How to Make SSD as Primary Drive - 2 Ways

Can I Use an External SSD as My Main Drive?

Upgrading hard drive with a new larger SSD is a great way to improve speed and performance of PC. But if you replace the SSD, you will lose your Windows on the old disk. At this time, you may wonder, "Can I make SSD bootable?", "how to make SSD main boot drive?", or "how to set SSD as primary and HDD as secondary?"

There is no doubt that you can use SSD as the main drive, and you can also use SSD and HDD together on computer. In this guide, we’ll cover how to make SSD the primary drive, walk you through cloning your OS to SSD without reinstalling, and give you a second method: a fresh install of Windows. Let’s get started now.

What to Do before Making SSD Primary Drive?

Before diving into the detailed process of how to make SSD drive primaryon PC, there are a few essential preparations you should be ready.

1️⃣ Verify SSD Compatibility - Make sure your SSD fits into your system. Common ones include 2.5’SATA and M.2 NVMe(NVMe requires a compatible M.2 slot and UEFI BIOS). Your SSD should be large enough to hold your current system data if you're migrating.

2️⃣ Get Needed Tools - Depending on your method, you may need: a screwdriver (to install the SSD), a USB-to-SATA adapter (for computers with one drive slot), and a USB drive (if opting for a clean install).

3️⃣ Install SSD to Computer - There are two situations:

• If there is an additional slot on the computer, use the screwdriver to carefully remove the computer case > install SSD correctly to the slot.
• If there is only one slot, connect the new SSD externally using the USB-to-SATA adapter.

How to Make SSD as Primary Drive on Windows 10/11

There are two solutions about to how to make SSD primary drive:

• Clone your existing OS to the SSD - easy, quick, and no reinstallation needed.
• Perform a clean install of Windows on the SSD - a bit more technical but gives a fresh start.

Way 1. Clone OS from Old Drive to SSD - No Reinstallation & Simple

Cloning your system to the SSD ensures all apps, settings, and configurations stay intact. This is the most straightforward method if you want to continue using your computer without redoing everything from scratch. AOMEI Cloner is a trusted disk cloning utility that makes this entire process seamless. Its key features include:

Steps of how to set new SSD as primary drive by cloning OS from the old hard drive with AOMEI Cloner are listed below.

Step 1. Download & run the AOMEI Cloner software on your PC.

Step 2. Select Disk Clone or System Clone in the Clone interface.

Step 3. Choose the disk containing Windows OS as source disk and click Next. Then, select the new SSD you prepare to clone to as destination disk and click Next.

Step 4. Tick SSD Alignment, and click Start Clone to transfer everything to SSD.

Notes:✎...

Sector By Sector Clone: It copys all sectors of the old drive, including empty and bad sectors, and makes the cloned drive use the same partition layout as the old one.

Edit Partitions: You can also use it to adjust the partition size of the destination disk, and convert disk type (MBR or GPT), making it possible to clone MBR to GPT disk or vice versa and boot successfully.

If the SSD was external, now swap it into the internal drive bay. If both drives are internal, go into BIOS (usually via DEL/F2 during boot) and set the SSD as the first boot device. That's all about how to make external SSD as primary drive on Windows 10/11.

Way 2. Clean Install Windows on SSD - Fresh Start & Complex

This method is ideal if you want to start from scratch, suitable if your current OS is slow or corrupted. A clean install gives you a fresh start, but it's more time-consuming. Here is how to make SSD main drive for Windows 11:

Step 1. Create a bootable USB using the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool.

Step 2. Restart your PC and enter the BIOS/UEFI (usually by pressing F2, Delete, or Esc during startup), and set the USB drive as the first boot option.

Step 3. Reboot your computer, follow the on-screen instructions, choose Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) when prompted.

Step 4. Select the SSD as the install destination. If needed, delete old partitions on the SSD to create unallocated space.

Step 5. Finally, follow the prompts to finish the install. Follow the prompts to finish the install. Once Windows is installed:

• Reconnect other drives if you previously disconnected them.
• Activate Windows using your Microsoft account or product key.
• Reinstall your programs and restore backup files if needed.

Concluding Words

With the help of the best cloning software - AOMEI Cloner, you can easily move OS or copy entire hard drive to SSD, even with different sizes or disk partition style, which makes it a piece of cake about how to make SSD as primary drive. If you want, you can also install Windows 10/11 on SSD without removing HDD, so as to boost computer for better boot times, faster app launches, or overall system responsiveness.

FAQs on Setting SSD as Primary Drive

1. How to set SSD as default boot drive?

To ensure your PC boots from the SSD every time:

• Restart your computer and enter the BIOS/UEFI (usually F2, Delete, or Esc).
• Navigate to the Boot tab.
• Set the SSD as the first boot option.
• Save changes and exit.

Afterward, your system will always prioritize the SSD during startup.

2. Why is my PC not detecting my SSD in BIOS?

This could be due to several reasons:

• Loose or improperly connected cables
• SSD not properly seated in its slot
• BIOS not updated or compatible with NVMe
• Drive not initialized/formatted

Check your connections first, then update your BIOS if needed.

3. Why is my BIOS not booting to SSD?

There are afew possible culprits:

• SSD isn't set as the first boot device
• The OS wasn't cloned or installed correctly
• The SSD uses a different boot mode (UEFI vs Legacy BIOS)

Check the boot priority and ensure the SSD is properly formatted and contains a bootable OS.