Macrium Reflect Free is a disk imaging tool for Windows that creates a full snapshot of a drive or partition, letting you restore an entire system exactly as it was if a drive fails, an upgrade goes wrong, or malware causes damage. It builds a bootable rescue medium so a system can be restored even if Windows itself won't start. The free edition covers full and differential disk imaging; Macrium sells paid Home and Workstation editions that add features like scheduled backups, incremental imaging and image encryption.
Disk Imaging vs. File Backup: Why Macrium Reflect Images the Whole Drive
Unlike tools that just copy individual files, Macrium Reflect creates a full disk image — a byte-for-byte snapshot of a partition or drive including the operating system, installed programs, settings and files. Restoring that image puts a computer back exactly as it was at backup time, which is far faster than reinstalling Windows and every application from scratch after a drive failure.
Macrium Reflect Free Features
- Full Disk & Partition Imaging — creates a complete image of a drive or selected partitions
- Bootable Rescue Media — builds a USB or CD rescue environment to restore a system that won't boot
- Differential Backups — captures only changes since the last full image, saving time and space
- Image Verification — checks a backup image's integrity after creation
- Restore to Dissimilar Hardware (ReDeploy) — helps a restored Windows image boot on different hardware
- Mount Backup Images — browses an image as a virtual drive to recover individual files without a full restore
- VSS Integration — uses Windows' Volume Shadow Copy Service to image a drive while it's in use
How to Install Macrium Reflect Free on Windows
- Open the official download page using the button on this page, which links to Macrium's own site.
- Register for a free license if required by the download flow, then download the installer.
- Run the installer and select the Free edition during setup.
- Launch Macrium Reflect and create a backup definition file targeting the drive you want to image.
- Also create bootable rescue media from within the app so you can restore even if Windows won't start.
Is Macrium Reflect Free really free?
Freemium. Macrium Reflect Free provides full disk imaging, differential backups and bootable rescue media at no cost. The paid Home and Workstation editions add scheduled/incremental backups, image encryption and other advanced features.
How to download Macrium Reflect Free safely
Use the request button on this page and we will email you the current link for www.macrium.com — the publisher's own website — so you receive the authentic build. We do not host, mirror, patch or repackage this software in any way.
Avoid third-party "download manager" sites offering Macrium Reflect Free. They commonly wrap the genuine installer in their own bundler, which is how adware and browser hijackers get onto a machine that the user believed was clean.
Alternatives to Macrium Reflect Free
Other free backup & recovery software worth comparing before you decide:
AOMEI Backupper Standard
A free backup and disk-cloning tool with a scheduling-capable paid tier.
Clonezilla
A free, open-source disk imaging and cloning tool run from bootable media.
Frequently asked questions
Is Macrium Reflect Free enough to back up a whole PC?
Yes, it can create full disk images of your entire system drive and restore them, which is the core use case most home users need.
Does Macrium Reflect Free support scheduled automatic backups?
No, automated scheduling is a paid Home/Workstation edition feature; the Free edition requires manually running backups.
What is the rescue media for?
It's a bootable USB or disc that lets you restore a disk image even if Windows itself cannot start.
Can I restore a Macrium image to a different computer?
The ReDeploy feature helps a restored Windows image adapt to different hardware, though results can vary depending on the hardware change.
Is Macrium Reflect Free still available for new users?
Macrium has periodically changed availability of the Free edition for new downloads, so check the official site for current download terms.
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