How to Clone Hard Drive Using Command Prompt for Windows 11/10/8/7

When cloning a hard drive, you may consider whether Windows has built-in tools for cloning a hard drive. Windows indeed has native tools for disk-to-disk data transfer. CMD can also help copy a partition/disk to another drive. But do you know how to clone a hard drive via CMD?

How can I clone a hard drive with CMD?
byu/Cute_Information_315 incloningsoftware

Cloning a hard drive via command prompt (CMD clone disk, clone disk CMD, or Diskpart clone disk) means having all the same contents of the first hard drive, including but not limited to files, partition tables, and the master boot record. This article will tell you how to clone hard drive using Command Prompt or how to clone disk from CMD.

Method 1. Using Xcopy Command

Xcopy is a Windows disk copy program designed to copy files and directories from one location to another. It is very convenient to copy data to and from a drive. You can use it for Xcopy drive to drive copy and to make a copy of files from one drive to another. Let's check how to clone a hard drive using Xcopy Command:

Step 1. Go to Start and type "cmd" into the search box. Then select Command Prompt (Admin) to open CMD.

Step 2. Type down xcopy c:\ f:\ /s /e /h /i /c /y and then press Enter to copy all files and subdirectories from drive C to drive D.

• /s: replicate directories and subdirectories unless they are empty. 
• /e: duplicate every subdirectory, even if it contains nothing.
• /h: duplicate files with hidden and system file attributes.
• /i: always assume the destination is a folder if in question.
• /c: keep copying even if an error occurs.
• /y: suppress prompts to confirm overwriting files.

Step 3. Wait for the process to be complete. Then exit Command Prompt.

Method 2. Using Robocopy Command

Similar to Xcopy, Robocopy offers more advanced features like mirroring, which can be useful for creating a complete copy of a drive. It is functionally more comprehensive than the COPY or XCOPY commands but replaces neither. The following is how to copy one hard drive to another using Robocopy:

Step 1. Type cmd in the search box and click Run as administrator.

Step 2. Input the command line and press Enter to copy files and folders from one disk to another.

Basic command syntax:

For example, copy all data, including subfolders and metadata, from drive E: to F:

robocopy E:\ F:\ /MIR /COPYALL /R:3 /W:5 /MT:16

• /MIR: Mirrors a directory tree from the source disk. (overwrites the destination directory security settings)
• /COPYALL: Copies all file information.
• /MT:16: Uses 16 threads for faster or quicker data transfers.
• /R:3 and /W:5: Retries 3 times with a 5-second wait when errors occur.

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Method 3. Using Copy Command

The disk copy command is an internal command of the Windows system. It is available within the Command Prompt in Windows 11/10/8/7/Vista/XP. You can also utilize the copy command to copy files from one drive to another drive. The following are the detailed steps:

Step 1. Go to Start and type "cmd" on the search bar. Then select Command Prompt (Admin) to open CMD.

Step 2. Input the following commands to copy files:

copy c:\example.txt

The "example.txt" file from the C drive will be copied to the current directory with this command. Type the following command to specify a destination: 

copy c:\example.txt d:

The "example.txt" file will then be copied from the C disk to the D drive when you give the following command: 

copy *.txt c:

There will be a copy of every text file in the current directory on the C disk.

Method 4. Using Diskpart

Diskpart is a Windows tool for managing disk partitions and performing system-level disk operations. It does not have a direct "clone" command. However, you can use Diskpart with other commands and tools to clone a disk or, more accurately, copy the contents of one disk to another.

This typically involves selecting the source and target disks, cleaning the target disk (if needed), creating partitions on the target disk, and then using other tools or commands to copy the data.

Step 1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator.

Step 2. Enter diskpart: Type diskpart and press Enter.

Step 3. List disks: Use list disk to identify the source (the disk to be cloned) and target (empty or to-be-wiped) disks.

Step 4. Select source disk: Use select disk [disk number] (replace [disk number] with the actual number).

Step 5. Clean the target disk (if needed): Use clean (This will erase all data on the selected disk).

Step 6. Select target disk: Use select disk [disk number] (replace [disk number] with the target disk number).

Step 7. Create partitions on the target disk: Use create partition primary size=[size] to create partitions that match the source disk. You can also format them with format fs=ntfs quick or format fs=fat32 quick.

