Move a Partition to Another Hard Drive: Complete Guide

Moving a partition to another hard drive is essential when upgrading storage, replacing a failing disk, or reorganizing disk layout. This guide explains how to move data partitions, EFI/recovery partitions, and OS volumes safely using proven methods.

Note: If you want to move a partition — whether it is a data partition or an EFI/Recovery partition — and there is unallocated space on the same disk, you can use the free tool Partition Resizer to move the partition without data loss. Check the guide here: How to Move a Partition.

(Note: The EFI partition is always bundled with the OS partition and cannot be moved to another disk by itself. The Recovery partition can be deleted or moved; however, OS restoration will be disabled.)

Video: How to move a partition to another disk (Data volume, EFI/Recovery, or the C drive)

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Why Move a Partition to Another Disk?

There are many reasons to move a partition, including disk upgrades, improved performance, or system backup. Before starting, identify the type of partition you want to move.

Data partitions – store files and applications
EFI, recovery, or OEM partitions - the partition that controls the OS boot, restoration
OS volumes – contain the operating system

1. Move a Data Partition to Another Disk

Moving a data partition is the simplest scenario because it does not affect system boot files or the operating system.

Steps to Move a Data Partition

Connect the destination hard drive to your computer
Ensure the target disk has unallocated space, which can be created by shrinking a volume
Launch Partition Resizer
Right click the data partition you want to move, choose the Copy Partition feature
Choose the unallocated space on the destination disk, confirm the rest
Apply changes and wait for completion

This method allows you to move a partition to another disk without risking data loss.

2. Move EFI, Recovery, or the OS C Volume to Another Hard Disk

The EFI, Recovery, and OEM partitions are critical for system startup and recovery. They must never be moved individually. To ensure proper disk functionality, these partitions should always be moved together with the C: drive.

Using Migrate OS Wizard

The safest way to move these partitions is to clone the OS disk together with all system-related partitions.

Open Partition Resizer
Select Migrate OS Wizard
Choose the source disk containing EFI and recovery partitions
Select the destination disk (The cloning requires an empty disk as the destination disk)
Start cloning and wait for the process to finish

Important: The destination disk must be larger than the total data capacity of the disk being cloned.

After cloning, you may disconnect the original disk from the computer, or set the new disk as the primary boot device in BIOS or UEFI if you want to keep both disks installed in the same PC.

Best Practices and Tips

Always back up important data before moving partitions
Ensure the destination disk has sufficient capacity
Avoid interrupting the cloning process
Check BIOS/UEFI boot order after migration if needed