How To Move Windows 10 to SSD

Speed up your Windows system by moving it over to SSD

Table of Contents Table of Contents

We’re here to show you how to move Windows 10 to SSD (solid-state drive). You’re smart to realize that migrating your Windows 10 install from a sluggish HDD to a much speedier SSD will provide you with a increase in performance. This will counteract Windows grinding to a halt during certain tasks, as well as simply speeding up the process of using your Windows device.

SSDs are a bit more expensive than HDDs, but upgrading can be a relatively cheap way to get some extra performance out of your computer. SSDs are much more affordable these days – especially if you just want something small to move Windows 10 over to. Keep in mind though that you should always plan ahead and get more storage space than you need.

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Moving your entire operating system to another drive can seem daunting, but luckily, there are tools that really simplify this task. In this article, we are going to go over a few things you need in order for this to go smoothly. And, of course, a little step by step guide to walk you through the process.

So read on for a faster and quieter system!

Why move Windows 10 to SSD?

The days of patience are over, so a five minute loading time is widely less acceptable with SSDs featuring in most people’s PCs. Slow HDD load times can be the bane of any computer user’s life, regardless of the task and some games even perform better with an SSD.

SSDs are slowly but surely becoming more and more affordable, so it is a great time to invest and enhance your rig.

What you’ll need and preparation

Before you move Windows 10 to your SSD, you are going to need to do some sorting (unless everything is being transferred). To transfer the data in the easiest way, we are going to use a cloning tool. We will be using EaseUS Todo Backup as it is free and simple to use.

Because we are going to clone the disc, it is a good opportunity to defrag the file system first.

1. Click “Start” and type “defrag”
2. Click “Defragment and Optimize Drives”
3. Run the tool and tidy up the disc

Now your file system has been cleaned up; it is worth backing up your data. Use an external HDD if you have one. It is worth noting this may take some time depending on the amount of data you have, and it is just a precautionary step.

Once you have backed up your personal files it is time to begin the process of moving Windows 10 to your SSD. Make sure your SSD is installed, open up the EaseUS Todo Backup tool and let’s get started.

How to move Windows 10 to SSD

Step

1

Open EaseUS Todo Backup

Run the tool (EaseUS Todo Backup) and select “System Clone” from the left panel.

Step

2

Select your storage devices

Select your old storage device as the source and your new SSD as the destination (this is where your data will be transferred to) and click proceed.

Step

3

Optimize for SSD

Next, tick the box labeled “Optimize For SSD” so the partition is correctly aligned and ensures the best performance.

Click OK to save this setting and then click Proceed.

The cloning tool will now start to copy the data over. If you get an error message notifying you that the source storage is too big, you will have to go back and delete more data from the old disk.

Step

4

Enter BIOS

Once the data has been transferred, restart your PC and enter the BIOS (press F1, F2, F8, F10, or Delete during startup – your boot screen should show the correct hotkeys if one of these commons ones is not correct).

Step

5

Change boot drive

Once in your BIOS go to boot menu and select your new SSD as the new boot drive in the boot sequence/order.

Exit, save your changes and restart the PC.

How to move Windows 10 to SSD : Final word

That’s how it’s done – nice and easy. You’ll now be able to enjoy quicker loading times across your Windows system.

Now the process is complete and you have learnt how to move Windows 10 to SSD, you can start adding any backed up files back onto your system.