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Macrium Reflect Rapid Delta Clone (RDC) compares the source and destination file systems and copies detected changes instead of cloning everything again. It can make a repeat clone faster, but only when the filesystems and clone layout meet Macrium’s requirements: RDC is for NTFS, and a clone that shrinks a partition falls back to a full clone. Cloning also erases and replaces the destination’s contents, so verify the target disk before you start.
What Rapid Delta Clone does
RDC compares the source file system with the file system on the target disk, then clones detected differences to the destination. Macrium describes the operation as incremental-style cloning, but it is not an incremental image-backup chain. The comparison is between the source and target disks for that clone operation.
Macrium’s Rapid Delta Clone feature page and Reflect X cloning options documentation describe the feature qualitatively as a way to speed up suitable repeat clones. They do not provide a measured speed figure or fixed multiplier, so the time saved depends on the disks and the amount of change.
When RDC applies—and when it does not
| Clone situation | Expected behavior |
|---|---|
| Source and destination file systems are NTFS, and the clone does not shrink a partition | RDC can compare the file systems and copy detected differences. |
| One or more file systems are not NTFS | Macrium says the clone uses a full-copy operation instead of RDC. |
| The clone requires partition shrinking | Macrium says RDC is disabled and a full clone is performed. |
Macrium’s RDC feature documentation describes the NTFS and partition-shrinking limits. Its system requirements page also states that Rapid Delta Clone and Rapid Delta Restore are supported only for NTFS. Check the partition layout and file systems before relying on a repeat clone to use RDC.
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Prepare the destination disk safely
A clone is not a merge that preserves unrelated files on the target. Macrium’s disk cloning guide warns that the destination’s data and partitions are erased and replaced. That guide covers a legacy Reflect workflow, so the precise dialogs may differ in Reflect X; the data-loss warning remains essential.
- Identify the source and destination by disk and capacity, not just by their position in a list.
- Back up any files on the destination that you need to keep; cloning replaces its existing contents.
- Select the partitions needed for the intended result. For a bootable Windows migration, ensure that all required system partitions are included.
- Check whether the destination layout will require shrinking a partition. If it does, plan for a full clone rather than RDC.
Using RDC for an HDD-to-SSD migration
Macrium presents cloning from a hard disk drive (HDD) to a solid-state drive (SSD) as a Reflect use case. RDC may help with later repeat clones if the NTFS and partition-layout conditions are met; it does not establish that any particular SSD will fit or work in a given computer.
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Before choosing an SSD, check the computer’s supported interface, physical form factor, capacity requirements, and any other drive specifications. Macrium’s SSD upgrade page describes the migration use case, but does not identify a universally compatible drive.
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RDC avoids copying unchanged data when its comparison conditions apply, which can reduce work on a repeat clone. Macrium describes that benefit without publishing a benchmark or guaranteed time saving in the feature and options documentation. Treat any exact speed estimate as specific to a measured setup, not as a general Reflect promise.
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Edition availability
The documentation cited here explains RDC’s behavior and file-system requirements but does not establish which Reflect X editions or license plans include it. Check Macrium’s current licensing information for the edition you plan to use rather than assuming availability.
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