How to Replace C Drive with Larger SSD in Windows 11/10

Why Replace C Drive with Larger SSD/Drive

Usually, C drive is the primary partition that contains the Windows operating system, related system files, programs, and their related files. C drive plays a crucial role in running the OS and apps. But sometimes you need to replace C drive with an SSD or drive, see three common cases:

1. The C drive is on an HDD that works worse and worse over time. To get a speed boost, upgrading the hard drive to an SSD could be optimal.
2. Your C drive runs out of space and you need a larger drive to replace C drive to gain more storage capacity.
3. Your current drive faces hardware malfunction and you cannot fix it.

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Choose a Proper SSD or HDD

An SSD and HDD can be used the storage devices on a PC. But an SSD is recommended since it offers faster data read and write speed and replacing C drive with an SSD can make your computer run more smoothly and faster. Besides, an SSD doesn’t have moving parts, so it is more reliable – less likely to fail due to physical shock.

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If you consider the larger storage capacity, an HDD is an option. But you can neglect this point since SSDs now are designed to offer much storage space to satisfy your needs. Maybe the price is the one you consider.

Moreover, when choosing an SSD, pay attention to its form factor and make sure your PC supports this type of SSD. To know different SSDs, refer to this guide – Different Types of SSD: Which One Is More Suitable for You.

How to Replace C Drive with Larger SSD

How to replace C drive without losing data? You can try two ways – back up the entire C drive and restore the system to a new drive or directly clone C drive to an SSD. We recommend doing this thing via disk cloning since it copies the entire system disk to another drive, including system files, registry items, settings, apps, personal files, and other disk data.

MiniTool ShadowMaker can help you do that without losing data. As a professional PC backup software, it not only supports backing up files, folders, disks, & partitions but also enables you to easily clone a hard drive to another hard disk. In cloning HDD to SSD, MiniTool ShadowMaker plays an important role. Now, get this tool and install it on Windows 11/10/8.1/8/7 for a trial.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

How to replace C drive with a larger SSD? It isn’t as simple as swapping out the drive and you should follow these steps for this task:

Step 1: Connect the SSD to your PC and make sure it is detected by Disk Management. If you use a M.2 SSD or SATA SSD, respectively use an M.2 to USB adapter or a USB to SATA adapter to connect it externally.

Step 2: Make sure the important files in this SSD have been backed up.

Step 3: Launch MiniTool ShadowMaker and click Keep Trial.

Step 4: Go to Tools > Clone Disk.

Step 5: Choose a source drive and target drive.

Step 6: Since cloning a system disk is a paid feature, you need to register this software and then start the cloning disk.

Step 7: After the cloning, shut down your PC, replace the old drive, and put the new SSD in the original place. Then, boot the system from an SSD to enjoy a fast speed.

Verdict

If you are looking for an answer to the question “how to replace C drive with larger drive/SSD in Windows 11/10”, now you find the way. MiniTool software can help you a lot in replacing C drive without losing data. Follow the given guide for this task with ease.