How to Move Files from SSD to HDD in Windows 10, 11
The best way to transfer files from an SSD to HDD in Windows 10, 11 is via File Manager. And here is how is this works:
Step by Step Guide to How to Move Files From SSD TO HHD via File Manager
- Open File Manager by pressing the Win+X key combination, typing “file manager” in the Search box, and clicking the File manager app that appears.
- In File Manager, click storage (HDD) on the Home tab.
- Right-click an empty area of your HDD and choose to Move files to… from the context menu that appears.
- Click Choose what to move and select all of your files (including hidden files) from SSD to HDD in Windows 10, 11.
- Click OK to finish moving your files.
- If you want to keep a copy of the original files on SSD, click Add (+) next to Move files to… and select Local folders in Windows 10, 11 (recommended). Then click OK two times.
But before you can transfer the files, know why SSDs differ from HDDs. It will help you to understand why most people prefer SSD to HDD.
Let’s first understand the basic concept.
What Is The Difference Between SSDs And HDDs?
An SSD is a faster storage device as compared to HDD, but not as fast as an NVMe drive. An HDD stores your data on spinning disks adjacent to the motherboard. HDDs have been around for many years and still account for most of the PC storage today. SSDs are similar to HDDs because they both use spinning disks but can access data much faster.
This is because an SSD reads and writes data using electrical signals rather than moving mechanical parts around on a disk. That means you can read or write files faster than with an HDD.
What is Better: HDD Or SSD?
Well, if you’re a newbie and do not understand these technical aspects of the system, you’ll want to learn what each does to understand which is better.
HDD stores your data on spinning disks that are adjacent to the motherboard. These disks can hold a lot of data and typically run at 7200 rpm so that they can spin around quickly.
SSDs, however, store your data on flash-memory chips located directly on the motherboard. This allows SSDs to access files much faster than HDDs because an SSD reads and writes data using electrical signals rather than moving mechanical parts around on a disk.
So while an HDD may take longer to read or write small files, it will generally be faster when dealing with larger files that have been divided into smaller chunks.
Why Should We Transfer Files from SSD to HDD?
As We Know, the performance of SSD is better than HDD, so ideally following points should resolve your further query.
- SSDs can access data much faster than HDDs and this is especially true when it comes to reading and writing large files.
- HDDs are more affordable than SSDs, so if you only need a small amount of space for your files, then an HDD may be a better option.
- An SSD will eventually wear out and lose its speed, while an HDD will continue to work at its original performance level indefinitely.
- If you plan on storing your files for a long period of time, an SSD may not be the best option because, over time the data stored on an SSD will slowly degrade.
Why Should You Prefer SSDs?
SSDs are faster than HDDs when it comes to reading and writing data, so if you have a lot of large files or a lot of small files that you frequently access, an SSD may be a better option.
However, because SSDs use electrical signals instead of mechanical parts to move the data around on the disk, they can become full more quickly than HDDs. This means that if you have 50GB worth of large files and only 10GB worth of small files on your SSD, eventually the SSD will fill up and stop working properly.
In contrast, if you have 20GB worth of large files and 20GB worth of small files on your HDD, the HDD will still be able to hold those files even if it begins to fill up.
What Are the Different Types of Data Stored on an SSD vs. HDD?
Traditional hard drives store data in blocks that are typically about 2 GB in size. This means that if you have a 500GB hard drive, each block would contain around 400 MB of data—or 4 quadrillion bytes (4 billion gigabytes).
Hard drives can also store more than one block per container (some models can accommodate up to 8 blocks per container), but the maximum total size of all the blocks on a hard drive would still be 4 quadrillion bytes.
SSDs, by contrast, store data in individual memory cells. This means that if you have an SSD with 1TB of storage space and 500GB worth of data stored on it, each block would contain around 104 MB—or 50 trillion bytes (5 billion gigabytes). SSDs can also store more than one block per container (some models can accommodate up to 256 blocks per container), but the maximum total size of all the blocks on an SSD would still be 50 trillion bytes.
How to Move Installed Apps & Programs from SSD to HDD
There are several different ways to move all of your installed apps and programs from an SSD to a regular HDD depending on the type of app or program and how much data it takes up.
Some apps and programs can be moved over directly using Windows’ built-in tools. For example, if you have Microsoft Office 2007 or later installed on your computer, you can use the Program Files (x86) folder located in the Storage location on your computer’s hard drive to move all of its files over to a regular HDD.
You can also use programs like Windows Easy Transfer to move specific app or program files over from an SSD to a regular HDD. This software lets you copy the files, folders, and apps over one-by-one or in bulk (up to 500 items at a time).
Alternatively, you can use external hard drive utilities like Winclone or Carbon Copy Cloner to completely clone your computer’s existing hard drive onto an external USB thumbdrive and then transfer all of the installed apps and programs over.
Conclusion
That’s it! We have explained everything you need to know about How to move files from SSD to HDD.
All it requires is a couple of minutes. Windows has built-in tools to help with the process, and third-party utilities are also available.
Either way, the result is that your installed apps and programs will be stored on a regular HDD rather than an SSD.
