Safe way to clone my entire PC to a new one on Windows 11?

The built-in Windows Backup and Restore (originally from Windows 7) is a functional option for cloning your entire PC for Windows 11, Windows 10 and Windows 7. It doesn't clone in the traditional sense. Instead, it creates a System Image, a complete snapshot of your drives, which you then restore to the new PC's drive. The result is effectively a clone.

On old PC: Search "Backup and Restore (Windows 7)" in Start menu.

Click "Create a system image" from left panel.

Choose external drive or network location (needs ample space).

Include system drive and other partitions as needed.

Create a system repair disc/USB when prompted.

On new PC: Boot from repair media, select "System Image Recovery".

When should you use it?

• Restoring to the exact same computer (e.g., after replacing a failed drive with an identical model).
• Creating a full system backup for disaster recovery on your current machine.
• When you need a one-time, simple, free solution and are prepared to troubleshoot post-restore boot/driver issues.

This method gives you a clean solution to clone your entire pc to a new one with Windows 11, along with your core settings and data.

The downside: you must reinstall your traditional desktop applications (like Adobe, Steam games, etc.) manually. So it is not recommended as the primary method. The high risk of boot failures due to hardware differences makes it a problematic choice for migrating to a new computer.