Free Download Windows Easy Transfer Windows 11 | Effectively Transfer Your Data

This post will share an ideal alternative of Windows Easy Transfer for Windows 11. You can easily move the OS or data on disks with an effective method.

Irene

By Irene / Updated on September 1, 2023

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What is Windows Easy Transfer?

Windows Easy Transfer is a tool created by Microsoft. Its job is to help you move your files and settings from an old Windows computer to a new one. For instance, if you're using Windows Vista, XP, 7, and you're getting a new computer with Windows 8, 8.1, or another newer version, this tool can be quite handy.

You can connect the old and new computers with a special cable, a USB drive, an external hard drive, or even through your home network to transfer specific data. Usually, things like your documents, pictures, music, emails, and the way your computer is set up can be transferred. However, Windows Easy Transfer relied on older technology that wasn't well-suited to modern data transfer demands. Due to its limitations, there was a higher risk of data loss or corruption during the transfer process.

windows easy transfer

This is useful when you're getting a new computer and you want all your important stuff to be on it, just like it was on your old computer. It also works well when you're putting a fresh version of Windows on your computer and you don't want to set everything up from scratch.

Does Windows Easy Transfer work on Windows 11?

Regrettably, Windows Easy Transfer has been discontinued and is no longer available in recent Windows versions. Microsoft suggests other ways to move data and settings. Users of Windows 10 and 11 can't use this feature and need to explore an alternative. Regarding this discontinuation, people have speculated about its reasons and identified limitations causing inconvenience.

It cannot support transferring data from a 64-bit system to a 32-bit system.

This function exclusively transfers data from Windows 7 and 8, but it doesn't support Windows Vista or other Windows 8.1 computers. To migrate data from Windows 8.1, the only viable option is using a USB connection.

The tool does not support moving applications, meaning users had to reinstall programs on the new system.
Users couldn't easily select specific files or folders to transfer, often resulting in transferring more data than necessary.
Some newer file types and configurations were not supported by Windows Easy Transfer.

Therefore, the alternative should avoid those limitations and bring more advanced experience for Windows 10 and Windows 11 users. 

The best tool for Windows 11 Easy Transfer

To meet modern data transfer demands, it is recommended to try AOMEI Partition Assistant Standard. Its Disk Clone feature can break the limitations of Windows Easy Transfer, and bring advanced experience for data transferring. This Windows 11 easy transfer software can safely migrate all OS files and system-related partitions to the target disk without reinstalling, which allows you to use the familiar system on a new device in a short time.

With AOMEI Partition Assistant, you can enjoy: 
✍ AOMEI Partition Assistant can be compatible with almost all Windows versions, including Windows 11/10/8/8.1/7/XP/Vista, while Windows Easy Transfer can only support Windows Vista/ XP/7/8/8.1
✍ It can move files, folders, programs, applications, and operating system. But Windows Easy transfer can only transfer simple files and computer settings. For daily backup, you can rely on this tool as well.
✍ This software provides different cloning methods that allow users to choose to clone the entire disk or partial parts, avoiding resource waste.
✍ It has no file type limitations.
✍ It is far more than a data transfer tool. You can also use it for daily computer management like extending C drive space or solving computer issues on your own.

Notice: Kindly note that cloning the system disk is only available to the Professional Edition. You can upgrade to it and explore more advanced functions.

Download Freeware Win 11/10/8.1/8/7/XP
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Now, I will show you how to clone to SSD.  Before starting, we need to do some preparations in advance to ensure that there are no issues during the cloning process.

Preparations:
Firstly, connect the new SSD to your PC and make sure it can be detected. If your PC has no extra disk bay for it, you need a USB-to-SSD cable.
 The capacity of the new SSD should not be smaller than the used space of your current disk.
Please initialize the SSD if it's new. When setting the partition style, please set the partition style (MBR or GPT) as the same as the HDD. 

Then, you can follow the guide about how to clone HDD to SSD in Windows 11, 10, 8, and 7. 

Step 1. Run the installed Windows 11 Easy Transfer. From the top pane, click "Clone" > "Clone Disk" in turn.

Step 2. In this window, you need to choose a copying method to clone to SSD. Here "Clone Disk Quickly" is selected.

▪ Clone Disk Quickly: Only copies the used space of the source disk to SSD. The destination SSD should be larger than the used space of the source disk and can be smaller than the source disk.
▪ Sector-by-Sector Clone: Copies all sectors of the source disk to SSD no matter it is used or not. The target SSD should be larger than the source HDD or SSD.

Step 3. Select the disk that needs to be migrated as the source disk.

Step 4. Choose the new SSD as your destination disk. Tick the box before "Optimize the performance of SSD" to make SSD 4K alignment.

Step 5. Here you can adjust the partition size on the destination disk. When cloning to a smaller disk, the first option will be greyed out.

Clone without resizing partitions: Keep the size of source partitions.
Fit partitions to the entire disk: Adjust the partition size automatically to fit the whole target disk.
Edit partitions on this disk: Change partition size manually on the destination disk as you like.

Step 6. You’ll get a note on how to boot from the destination disk after cloning. Keep it in mind and click “Finish”.

Step 7. In the home interface, click “Apply” and “Proceed” to commit the operation.

Further reading: How to move operating system only with Windows 11 Easy Transfer

Sometimes, you might prefer to solely relocate the operating system to the new drive without allocating significant storage space to the old data. If you have upgraded to AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional, you can directly use its another practical feature, "Migrate OS to SSD". It ensures that both the Windows operating system and all your files continue to function exactly as they did before. What's more, it allows for a 4K alignment on the destination SSD drive during migration to enhance SSD performance. If you are Windows Server user, please choose the Server Edition for compatibility.

migrate os to ssd

Conclusion

About Windows 11 easy transfer, we share a powerful tool, AOMEI Partition Assistant in this post. Its other advanced features can also play a significant role in partition management in creating, formatting, deleting, cloning, resizing, or moving. It also boasts the features of secure erasing SSD to protect your privacy, moving certain software, allocating free space, etc.

Irene
Irene · Staff Editor
Irene is an Editor of AOMEI Technology. She devotes herself in giving insightful thoughts on common computer problems with simple and clear guidance. Irene loves to help people solve problems and explore more solutions on relevant issues. She loves reading, singing and travelling.