How to Move Files from One Hard Drive to Another Easily?

Can I transfer files from one hard drive to another?

Yes, you can transfer data files from one hard drive to another. This task can be accomplished through a variety of techniques, encompassing the utilization of external hard drive connections, storage media like USB flash drives, and online cloud storage services. The appropriateness of each method depends on factors such as the nature of the data being transferred and its volume.

For instance, while a USB connection might entail prolonged durations for transferring extensive files, an online cloud storage service could expedite the process significantly. If you are seeking insights into how to effectively transfer files between hard drives, continue reading for further information.

Why move files from one hard drive to another?

Why should we move files from one hard drive to another Windows 10? If you are running your computer on a small hard drive, then, it can run out of storage space quickly. If it’s a system drive, low storage space can cause many problems including constant crashes, slow running speed, and low disk space warning.

In this case, apart from deleting large files directly, you’d better move your files from the small hard drive to a larger one; or sometimes, for safety’s sake, you consider moving files from the system drive to a data drive in case of a virus attack and other system errors which may cause data loss or make you unable to access the files.

How to move files from one hard drive to another Windows 10?

When it comes to file transfer between 2 disks, there are not many optional methods. If you still have no idea how to do it after searching on the internet, don’t worry, in the following content, we listed 2 ways to help move files from one hard drive to another in Windows.

Method 1. Manually copy and paste to move files to another drive

The easiest way for file transfer between 2 hard drives is to copy files from one hard drive and directly paste them to the other. However, this method can be only used on personal files like videos, photos, music, and a few apps.

Before we start, you must check the corresponding hard drive of every partition by using Windows' inbuilt Disk Management.

1. On the desktop, right-click on “This PC” and select “Manage”.

2. Select “Disk Management” on the left side.

3. Then, on the right side, you can find every partition and its corresponding disk.

4. Keep what you’ve seen in mind.

5. Double-click on “This PC” and open File Explorer.

6. Open the partition where the files you want to move are. Here, we take the C drive for example.

Note: Pay attention to which disk the C drive belongs to. Here, we take disk 0 for example.

7. Right-click on the files you want to move and select “Copy”.

8. Navigate to the target partition where you want to paste the files (let’s take the D drive for example), right-click on a blank area, and click on “Paste” to move the copied files to this partition.

Note: Pay attention to which disk the D drive belongs to. Here, we take disk 1 for example.

Now, you’ve successfully transferred the files from hard drive 0 to hard drive 1.

Method 2. Use third-party software to move files from one disk to another

The copy-paste method is indeed the most straightforward way to move files from one internal hard drive to another. However, as mentioned above, in this method, only personal files can be transferred. If you transfer installed apps, some boot files might be missing and the apps won’t run normally. In this case, it’s urgent to find an alternative.

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional should be the best solution. With clicks, you can transfer data folders and apps from one drive to another easily without any data loss via this disk and partition manager for Windows 11/10/8/7. And if you encounter any errors after the transfer, you can also restore these files by sending them back where they were.

Besides app transfer from one drive to another, this software also supports partition clone and disk clone which are ways to copy all the data on a partition or a hard disk to another partition or hard disk.

 Step 1. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. Then, all disks and partitions will be shown on the interface.

Step 2. Click “Free up” in the top toolbar and select “APP Mover”.

Step 3. In the new window, click “Move Folder”.

Step 4. Select the folder you want to move. Choose the location to drive under the window, and click “Move”.

Step 5. You will see a pop-up message to confirm forcibly closing running applications when moving starts. Click "OK" to begin the process.

Wait for a while, all selected folders will be moved safely.

Further reading: How to move installed apps to another drive?

If your C drive is still running out of space after shifting files, don't panic; we have a solution for you. Check to see whether any apps are installed on your C drive. Some users may have installed apps when they initially used the current device but subsequently forget about them or mistakenly install programs on the C drive.

Whatever caused you to install software on the C drive, if you need to relocate it to another drive, the "App Mover" function of AOMEI Partition Assistant is the finest tool.

Step 1. Run Partition Assistant, and select the C: drive. click “App Mover” in the Properties list.

Step 2. In the pop-up window, choose the partition that you want to free up via moving apps (here is partition C) and click “Next”.

Step 3. In the window, all movable apps on the C drive will be listed. You can choose one or multiple apps that you need to move and the destination partition. Then click “Move” to execute the operation.

Step 4. Confirm that you have closed the apps that you will move from C drive to D drive. Then, click "OK".

Step 5. Wait for the move process to complete. Then, click "Finish".

Then, you can run one of them to check if it works well.

FAQs

What is the fastest way to transfer files between hard drives?

For the swiftest data transfer between hard drives, the utilization of AOMEI Partition Assistant stands out as the optimal approach. This proficient tool streamlines the process, enabling seamless and rapid data transfer between two hard drives through a few simple clicks.

Can I move data from C drive to D drive?

Certainly, the task of transferring data and files from the C drive to the D drive can be accomplished through various solutions. One effective approach involves the utilization of a third-party tool, such as AOMEI Partition Assistant. This tool offers a seamless method for swiftly and automatically moving data, files, and programs between the designated drives.

Can I move all types of files between hard drives?

Yes, you can move almost any type of file, including documents, photos, videos, music, and more. However, some system files or files in use by running applications may not be movable while the system is active.

Conclusion

How to move files from one hard drive to another? In the tutorial above, the 2 most convenient ways have been introduced to help get it done. The first is the copy-pate method. It’s a straight way but has its own limits. The second is third-party software AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. It’s multifunctional and nearly has no limits, able to transfer any kind of files between hard drives. Select the most suitable one in terms of your own needs. It even allows users to create a Windows 11 to GO USB.

For AOMEI Partition Assistant software, if you want to use it on Server computers, please try the Server edition.