Clonezilla 2026.01.15

Unlike basic backup tools that only save documents, Clonezilla captures everything on your drive so you can restore your entire system if something goes wrong.

This open-source tool runs from a bootable USB drive, meaning it works even when Windows won't start.

Version 3.3.0 adds updated support for modern NVMe SSDs and Windows 11 GPT partition schemes, making it ready for current hardware.

What You Can Do with Clonezilla

Clonezilla handles two main tasks that every computer user eventually needs.

First, you can create compressed backup images of your drives and save them to an external drive, network location, or cloud storage. These images capture your system exactly as it is today - if your computer crashes next month, you can restore everything in one step.

Second, Clonezilla copies drives directly from one disk to another.

Upgrading from an old hard drive to a faster SSD? Clonezilla transfers your entire Windows installation, programs, and files to the new drive without reinstalling anything. Your new drive boots up exactly like the old one, just faster.

The software works with all common file systems including NTFS (Windows), ext4 (Linux), FAT32, and more. It also supports UEFI and legacy BIOS systems, so both new and older computers are covered.

Getting Started

Download the Clonezilla ISO file (536MB) and write it to a USB drive using Rufus or balenaEtcher. If you want to keep multiple tools on one USB drive - like Clonezilla plus Windows installers and Linux distributions - Ventoy lets you copy ISO files directly without reformatting. Check out our guide on how to copy multiple ISOs to one USB drive for step-by-step instructions.

Boot your computer from the USB drive, select your language, and choose beginner mode.

Clonezilla walks you through the process with clear prompts - select your source drive, choose where to save the backup, and confirm. The text-based interface looks basic, but the step-by-step guidance makes it straightforward.

Smart Cloning Features

Clonezilla only copies the parts of your drive that contain actual data, not empty space.

A 500GB drive with 100GB of files creates a compact 100GB backup image rather than a massive 500GB file. This intelligent copying also speeds up the process significantly compared to sector-by-sector tools.

For advanced users and IT professionals, Clonezilla SE (Server Edition) can deploy the same system image to dozens of computers simultaneously over a network. This makes it practical for setting up computer labs, office workstations, or any environment where multiple machines need identical configurations.

Alternatives for Different Needs

Clonezilla excels at full-disk cloning and imaging, but some tasks call for different tools.

WinToHDD specializes in cloning Windows to another disk without external media. WinToUSB creates portable Windows installations that run from external drives.

For SSD health monitoring and optimization before migration, Samsung Magician keeps your drives running at peak performance.

If you're upgrading to Windows 11 on older hardware, consider using FlyOOBE to bypass hardware restrictions after cloning your drive to new storage.

Download Clonezilla

Protect your system with free, professional-grade disk imaging. Download Clonezilla 3.3.0 and gain the same backup capabilities used by IT departments worldwide - without subscription fees or licensing restrictions.