Macrium Reflect
Reddit take
AI summary of the Reddit excerpts below — not a quote
Macrium Reflect is a highly recommended tool for cloning drives, particularly when upgrading to a new SSD or NVMe boot drive. It is favored for its ability to migrate an entire operating system and configuration without requiring a fresh install. While the software has transitioned toward a paid model, users frequently suggest using trials or older free versions for one-off migrations. It generally handles partition resizing well, though some users have reported rare issues with driver migration and image verification failures.
Pros
- Simplifies drive cloning for SSD upgrades, avoiding manual file moves
- Capable of expanding storage partitions to fill larger drives during the cloning process
- Trial and older free versions remain effective for one-off system migrations
- Saves significant time compared to reinstalling and reconfiguring Windows and applications
Cons
- Current versions are primarily paid, leading users to seek out older 'free' versions
- Occasional reports of missing drivers (such as GPU drivers) after a successful clone
- Image verification can fail with hash mismatches even on systems that appear stable in other tasks
Caveats
- While cloning is convenient, some community members still consider a fresh OS install the 'ideal' method for system upgrades
- Users often recommend downloading specific older versions (like those hosted on MajorGeeks) to access features no longer free in the current version
Best for
- Users upgrading their boot drive to a larger SSD
- Migrating a full system configuration to new hardware without data loss
Avoid if
- You prefer a completely clean OS environment to clear out software bloat
- You are uncomfortable using older, unsupported software versions to avoid licensing fees
This summary uses balanced time weighting with about a 6-month half-life. The evidence comes from a 6-month window (median age 183 days) and is primarily sourced from r/buildapc.
Sentiment
12 positive (71%) · 1 mixed (6%) · 4 negative (24%)
Trust + time weighted score: +59% · raw score 47%
What redditors said (10 of 17)
try cloning software like Macrium Reflect or EaseUS Todo. they’ll copy everything over easily without manual moves.
And yeahh I'm going to try and clone everything onto the new drive with Macrium Reflect when the time comes!
the best thing you can do is get an adapter for your new ssd, and use a software like Macrium reflect to fully clone the drive.
Yeah, it is really ideal to do a fresh install, but honestly I've done clones for all of my system upgrades (mostly laptops) because it is indeed a huge pain to reinstall and reconfigure everything.
You can get the last free version of Macrium Reflect from Major Geeks and it still works great as well.
Get yourself an older version of Macrium Reflect. There should be versions of it on the internet still floating around, ( the newer versions are paid and largely don't help much more ).
Clonezilla or Macrium Reflect can clone all the data from your old drive to the new one.
I use the macrium trial version and never had issues. Only need to clone for boot drives, not game drives.
clone your current one using Macrium Reflect to a different drive and then do a full wipe and reload.
Regarding the storage expansion with Gparted - I don't believe Macrium had the option to expand before so that's why I've suggested it. I probably need to update my program...
Compare
Macrium Reflect vs PCPartPickerMacrium Reflect vs NVIDIA DLSSMacrium Reflect vs HWiNFO64
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