Step 8. Assign drive letters: Use assign letter=[drive letter] to assign drive letters to the new partitions.

Step 9. Data copying. You can use the Xcopy (e.g., xcopy C:\ D:\ /E /H /C /I /K /Y ) to copy files from the source to the target.

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An Easier Way: Using Dedicated Disk Cloning Software

You can use any method mentioned above to clone a hard drive. A command-line interface is different from a graphical user interface (GUI) because it is text-only. More specific computer skills, more space for error, a large number of instructions, and the impossibility of solving problems through research are shortcomings of the command line interface. Therefore, it is not friendly to new computer users.

It is also worth noting that Windows does not have the feature of letting diskpart clone disk or other command lines clone a disk. Fortunately, professional disk cloning software, such as EaseUS Disk Copy, can help you cope with these problems. It can help you copy one drive to another easily and quickly.

EaseUS Disk Copy is a practical and easy-to-use disk cloning utility for Windows 11/10/8/7. It supports full disk and partition-level cloning and resizing partitions when cloning a disk and lets you transfer Windows from one SSD to another without reinstalling Windows or losing data.

Just get this powerful cloning software to copy all data, including Windows, apps, settings, and personal files, from one disk to another.

Video tutorial to clone a hard drive using the command prompt:

⏰Time Code:

00:15 - Method 1. Clone Hard Drive with Xcopy Command
02:03 - Method 2. Clone Hard Drive using Copy Command
03:08 - Method 3. Clone Hard Drive with EaseUS Disk Copy
03:59 - Summary

Step-by-step guide on how to use EaseUS Disk Copy to transfer data from one disk to another:

Prior Notice:

• The "Sector by sector copy" asks the size of your destination disk to be at least equal to or larger than that of the source disk. Leave this feature unchecked if you wish to clone a larger hard disk to a smaller hard disk.
• All data on the destination disk will be completely erased, so take care.

Step 1. To start copying/cloning an entire disk to another, choose this disk as the source disk under "Disk Mode" and click "Next".

Step 2. Choose the other disk as the destination disk.

Step 3. Check the disk layout of the two disks. You can manage the disk layout of the destination disk by selecting "Autofit the disk", "Copy as the source" or "Edit disk layout". 

• "Autofit the disk" makes some changes by default on the destination disk layout so that it can work at its best status.
• "Copy as the source"does not change anything on destination disk and the layout is the same as source disk.
• "Edit disk layout" allows you to manually resize/move partition layout on this destination disk.

Tick the "Check the option if the target is SSD" option to put your SSD in its best performance.

A message now appears, warning you that data will be lost. Please confirm this message by clicking "OK" and then click "Next".

Step 4. Click "Proceed" to officially execute the task.

To Wrap Things Up

Do you know how to clone hard drive using command prompt now? After reading, you can use any methods this article offers to copy data from one disk to another. However, it should be noted that using a command prompt to clone a hard drive requires specific computer skills and is prone to error. Therefore, to transfer data from one drive to another using CMD is hard for most ordinary people.

Under such circumstances, we suggest you use EaseUS Disk Copy to clone a hard drive. EaseUS Disk Copy is a top-notch and easy-to-use Windows cloning tool available on the market. More importantly, it can meet your different cloning demands. Just download and try it!

FAQs on Clone Hard Drive from Command Prompt

1. Does cloning a drive also clone Windows?

A cloned drive is an exact copy of the original one, including the OS and all the files for the computer to boot up and run. Just remember that cloning a drive and backing up your files are two different ways: backups only copy your files.

2. What is the fastest way to clone a hard drive?

The fastest way to clone a hard drive is to use EaseUS Disk Copy. It has an easy-to-use interface and is simple to operate, saving you a lot of time and effort. You can clone a disk to a larger disk to get greater capacity or clone a hard drive to a smaller SSD.

3. What is the difference between a system clone and a disk clone?

Disk clone is a process of copying the entire disk. All data stored on the drive will be transferred, including the OS, applications, drivers, and personal files. On the other hand, a system clone copies only the system partition and system-related partition, such as the EFI system partition and recovery partition.

4. Does cloning a drive make it bootable?

You have two options: directly cloning one disk to another or creating an image of a disk. Cloning a drive lets you boot from the second disk, which is excellent for migrating from one drive to another.