Tools needed

  • Macrium Reflect Free (macrium.com)
  • SATA-to-USB adapter or second SATA bay

Steps

  1. Connect the new SSD via USB adapter or install it in a second slot.
  2. Open Macrium Reflect → Select the source disk → Clone this disk.
  3. Drag all partitions to the destination SSD. Macrium automatically resizes the main partition.
  4. Schedule the clone for immediate execution.
  5. When complete, swap the physical drives — put the SSD where the HDD was.
  6. Boot and verify. Check Disk Management to confirm the SSD is using all available space.

Troubleshooting

If Windows fails to boot after swap, boot from Windows install media → Repair → Startup Repair. This fixes the BCD if the drive letter changed.