GPartedLive - Clone Disk to SSD in Windows 10 or 11 (2025)

Can GParted Clone Disks?

GParted itself doesn’t offer a one-click disk clone feature like a dedicated cloning software. Instead, it allows you to manually clone each partition to another drive and set the bootable flag afterward. Note that this operation risks losing hidden or system partitions.

If you insist on using GParted, you can still try to clone the entire disk with the dd command line. It creates an exact sector-by-sector copy, even working for damaged disks, and requires you to learn some necessary knowledge. This operation is risky, especially if you choose the wrong drive or switch the source and destination disks.

How to Clone Disk to SSD with GParted & DD (Terminal Way)

Cloning disk with GParted & DD command line is useful, but it’s sometimes called the "disk destroyer". You may accidentally wipe your data if you enter the wrong command, e.g., swapping if and of, but it can be surprisingly effective if done carefully.

👇 What You’ll Need: 

Prepare and connect a new SSD, preferably with larger capacity.

A USB flash drive (16 GB+).

Learn the DD command line and necessary parameters.

GPartedlive ISO file and Rufus (for Windows) to create bootable USB.

Some patience and extreme attention to detail.

Part 1: Download GParted Live ISO File

Navigate to the official download page. Here are two CPU architecture versions: 1.7.0-1 and higher 64-bit image, or 1.6.0-10 and lower 32-bit image. Select the version that best suits your situation.

Part 2: Create a Bootable USB using Rufus

Step1. Connect the prepared USB drive to your Windows PC. Then, open the .exe file of Rufus and select your USB drive in the Device section.

Step 2. In the Boot selection, click Select to browse for the location where the GParted Live ISO file is saved and select it.

Step 3. At last, click START to format and create a Gparted LiveUSB drive.

Part 3: Boot and Clone Disk with GParted Live

Step 1. Restart your computer to BIOS, set priority for the GParted Live USB drive, and boot from it. After loading, press Enter to keep using the default boot menu, which works for most situations.

Step 2. It will open the Terminal window automatically. If not, press Ctrl + Alt + T to launch it. Type lsblk and press Enter to list all available disks.

Step 3. Please double-check the device name and make sure you select the right source and destination disks. You can type sudo smartctl -i /dev/sda (/dev/sdb) and press Enter to get details. For example:

• /dev/sda = your old source disk
• /dev/sdb = your new destination disk

Step 4. Type the DD command line to clone disk. Press Enter and wait patiently.

sudo dd if=/dev/sda of=/dev/sdb bs=64K conv=noerror,sync status=progress

The DD command line parameters:✎...

if= (input file) = source disk

of= (output file) = destination disk

bs=64K = block size (It speeds up copying)

conv=noerror,sync = continue even if errors occur, pad blocks if needed

status=progress = shows live copying progress

Use Dedicated Cloning Software to Clone Disk (3 Steps)

If all this sounds too complicated, don't worry, there are simpler ways!AOMEI Cloner is a reliable and dedicated disk cloning software that can clone hard drive or SSD in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, and Windows Server.

It will include the operating system, system files, etc., required to start Windows and make the cloned drive bootable. So you can directly boot from it without manually repairing the bootloader. In addition, you can choose to clone hard drive within Windows or reboot to the WinPE recovery environment.

Step 1: Open AOMEI Cloner after installing. Then, click Clone and Disk Clone subsequently.

Step 2: You will be asked to select the source disk and destination disk (all data will be overwritten). Click Next after making your selections.

Step 3: Optionally, to ensure you get the best results, check SSD Alignment to boost SSD disk performance and improve its longevity. Try Edit Partitions to adjust the partition size manually or automatically if your target disk is larger, or they have different partition styles (MBR/GPT). Then, click Start Clone to get started.

By default, this software uses the Intelligent clone mode, which clones only the used sectors of a drive. It will not include the empty sectors and bad sectors.

Big Comparison: GParted vs DD vs AOMEI Cloner

Conclusion

You can’t clone disk with GParted as it does not provide such a tool. As a workaround, you can choose to combine GParted and DD command line or directly use a dedicated cloning software like AOMEI Cloner.

By comparison, using cloning software will be a better choice as it allows you to clone an entire disk and handle cloning issues well with minimal human intervention.

FAQs About Clone Disk GParted

Q1: Is cloning disk with GParted safe?

Yes, but only if you carefully copy all partitions and flags.

Q2: Can I clone Windows 10 with GParted?

Technically, yes, but boot issues may occur. Better to use dedicated cloning software for Windows like AOMEI Cloner.

Q3: Does GParted copy hidden recovery partitions?

Only if you manually select and copy them and it's easy to forget.

Q4: Is dd cloning better than GParted cloning?

It depends. DD is more powerful but far riskier if you're not super careful.

Q5: Why is AOMEI Cloner better for beginners?

It has a simple and intuitive GUI interface and can clone hard drive to smaller SSD in 3 steps with extra effort. It will handle the cloning process, partition resizing, bootloader fixing, etc. You just need to check the desired options before cloning.