This free and open source cloning software also allows disk imaging and is incredibly light on resources. There are two versions of the software available: Clonezilla Live, which is aimed at home-users and works great on a single computer, and the business-oriented SE version, which can clone software on more than forty machines simultaneously. The best thing to do is to try all DVD Copy Software for OSX listed above and find the one that suits your needs. So take your time, download all dvd copy software, and choose the best MAC dvd copy application for burning your dvds. The software has a Mac Clone Utility Tool which clones the hard disk bit-by-bit. This would make the process of upgrading a disk or replacing it much easier and hassle free. The tool also allows the user to migrate their Mac Data from HDD or SDD with much ease. MAC DVD Copy software, free download of the best DVD Copy Software for MAC. AnyMP4 DVD Copy for Mac - Make a DVD disc from one and another in 1:1 ratio. Backup DVD protected movies into Mac hard disk or ISO. Copy Full Protected Disc, Main Movies or titles you specified. Compress DVD-9 to DVD-5 in high quality. Strong DVD Copying Functions.

Summary :

What is the best free drive copy software? MiniTool Partition Wizard is the best hard drive cloning software which can be used to clone hard drive easily and safely. Download the free cloning software now and have a try!

Why Clone Hard Drive?

Disk cloning is very useful in hard drive management. Simply put, disk cloning copies the complete contents of a hard drive, including the files, the partition tables and the MBR to another location.

It is worth mentioning that when you clone a hard drive, both the source disk and the target disk can be used directly, which is regarded as a simple, direct duplicate (however, cloning is different from copy & paste, check Clone VS. Copy & Paste for the detail).

Free Disk Clone For Mac

In the following situations, you may consider hard drive cloning:

• To upgrade to larger hard drivewhen the current hard drive is too small and cannot meet your data storage requirements any longer. For example, you meet the 'low disk space' issue but all partitions are almost full.
• To upgrade hard drive to more advanced SSD to enjoy smooth computer performance. This is extremely useful for those who want to upgrade system disk, as SSD offers faster read-write speed.
• You have a batch of computers (with the same configuration) to be installed. To avoid installing all computers one by one, you can install only one at first and then turn to hard drive cloning software to save effort and time.
• To make an exact hard drive backup. Through free disk cloning, you get a copy of disk backup and avoid the trouble of data restoration when the backup copy is needed.

So the conclusion here is that if you are upgrading your hard drive to a larger one, or replacing it due to a physical failure, cloning hard drive is the easiest method to complete that task. Besides, doing hard drive cloning reduces the risk of any accidental data loss.

Recommended Hard Drive Cloning Utility

Since hard drive cloning is significant, you must be wondering: which is the best free drive copy software? In my opinion, MiniTool Partition Wizard is the top recommendation. I will give you my explanation.

Developed by MiniTool Solution Ltd., MiniTool Partition Wizard is regarded as the best disk cloning software for Windows users, including those who are running 32/64 bits Windows 10, Windows 8, and Windows7.

As free hard drive cloning software, MiniTool Partition Wizard offers two ways to clone hard drives for hard drive upgrade or data backup, including 'Copy Disk' and 'Migrate OS to SSD/HD' (if you only want to clone the system).

All you have to do is put the new drive in the computer as a slave or secondary drive and use this disk cloning software to clone the old drive to the new one. Once the process is complete, switch the new drive to the primary and then you are good to go (for hard drive upgrade).

Just press the button to have free hard drive cloning software downloaded! The free edition is flexible to copy any non-system disk; while to copy your system disk, you will need to upgrade to a more advanced edition.

Free Disk Cloner For Mac

Knowing what MiniTool Partition Wizard is, let's have a look on how to clone a hard drive by using MiniTool Partition Wizard. Here we just take clone hard drive Windows 10 for example, and MiniTool Partition Wizard Free Edition should be the right choice.

