Cloning Raspberry Pi SD card to larger card is not just copying files, but also migrating OS, thus thorough preparation and using professional cloning software are essential. Scroll down to learn more!
I wanted to upgrade from an 8gb card to a 64 gb card to have more space available and when I created an image, it only shows the remaining 5.9gb that I originally had left over on the 8gb card. How do I get it to show the extra space on the 64gb card? Thank you. Also, is it the same process for moving to a smaller card?
- Question from Raspberry Pi
The Raspberry Pi is a tiny, affordable computer on a single board, about the size of a credit card, designed for learning, coding, and DIY projects like robotics, gaming, and home automation, using a microSD card to store its operating system and files.
As projects grow, users often need more storage, leading them to clone Raspberry SD card to larger card to accommodate more applications, such as media servers or complex software, without the hassle of reinstalling. Cloning preserves custom settings, installed programs, and data, saving significant setup time, while also allowing an upgrade to faster, higher-capacity cards for improved performance.
To clone Raspberry Pi SD card to a larger one seamlessly, you’ll need a few key items to ensure the process is efficient and error-free.
AOMEI Cloner is one of the best cloning software for Windows and stands out due to its ease of use and professional features. It offers users a Sector by Sector Clone mode to clone all sectors of the Raspberry Pi SD card completely and handles its OS with ease. Let’s get started.
Step 1. Connect the two SD cards to your computer using a reliable SD card reader, and be sure it’s detected. Then, open AOMEI Cloner and click Clone > Disk Clone.
Step 2. In the Source Disk and Destination Disk windows, select the Raspberry Pi and the new SD card, respectively. Don’t mix them as the target card will be overwritten, causing permanent data loss.
Step 3. The target card will be auto-resized to full capacity (if it’s larger). Click Edit Partitions to confirm this and check Sector by Sector Clone to ensure all sectors are copied. Then, click Start Clone to clone Raspberry Pi SD card to larger card.
⚠️Notes:
❌ The ExFAT and Ext4 file systems are not extended in AOMEI Cloner.
✅ The SSD Alignment is designed to accelerate the reading and writing speed of SSD disks. Just skip it!
1. Can I use any MicroSD card as the target for cloning?
Not all microSD cards are equal. Choose a larger card (at least double the capacity of the original for safety) from a reputable brand like SanDisk with good read/write speeds (Class 10 or higher recommended). Ensure the card is compatible with Raspberry Pi (FAT32 or ext4) and check that it’s empty, as cloning overwrites all data.
2. What should I do If my Raspberry Pi doesn’t boot after cloning?
Ensure the card is properly seated in the Pi’s slot. You can also enable HDMI output in the config.txt file on the card’s boot partition for debugging. If issues persist, use a backup image (created before cloning) to restore and retry the process.
3. How do I make use of the extra space on the larger SD card after cloning?
The cloned SD card may not use its full capacity after cloning. You can connect the cloned SD card and boot your Raspberry Pi. Then, open a terminal (via SSH or directly), and type sudo raspi-config to access the configuration window.
Select Advanced Options > Expand FileSystem. This resizes the partition to unlock the full capacity of new SD card. Click OK > Finish and restart to enjoy your Raspberry Pi.
Cloning Raspberry SD card to larger card, not only to copy files, but also to migrate OS, thus thorough preparation and using professional cloning software for Windows are essential. AOMEI Cloner, with its user-friendly interface and powerful cloning capabilities, is an excellent choice.