How to Use Macrium Reflect to Clone HDD to Smaller SSD
This guide will show you how to use Macrium Reflect to clone HDD to smaller SSD. Also an alternative way is provided to help you make things easier.
Last Updated July 10, 2025
Can Macrium Reflect Clone to a Smaller Drive?
Macrium Reflect is a powerful disk cloning and imaging software that allows users to clone drives, create backups and restore entire systems in case of failure. It’s widely used for tasks like migrating Windows to a new SSD and performing full system backups.
And yes, you can use Macrium Reflect to clone HDD to a smaller SSD, as long as the used space on the source disk is less than the total capacity of the target SSD. For example, if your HDD is 1TB but only 300GB is used, and your SSD is 500GB, the clone will work just fine. Thus, you can clone 1TB HDD to 500GB SSD or clone 500GB HDD to 250GB SSD.
In the following, we will outline how to clone HDD to smaller SSD with Macrium Reflect and an easier Macrium Reflect alternative tool. Hurry up and learn!
How to Use Macrium Reflect to Clone HDD to Smaller SSD
In this chapter, we will present how to clone bigger HDD to smaller SSD using Macrium Reflect. All the steps you need are included. Please follow them precisely to avoid Macrium Reflect clone failed and other issues.
If you need an easier solution to Clone HDD to Smaller SSD, try the best alternative to Macrium Reflect.
- Preparations before disk cloning:✎...
- Install or connect the target SSD to computer and make sure it is detected. If your computer only has one drive bay, you can use a SATA to USB adapter for connection.
- Backup your SSD if there are crucial files, as data on it may be lost after cloning.
Step 1. Install and Launch Macrium Reflect
Download Macrium Reflect from the official site. Install it, and launch the software. The program will automatically detect all connected drives.
Step 2. Select the Source Disk (Your HDD)
On the main interface, you’ll see all your drives. Locate the larger HDD that you want to clone, and click on Clone this disk.
Step 3. Select the Destination Drive (Your SSD)
In the new dialog box, choose the smaller SSD as the destination disk. If the SSD has any partitions, delete them to avoid conflicts.
Step 4. Adjust Partition
You can manually drag partitions and resize partitions with the Layout option so they fit on the smaller SSD. Please make sure that no single partition exceeds the capacity of the SSD.
Step 5. Start Disk Clone
Review your settings. Click Finish, then OK to begin the process of using Macrium Reflect to clone larger HDD to smaller SSD.
Clone Larger HDD to Smaller SSD with Easy Macrium Reflect Alternative
As the best Macrium Reflect alternative, AOMEI Cloner makes cloning a larger disk to a smaller SSD simpler and more flexible. Available for all Windows OS, including Windows 11/10/8/7 and Windows Server 2025/2022/2019/2016, it can help you clone entire boot or clone only the Windows OS to another one directly.
- Different Cloning Options - Disk Clone, Partition Clone, and System Clone. It allows you to clone an entire disk, only the operating system, or a specific partition as per your needs.
- Intelligent Clone - It can automatically clone only the used space on the source drive, no need to select partitions manually.
- SSD Alignment - It is able to align partitions on SSD, optimizing performance and maximizing the lifespan of the SSD.
- Hot Clone - You can clone your disk while the system is running, without interrupting your current work.
100% SecureCheck the following steps to see how to clone larger HDD to smaller SSD using Macrium Reflect alternative - AOMEI Cloner.
Step 1. Download and launch AOMEI Cloner. Click Clone and then select Disk Clone. If you only wish to migrate OS to SSD, pick System Clone instead.
Step 2. Select your HDD as the source disk, and then go on to select your new SSD as the destination disk.
Step 3. Check SSD Alignment to improve the performance of SSD, and click on Start Clone.
🌟Do not tick the Sector By Sector Clone option, as it will clone all sectors on the HDD, which may cause the disk cloning to fail when the target SSD is smaller.
🌟This software also offers a Create Bootable Media feature that allows you to clone larger HDD to smaller SSD without booting Windows by booting from the bootable USB or CD/DVD and performing the disk clone offline.
FAQs on Cloning HDD to Smaller SSD using Macrium Reflect
Can Macrium Reflect resize partition?
Yes, Macrium Reflect supports manual and automatic resizing of partitions during the cloning process. However, it’s not always seamless - especially if your source drive has unmovable system files at the end of a partition. In those cases, you may need to defragment or shrink the volume manually via Disk Management before cloning.
Is it better to clone a hard drive or image a disk?
It depends on your objective:
- Clone: Best when you're upgrading to a new drive and want an immediate bootable copy.
- Image: Ideal for backups. You create a compressed snapshot of your disk that can be restored later.
For moving from HDD to SSD, cloning is the faster and more direct approach.
What is the alternative to Macrium Reflect cloning?
The best alternative is AOMEI Cloner. It’s beginner-friendly, has smart sector cloning, supports system-only clone, and eliminates the need for manual resizing, making it ideal for Macrium Reflect clone HDD to smaller SSD alternative.
In the End
Now you know how to use Macrium Reflect to clone HDD to smaller SSD. Also, you can turn to the Macrium Reflect alternative - AOMEI Cloner, for easier disk clone operations. And except for disk clone, this tool also comes with System Clone, which is capable of migrating only OS to new SSD and ensuring a smooth boot after cloning.