1. To use 'Copy Disk Wizard', both the source disk and target disk must be basic disks.
2. The target disk will be cleaned during the cloning process. Please make sure it can be cleaned; otherwise transfer data out at first.

Step 1. Run MiniTool Partition Wizard to the main interface, then you can see all your hard drives connected to this PC are shown in the middle panel and some operable features are listed in the left panel. Now, select Copy Disk feature to clone hard drive.

Step 2. Here you need to select the target disk (must be basic disk) and click Next to continue. Make sure you know which drive you are cloning to so you do not overwrite the wrong drive.

Step 3. Here come the copy options. If you are copying from a GPT disk, you are able to see 2 options. (4 options when you are cloning an MBR disk, see details here.)

• Fit partitions to entire disk: all partitions will be cloned to the target disk and take up its full capacity according to the partition size proportion.
• Copy partitions without resize: all partitions will be cloned to the target disk according to the original partition size. This option is available when the target disk is large enough to hold all partitions on the source disk.

After you have made the copy options, you can customize each partition size according to your own preference. Then click Next to go on.

Step 4. Then you can see a note which reads 'To boot from the new disk, please configure computer BIOS settings. Make sure the new disk is configured as the default boot disk.' Please keep this in mind if you are cloning the system disk before you click Finish.

Step 5. Finally, you need to press the Apply button located on the toolbar to start hard drive cloning.

For a more intuitive guidance, please watch this video:

Don't hesitate to have a try on this free cloning software now!

RECOMMEND:

Want to know more information about how to successfully boot computer from the new hard drive? Now, you can find answers from our previous post: 2 Ways to Boot from New Hard Drive after Copying Disk or Migrating OS.

In fact, MiniTool also puts forward another free cloning software to clone hard drives which is called MiniTool ShadowMaker. Although it is mainly designed for Windows backup, it also comes with useful Clone Disk feature. To get the details of how to use this disk cloning software, you are suggested to read Clone OS from HDD to SSD.

Tips for Cloning Your Hard Drive

Now you know how to clone hard drive by using MiniTool free cloning software. Here I would like to put forward some tips to help you deal with cloning issue better.

• Don't just copy & paste files to another location on your hard disk if you are leading the operating system. Use professional disk cloning software like MiniTool Partition Wizard to help you.
• Use another hard drive, especially an external hard drive for your backup copies, because there is less chance of losing/damaging computer and external hard drive at the same time.
• At least one cloning copy should be kept well. Don't erase the current backup unless you are going to create a new one.
• If you use your computer frequently, back up your data often. Having a recent backup is always good for data recovery. Apart from hard drive cloning software, professional disk imaging software is also recommended to save effort.

Further Reading: Cloning VS. Imaging

When dealing with backup issue, cloning or imaging is always the question asked by many users. Many people choose to make a disk image, while many prefer hard drive cloning. Before I state my opinion, I would like to start with cloning VS. imaging.

One may ask, 'what the heck is the difference between cloning and imaging?'

Imaging is frequently used for preventative backup, which means you never know when you need the backup image for data restoration. Today most disk imaging software offer schedule backup feature, and you can set to back up daily, weekly, or monthly. Besides, incremental backup and differential backup are provided, making it possible to save hard disk space.

If something bad happens, you can have the original image for restoration purposes without having to reinstall Windows and other applications.

Disk cloning is more significant for hard drive replacement or hard drive upgrading, which means probably you will use the destination disk right away. When you clone a hard drive, actually you are cloning the entire contents of the drive instead of creating an image file.

The only issue you need to concern is that you need to have another physical hard drive that is large enough to contain all data in the original drive. During the cloning process, all contents on the target disk will be cleaned so be sure that you are operating the right disk.

The conclusion here is: although cloning and imaging both back up and restore data, whether to choose cloning or imaging all depends on what you want to accomplish. In a word, for frequent backup issue, imaging software is better; for hard drive upgrading issue, free hard drive cloning software should be given the priority.

