How to Clone M.2 SSD to Larger M.2 SSD on Windows 11

Your laptop comes with an M.2 SSD, and it is running out of space, so you’re planning to upgrade to a larger M.2 SSD? If you want an easier upgrade process without losing data or reinstalling Windows, disk cloning would be a great option. This post will show you how to clone an M.2 SSD to a larger M.2 SSD in Windows 11.

Part 1: Prepare the larger M.2 SSD

Now that you’ve got a new, larger M.2 SSD that is compatible with your computer, the first thing you should do is attach it correctly to your computer and ensure it is recognized and displayed on Windows 11.

You will need to install the larger M.2 SSD into the M.2 slot inside your PC or connect it externally to your PC via a USB adapter, depending on whether your PC has two M.2 slots or only one.

Step 1: Install the larger M.2 SSD

If your computer’s motherboard comes with two or more M.2 slots, you can install the larger M.2 SSD into one of the M.2 slots.

If your computer has only one M.2 slot, you will need to use a USB to M.2 adapter or enclosure to connect the larger M.2 SSD to one of your computer’s USB ports.

Step 2: Initialize the larger M.2 SSD

After installing (or externally attaching) your new, larger M.2 SSD to your computer, you’ll need to initialize it before you can clone your old M.2 SSD to it.

To do this, log in to Windows 11, open the Disk Management tool, and a dialogue box titled Initialize Disk will appear. Select your M.2 SSD in this dialogue, select a partition style for it, and then click OK. The new, larger M.2 SSD will be initialized.

In the Disk Management window, right-click on the area where the new, larger M.2 SSD you just initialized is situated, and select New Simple Volume from the context menu. Then, follow the pop-up wizard to create a volume on the M.2 SSD.

Go to This PC, and you should see your new, larger M.2 SSD show up in the drives list. You can then head to the next step to clone your old M.2 SSD to the larger M.2 SSD.

Part 2: Clone M.2 SSD to larger M.2 SSD

All you need is the disk cloning utility iSumsoft Cloner to complete this process. This is a powerful yet easy-to-use disk cloning tool that can clone partitions, Windows operating systems, and entire hard disks. It works for a broad variety of HDDs and SDDs, regardless of manufacturer or interface. It can also copy data between different types of SSD, such as cloning a SATA SSD to an M.2 NVME SSD.

First, download and install iSumsoft Cloner on your Windows 11 computer. When you launch the program, it will automatically detect all the drives connected to your computer. Then, all you have to do is adhere to the instructions below to clone your old M.2 SSD to your new, larger M.2 SSD.

1. On iSumsoft Cloner, select the Disk Clone option at the top.
2. Select your original, smaller M.2 SSD as the source disk, and select your new, larger M.2 SSD as the target disk.
3. Click the Start button in the bottom right corner, and click Yes when you are prompted to start cloning. The software will begin cloning your old, smaller M.2 SSD to your new, larger M.2 SSD.

4. All that remains is to wait for the cloning to be completed. Depending on the extent of the data on your old M.2 SSD, this can take anything from a few minutes to 30 minutes.

Part 3: Boot from the larger M.2 SSD

Now that you’ve cloned your old M.2 SSD to your larger M.2 SSD, you must ensure that your computer boots from the larger M.2 SSD.

If your computer has only one M.2 slot, now is the moment to take out your old, smaller M.2 SSD and replace it with the larger M.2 SSD. Then, when you restart your computer, it will automatically boot from the larger M.2 SSD.

If your computer has two M.2 slots, you must now alter the boot order manually to guarantee that your computer boots from the larger M.2 SSD. This is the procedure:

1. Restart your computer, and when the first screen appears, immediately hold down F12 (Esc or F8, depending on the brand of your computer) until a menu appears, prompting you to select a boot device.
2. In the menu, select your larger M.2 SSD as the boot device and confirm. Your computer will then boot from the larger M.2 SSD.

The larger M.2 SSD will operate flawlessly with everything cloned from the older M.2 SSD, including the Windows 11 OS, apps, and your personal files. After ensuring everything functions normally, you can format your old, smaller M.2 SSD to sell it or utilize it as a data storage device.

Wrapping Up

If your computer is equipped with a low-capacity M.2 SSD, you may want to upgrade to a larger M.2 SSD in order to increase storage space and boost computer performance. However, replacing an SSD typically entails backing up your data and reinstalling Windows, which is a cumbersome and time-consuming process. If you hope to circumvent this hassle, cloning your smaller M.2 SSD to a larger M.2 SSD using a specialized disk cloning tool like iSumsoft Cloner is a great solution.

Disclosure: This Post is Sponsored by iSumsoft.