How to Clone Windows 10 to Multiple Computers at Once

Is It Possible to Clone Windows 10 to Multiple PCs Legally?

Yes, you can clone Windows 10 to multiple PCs, but each one must have its own valid license. The cloning method simply copies the operating system, apps, and configurations; it does not provide additional activation rights.

👉 Windows Licensing Requirements

When deploying a Windows 10 image to more than one device, Microsoft requires that:

• Every PC has its own legitimate Windows 10 license key (OEM, Retail, Volume License, or Digital Entitlement).
• Enterprise or business environments often use Volume Licensing, which supports mass deployment and simplifies activation.
• OEM licenses cannot be transferred between machines, even if you clone the OS. They’re tied to the original hardware.

👉 Hardware Compatibility Considerations

Cloning to multiple machines with different hardware can cause:

• Boot failures
• Missing or incompatible drivers
• Blue screen errors (BSOD)

Using Sysprep and a universal imaging tool helps reduce these issues, but for best results, deploy to machines with similar or identical hardware.

Best Deployment Tool to Clone Windows 10 to Multiple Computers

When it comes to cloning Windows 10 to multiple computers, AOMEI Backupper Technician is an outstanding choice.

Don’t hesitate to download AOMEI Backupper!

How to Clone Windows 10 Image to Multiple Computers Simultaneously

Now I’ll walk you through how to clone multiple computers over network via AOMEI Image Deploy (AID). Follow these steps carefully:

Step 1: Prepare the Target Computers

1. Confirm that all the client computers are in the same segment as the master computer (source machine).

2. Make sure that all the target computers support PXE boot.

3. The disk sequence numbers for installing system in client computers must be the same. Move out other disks and only keep the destination disk for image deployment.

Step 2: Prepare the Master Computer

1. On your master PC, clean up the system (delete temp files, disable unnecessary apps).

2. Install required applications, updates, and configurations. Here you should install AOMEI Backupper Technician.

3. Run AOMEI Backupper to create a bootable USB drive.

• Insert a USB drive.
• Click Tools > Create Bootable Media.

• Select USB Boot Device and click Create.

4. Run Sysprep to remove hardware-specific data and prevent SID conflicts on target machines.

• Navigate to C:\Windows\System32\Sysprep.
• Run sysprep.exe.
• Choose Enter System Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE).
• Check Generalize.
• Set Shutdown.

Step 3: Create a System Image

1. Boot your master PC from the bootable USB drive.

2. When AOMEI Backupper loads up, click Backup > System Backup.

3. Choose a network shared folder or NAS path to save the system image and click Start Backup.

Step 4. Clone Computers over Network

1. Boot your master PC normally. Launch AOMEI Backupper and click Tools > AOMEI Image Deploy to open the image deployment tool.

2. In the AID window, choose Create bootable WinPE ISO or WIM automatically (create a bootable ISO/WIM file of your system) or Create bootable WinPE ISO or WIM manually (add custom drivers into WinPE). Then click Next.

Note: There must be a DHCP server in the LAN. Check Enable DHCP if there is no.

3. After WinPE is created, start all the client computers from network boot.

4. You can check the client computers’ status in AID. When all client computers show "Client computers connected", check I confirm all the client computers which need to be deployed are online. Then click Next.

5. Specify the backup image file and client computers for OS deployment.

5.1. Click Browse > Add Network Location > enter the network path to select your system image file.

5.2. Select the client computers you need or click All to select all connected computers.

5.3. Input the destination disk number. If you keep only one disk in all client computers, the disk number should be 0.

5.4. Set the number of the computers to be deployed at one time. Due to LAN bandwidth limit, the more computers you input, the slower the deployment speed will be.

5.5. Click Settings to do more configurations and click OK to save settings.

• Set computer name: Set a prefixed name for the computers to be deployed.
• Set IP: Click it to preset IP address.
• Universal Restore: Choose it to deploy system to computers with different hardware.

6. Confirm your operations and then click Start Deploy. Moreover, you can choose whether to shut down or restart the client computers after OS deployment is completed.

Best Practices for Successful Multi-PC Deployment

Deploying a single Windows 10 image to multiple computers can save enormous time—if it’s done the right way. Following proven best practices ensures a smooth rollout and consistent system performance:

1. Build and Maintain a Clean Master Image

Your “golden image” should be as clean and stable as possible.

• Install only necessary apps and updates
• Remove bloatware and temporary files
• Disable startup junk and unnecessary services
• Apply all critical Windows updates
• Run Sysprep to generalize the installation

A clean, optimized master image leads to fewer driver conflicts and faster deployment.

2. Use Identical or Similar Hardware When Possible

Hardware differences are one of the biggest causes of deployment failures.

• Matching CPU, storage controllers, and chipsets improve compatibility
• Helps avoid BSOD, boot issues, and missing-driver errors
• If hardware varies, use tools with universal restore (e.g., AOMEI Image Deploy Technician)

Uniform hardware = smoother mass rollout.

3. Test the Image on At Least One Target Machine First

Never deploy to 10, 50, or 100 computers without validation.

• Test on a sacrificial or lab device
• Verify boot success, drivers, updates, and app performance
• Confirm activation behaves correctly

One successful test prevents dozens of potential failures.

4. Ensure a Stable, High-Bandwidth Network

LAN-based deployment relies heavily on your network.

• Use wired Ethernet for all machines
• Avoid Wi-Fi deployments
• Ensure DHCP is enabled (required for PXE boot)
• Reduce network congestion during deployment (avoid heavy downloads)

A strong network ensures faster, error-free image distribution.

Summary

To clone Windows 10 to multiple computers, you may resort to the best image deployment tool – AOMEI Image Deploy. It makes the process quite easy by enabling network-based, simultaneous deployment to many PCs, reducing manual work and ensuring uniform setups.

Besides the AOMEI Image Deploy tool, AOMEI Backupper offers many other useful features, such as system/disk/partition/file backup & restore, file sync, and disk wipe. Try it now to discover more!