Summary

In this post, I mainly tell why you need to clone hard drive, which tool is the best disk cloning software, how to use it to clone hard drive, the differences between cloning and imaging, and several tips on hard drive cloning. Hope all these information is helpful in dealing with your hard drive cloning issues.

Now it's your turn to have a try. Just download the best free drive copy software and start cloning hard drive. I believe you can do everything smoothly as long as you follow this guide correctly. For any suggestions or questions towards using MiniTool software, please contact [email protected] or leave us comments below. Much appreciated!

Disk Utility User Guide

You can use Disk Utility to create a disk image, which is a file that contains other files and folders.

Note: You can burn information to a CD or DVD using the Burn command in the Finder. See Burn CDs and DVDs.

Create a blank disk image for storage

You can create an empty disk image, add data to it, then use it to create disks, CDs, or DVDs.

1. In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, choose File > New Image > Blank Image.

2. Enter a filename for the disk image, add tags if necessary, then choose where to save it.

   This is the name that appears in the Finder, where you save the disk image file before opening it.

3. In the Name field, enter the name for the disk image.

   This is the name that appears on your desktop and in the Finder sidebar, after you open the disk image.

4. In the Size field, enter a size for the disk image.

5. Click the Format pop-up menu, then choose the format for the disk:

   • If the disk image will be used with a Mac that has a solid state drive (SSD) and uses macOS 10.13 or later, choose APFS or APFS (Case-sensitive).

   • If the disk image will be used with a Mac with macOS 10.12 or earlier, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled).

   • If the disk image will be used with a Mac or Windows computer and is 32 GB or less, choose MS-DOS (FAT); if it’s over 32 GB, choose ExFAT.

6. To encrypt the disk image, click the Encryption pop-up menu, then choose an encryption option.

7. Click the Partitions pop-up menu, then choose a partition layout.

8. Click the Image Format pop-up menu, then choose an option:

   • Sparse bundle disk image: Same as a sparse disk image (below), but the directory data for the image is stored differently. Uses the .sparsebundle file extension.

   • Sparse disk image: Creates an expandable file that shrinks and grows as needed. No additional space is used. Uses the .sparseimage file extension.

   • Read/write disk image: Allows you to add files to the disk image after it’s created. Uses the .dmg file extension.

   • DVD/CD master: Changes the size of the image to 177 MB (CD 8 cm). Uses the .cdr file extension.

9. Click Save, then click Done.

   Disk Utility creates the disk image file where you saved it in the Finder and mounts its disk icon on your desktop and in the Finder sidebar.

10. In the Finder, copy your files to the mounted disk image, then eject it.

11. Restore the disk image to a disk.

    For more information about disk image types, see the manual (man) page for hdiutil.

Create a disk image from a disk or connected device

You can create a disk image that includes the data and free space on a physical disk or connected device, such as a USB device. For example, if a USB device or volume is 80 GB with 10 GB of data, the disk image will be 80 GB in size and include data and free space. You can then restore that disk image to another volume.

1. In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, select a disk, volume, or connected device in the sidebar.

2. Choose File > New Image, then choose “Image from [device name].”

3. Enter a filename for the disk image, add tags if necessary, then choose where to save it.

   This is the name that appears in the Finder, where you save the disk image file before opening it.

4. Click the Format pop-up menu, then choose an option:

   • Read-only: The disk image can’t be written to, and is quicker to create and open.

   • Compressed: Compresses data, so the disk image is smaller than the original data. The disk image is read-only.

   • Read/write: Allows you to add files to the disk image after it’s created.

   • DVD/CD master: Can be used with third-party apps. It includes a copy of all sectors of the disk image, whether they’re used or not. When you use a master disk image to create other DVDs or CDs, all data is copied exactly.

5. To encrypt the disk image, click the Encryption pop-up menu, then choose an encryption option.

6. Click Save, then click Done.

   Disk Utility creates the disk image file where you saved it in the Finder and mounts its disk icon on your desktop and in the Finder sidebar.

