How to Clone Hard Drive to USB External Drive (Bootable or Not)
In this article, you’ll learn how to clone hard drive to USB external drive and whether the cloned drive is bootable or not. Scroll down to learn more.
Last Updated May 15, 2025
“Basically, I want to copy my C drive (128g M.2 SSD) which has my Windows OS, other files, etc. to my external USB hard drive and then restore that onto a new larger 1tb M.2 SSD I recently purchased. My motherboard only has one M.2 slot, I assume I could just copy my C drive (OS) to external drive, install new SSD, then boot from external and restore.
I tried using EaseUS disk copy, todo back up, but could not get my external drive to be bootable. (seemed scammy idk) My main problem seems to be that I can't get my external to boot. I am dumb with computers, so laymens terms would be appreciated if possible. Thanks!”
Searching online, many users want to clone hard drive to USB external drive and it’s easy to create one with a reliable cloning software. However, there's a catch if you want to duplicate an alternate system in case your internal drive fails or for upgrading or replacing hard drive.
One thing to be sure of, do you want to use this USB external drive as a system drive or a middle-man? If it's the latter, it will be easier. Continue to read this article and learn how to clone hard drive in Windows.
Can I clone hard drive to USB external drive?
Short answer? Yes, you can absolutely clone hard drive to USB external drive, but there's a catch: Windows doesn’t allow booting from external USB drives out of the box. If you try to boot from it, the computer may blue screen.
If it’s a middle-man, it’s suggested to get an SATA or M.2 adapter or enclosure to connect the target disk directly, depending on its disk interface. Please be sure the target disk is compatible with your motherboard. You can check it to be sure.
Note, you can only verify that the disk is bootable after cloning by installing the target drive into the disk slot and then attempting to boot from it. Cloning with SATA or M.2 adapter or enclosure also connects through USB ports, so you will encounter the same problems as with cloning hard drive to USB external drives.
How to clone hard drive to USB external drive
✅What do you need:
- Prepare an SATA or M.2 adapter or enclosure.
- Get a new SSD drive if you favor high performance. Note you can’t use a USB external drive as system drive. But it’s ok for data backup or file transfer.
- Prepare a screwdriver to install new drive.
- Employ a cloning software - AOMEI Cloner. It can clone both data disk and system disk (HDD/SSD, MBR/GPT) in Windows 7, 8, 10, 11, and servers. The cloned drive remains bootable if it’s a system disk.
- Bootable clone - clone HDDs/SSDs and MBR/GPT system disks without boot issues (even if smaller).
- Intelligent clone (default)- only clones the used sectors of a drive and skips the empty sectors and bad sectors.
- Edit partitions - resize partition size on the destination disk, especially those with different disk partition styles(one MBR, one GPT).
- SSD alignment - align SSDs with 4k technology to improve performance and lifespan.
- Disk compatibility - compatible with internal or external disks from trusted brands, such as Samsung, WD, SanDisk, Crucial, etc.
100% SecureStep 1. Open AOMEI Cloner after installing, and click Clone > Disk Clone subsequently.
Step 2. You will then be asked to select the source disk and destination disk (all data will be overwritten). Select them and click Next after each selection.
- ✍️Note: The destination disk can be USB drive if it’s just a data backup or for file transfer. If you are planning to boot from the cloned drive, it should be HDD or SSD compatible with your motherboard.
Step 3. Try the Edit Partitions feature to resize partition or change partition label. At last, click Start Clone.
By default, this software will enable the intelligent clone feature to clone only used sectors of a drive, making it easier to clone large drive to smaller drives without capacity issues.
For the system drive, you still need to swap both drives and test if it's bootable after cloning. Don't format the old drive until you are sure. Here is an overview of the steps (slightly different for laptops and desktops):
- Power off your computer completely and remove the back panel or case. You can then access the disk slot.
- Unscrew the screws securing the original drive or the slave slot. Please put them together for convenience.
- Gently remove the original drive and install the new drive in it, usually at a 30°or 45°angle. For the slave slot, please directly install the new drive or SSD.
- Reinstall the back panel and try to boot from the cloned drive.
Closing Words
You can clone hard drive to USB drive if you just want to use it as a data backup or for file transfer. If want to upgrade or replace hard drive, it’s suggested to get a new hard drive or SSD that is compatible with your motherboard for cloning.
Whether you want to clone data disk or system disk, AOMEI Cloner, a reliable cloning software, can help you. It will include all the boot-required partition(s) and handle different cloning issues to be sure the cloned drive is still bootable.
FAQs on Cloning Disk to USB Drive
1. Does cloning a hard drive copy everything?
Yes, it’s a 1:1 copy. Cloning replicates the operating system, program, setting, files, etc., on the hard drive.
2. How to clone USB drive?
You need reliable cloning software like AOMEI Cloner. The steps are:
- First, connect USB drive and another device well.
- Open this software after installing. Then, click Clone > Disk Clone.
- Then, select the USB drive as the source disk and another one as the destination disk.
- At last, click Start Clone or a similar option.
3. How to clone hard drive with bootable USB?
- First, create a bootable USB using cloning software.
- Then, boot from it and clone hard drive in the recovery environment.
- After loading, click Clone> Disk Clone. Then, select the source disk and destination disk. Finally, click Start Clone and wait.