Complete Guide: Save Your Data Using the Best Free Cloning Tools

What is cloning tool? Why is it important?

Cloning is a way to make an uncompressed duplicate of a hard disk in your system on another drive. The cloning tools are used as a precautionary measure to ensure your data and system settings are not lost. With the help of cloning software, you can easily switch the existing hard drive to SSD, substitute, or faulty drive. Cloning your drive allows you to save system data and installed software.

The best free cloning tools to save your data

There are a lot of different cloning programs that can help you deal with your problems. But we highlighted the top 5 cloning tools that can be of great help for you. Keep reading to find out the key points about them as well as their advantages and disadvantages.

Clonezilla

Clonezilla is one of the best cloning software as it enables disk imaging and is very light on resources. This tool is available in two versions. Clonezilla Live is designed for the home users and is ideal for a single PC while SE is a business-oriented version that allows cloning of over 50 machines simultaneously. The software supports several systems as well as GPT/MBR partition formats. Moreover, it can clone different OS, such as Minix, Chromium, and NetBSD. If you are conversant with Debian/Linux, you’ll like this impressive feature.

Pros

• Offers fast restoration speed;
• Supports Linux OS and Windows OS;
• Gives you the opportunity to clone, partition, and perform disk imaging;
• Operates from optical media or USB drive.

Cons

• Not one of the best UI.

Acronis Disk Director

This free and reliable cloning tool is a top-quality cloning software that works on Windows OS only. Acronis makes the best software for cloning and other impressive things, such as formatting, creating, and labelling partitions. You can also resize, split, and merge volumes.  You can format your disk to any format, including FAT32/16, NTFS, Linux, Reiser3, Exts, Ext3, or SWAP. All Windows versions are supported.

Pros

• Supports UEFI;
• Supports several disk services and formats;
• Easy to use;
• Many backup tools;
• Free demo available.

Cons

• Not compatible with other OS apart from Windows;
• The demo version is limited.

Paragon Backup & Recovery Free

This is one of the best programs to back up and restore data on your home computer. It is reliable and comes with impressive features. It has been in the market for many years, and so this cloning tool is almost ideal and compatible with any version of Windows. It features a unique backup capsule that allows you to store your backup data on a local hard disk in a concealed partition for fast recovery when the active portion fails. It comes with WinPE and Linux bootable recovery media options. It is one of the best free and reliable cloning tools.

Pros

• Allows cloning to a small drive;
• Gives you the opportunity to clone the entire disk;
• Enables you to resize portions through disk cloning;
• Well-designed help wizard.

Cons

• It can be slow.

MiniTool Partition Wizard

This is another great program that offers free cloning services to the home users. It also includes a paid version called Minitool Partition Wizard Pro that comes with extra bells and whistles. But do you think you need this? The free version allows you to clone your disk as you benefit from other features. For the beginners, this software is a robust partition manager that will help you manage portions, align SSD partition, and check your file systems. It also allows you to change MBR to GPT, transfer your OS to another SSD/HDD, or even clone the whole disk. If you are using Windows, MiniTool Partition Wizard is the best choice since it supports any Windows version that is higher than XP.

Pros

• Supports FAT12/16/32, exFAT, NTFS, Ext2/3/4;
• Allows you to restore lost partitions;
• Comes with an in-built space analyzer;
• Features a portable mode;
• Great for the Windows home users;
• Easy installation;
• Intuitive and friendly UI;
• Numerous data recovery features.

Cons

• Compatible with Windows only;
• The free version cannot manage dynamic disks.

Macrium Reflect

It is a widely-known cloning software for commercial and personal use. Apart from cloning services, Macrium Reflect provides free backup services and disk imaging in the free edition. It also has a 30-day trial that lets you test all the essential features available in the enterprise version. The software is an easy-to-use top quality direct disk cloning service. You can also restore non-boosting systems using the free version and schedule backups or make live photos of your operating system. Furthermore, you can add cool security features such as back-encryption and ransomware protection. Note that these features will cost you some bucks. The program supports various file systems, such as exFAT, FAT12/16/32, HFS+, NTFS, and ReFS.

Pros

• Numerous features;
• Malware protection;
• Intuitive and easy-to-use interface;
• Enough and robust backup;
• The free version is enough for HDD cloning or disk imaging;
• It can support all versions of Windows and Linux OS.

Cons

• No cons for the free version.

Final Words

If you’ve been searching for the best backup solutions to help you clone your hard disk, look no more. These free and reliable cloning tools will give you the solution you’ve been looking for. Some of these programs are more powerful than others. Some apps will help you perform a bit-for-bit copy while others will let you make a complete ISO of your operating system. Some are compatible with Windows only while others can support any OS. What matters is that you get software that fits your skills as well as needs. Getting a cloning software for your PC is mandatory if you intend to clone your disk or create an image. It allows you to restore, clone, copy, or even make portions on your drive and restore data on any of your HDD or PC any time you want.

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• Tags: cloning tools, data, hard disk, PC