Important: Don’t create a disk image of a disk that you believe to be failing or that contains corrupted information. The disk image may not serve as a reliable backup.

For technical information about creating a restore disk image, see the Apple Software Restore (ASR) manual (man) page.

Create a disk image from a folder or connected device

You can create a disk image that contains the contents of a folder or connected device, such as a USB device. This method doesn’t copy a device’s free space to the disk image. For example, if a USB device or volume is 80 GB with 10 GB of data, the disk image will be 10 GB in size and include only data, not free space. You can then restore that disk image to another volume.

1. In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, choose File > New Image, then choose Image from Folder.

2. Select the folder or connected device in the dialog that appears, then click Open.

3. Enter a filename for the disk image, add tags if necessary, then choose where to save it.

   This is the name that appears in the Finder, where you save the disk image file before opening it.

4. To encrypt the disk image, click the Encryption pop-up menu, then choose an encryption option.

5. Click the Image Format pop-up menu, then choose an option:

   • Read-only: The disk image can’t be written to, and is quicker to create and open.

   • Compressed: Compresses data, so the disk image is smaller than the original data. The disk image is read-only.

   • Read/write: Allows you to add files to the disk image after it’s created.

   • DVD/CD master: Can be used with third-party apps. It includes a copy of all sectors of the disk image, whether they’re used or not. When you use a master disk image to create other DVDs or CDs, all data is copied exactly.

   • Hybrid image (HFS+/ISO/UDF): This disk image is a combination of disk image formats and can be used with different file system standards, such as HFS, ISO, and UDF.

6. Click Save, then click Done.

   Disk Utility creates the disk image file where you saved it in the Finder and mounts its disk icon on your desktop and in the Finder sidebar.

For technical information about creating a restore disk image, see the Apple Software Restore (ASR) manual (man) page.

Create a secure disk image

If you have confidential documents that you don’t want others to see without your permission, you can put them in an encrypted disk image.

Note: If you want to protect the contents of the system disk, turn on FileVault using the FileVault pane of Security & Privacy Preferences.

1. In the Disk Utility app on your Mac, choose File > New Image > Blank Image.

2. Enter a filename for the disk image, add tags if necessary, then choose where to save it.

   This is the name that appears in the Finder, where you save the disk image file before opening it.

3. In the Name field, enter the name for the disk image.

   This is the name that appears on your desktop and in the Finder sidebar, after you open the disk image.

4. In the Size field, enter a size for the disk image.

5. Click the Format pop-up menu, then choose a format:

   • If you’re using the encrypted disk image with a Mac computer using macOS 10.13 or later, choose APFS or APFS (Case-sensitive).

   • If you’re using the encrypted disk image with a Mac computer using macOS 10.12 or earlier, choose Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or Mac OS Extended (Case-sensitive, Journaled).

6. Click the Encryption pop-up menu, then choose an encryption option.

7. Enter and re-enter a password to unlock the disk image, then click Choose.

   WARNING: If you forget this password, you won’t be able to open the disk image and view any of the files.

8. Use the default settings for the rest of the options:

   • Click the Partitions pop-up menu, then choose Single partition - GUID Partition Map.

   • Click the Image Format pop-up menu, then choose “read/write” disk image.

9. Click Save, then click Done.

   Disk Utility creates the disk image file where you saved it in the Finder and mounts its disk icon on your desktop and in the Finder sidebar.

10. In the Finder , copy the documents you want to protect to the disk image.

11. If you want to erase the original documents so they can’t be recovered, drag them to the Trash, then choose Finder > Empty Trash.

When you’re finished using the documents on the secure disk image, be sure to eject the disk image. As long as it’s available on your desktop, anyone with access to your computer can use the documents on it.

To access the data in a disk image, double-click it. It appears on your desktop, and you can add, remove, and edit files on it just as you would with a disk.