone 2TB HDD to 1TB SSD.
- Edit partitions - resize partition size on the destination disk, especially those with different disk partition styles(one MBR, one GPT).
- SSD alignment - align HDDs and SSDs with 4k technology and improve the lifespan.
- Disk compatibility - compatible trusted brands such as Samsung, WD, SanDisk, Crucial, etc., with different interfaces.
How to Clone 2TB HDD to 1TB SSD Step by Step
AOMEI Cloner allows you to clone both data disks and system disks from 2TB HDD to 1TB SSD without any obstacle. If it’s a system disk, the cloned drive still remain bootable. So you don’t need to reinstall Windows, time-consuming and cumbersome, which of course you don't want (if at all possible).
Step 1. Open AOMEI Cloner after installing, click Clone > Disk Clone subsequently.
Step 2. You will be asked to select the source disk (e.g., 2TB HDD) and destination disk (e.g,. 1TB SSD). Note the existing partitionson the destination disk will be overwritten or deleted. Please be careful and click Next after each selection.
Step 3(Important). Be sure to check the SSD Alignment feature to align HDD and SSD for better performance. Try the Edit Partitions feature for smooth cloning in the following two situations. At last, click Start Clone.
- The target drive is larger. Select "Add unused space to all partitions or "Manually adjust partition size. The former is recommended as it is adjusted automatically without human intervention and minimizes errors.
- Both drives have different partition styles (one MBR, one GPT). Check the option "Convert the destination disk from MBR to GPT or vice versa to make them identical.
By default, this software will enable the intelligent clone feature to clone only the used sectors of a drive. If the used space of the 2TB HDD is smaller than or equal to 1TB SSD, you can easily clone HDD to SSD with different size.
After cloning, you need to swap both drives to test if the cloned SSD drive is bootable. Note: Windows will not allow you to boot from USB external drive, even if it’s connected through an adapter or enclosure.
Closing Words
You can easily clone 2TB HDD to 1TB SSD as long as you find a reliable SSD cloning software that supports cloning only the used sectors of a drive. AOMEI Cloner is such a software, and what's more, it has great compatibility and can handle different cloning issues as well, e.g. cloned SSD slow down.
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