What is included in Paragon Hard Disk Manager 17?

Backup & Recovery – Full disk, partition, and file imaging
Partition Manager – Resize, merge, split, convert without reinstalling
Drive Copy – Uncompressed disk cloning for SSD upgrades
Disk Wiper – Permanent erasure with industry-standard algorithms
Core Capacity – Four disk tools in one console
Important – Commercial use rights and Windows Server support not included in this edition

What are the main benefits of Paragon Hard Disk Manager 17?

Paragon Hard Disk Manager 17 combines backup, partitioning, disk cloning, and secure erasure into one Windows console. The Advanced edition is licensed for home use across up to three personal computers.

One Console – Manage four disk tools together
Live Cloning – Migrate to SSD without rebooting
Flexible Backups – Full, incremental, and differential imaging
Disaster Recovery –Bootable WinPE and Linux media
Secure Erasure – Wipe drives before resale or disposal
Three Computers – One home license covers three PCs

What does Paragon Hard Disk Manager 17 do?

It bundles four Paragon tools — Backup & Recovery, Partition Manager, Drive Copy, and Disk Wiper — into a single interface for managing Windows drives. Backup & Recovery creates full, incremental, and differential images of whole disks, individual volumes, or selected files, with password protection and compression. The built-in Recovery Media Builder produces a hybrid UEFI/BIOS WinPE or Linux boot stick so you can restore a system that no longer starts. Partition Manager handles resizing, merging, splitting, and file system conversion (such as FAT to NTFS) without reinstalling the operating system. Version 17 also added Drive Copy, which clones a system disk as an exact uncompressed replica for hardware upgrades.

Who is Paragon Hard Disk Manager 17 best suited for?

It fits home users who want one tool to swap an old HDD for an SSD, reorganize multi-boot partitions, and keep recoverable system images. The Advanced license covers up to three personal computers for home use only, so a household running several PCs is covered under a single purchase. The Drive Copy module clones a running Windows installation in the background, letting you keep working until you switch over to the new drive. Buyers who manage company machines or servers should not choose this edition, because it excludes commercial use and server operating systems.

Does Paragon Hard Disk Manager 17 back up to the cloud?

No — Paragon provides no built-in cloud storage and no direct connector to third-party cloud services in Hard Disk Manager 17. Backups are written to local disks, external USB drives, or network shares instead, so offsite copies require a workaround such as syncing the backup folder to a cloud drive or mapping remote storage. This matters if your data-protection plan depends on automatic offsite retention, because you must arrange that layer yourself. For purely local image and file backups, the unlimited-job scheduler and three compression levels cover routine recovery needs.

Why backups protect against expensive data loss
For more background on backup planning, read our guide:

Can Paragon Hard Disk Manager 17 move Windows to a new SSD?

Yes — the Drive Copy module clones an entire system drive to another disk as an exact, uncompressed replica, which is the standard path for HDD-to-SSD upgrades. The clone runs live, so Windows keeps relocating in the background without manual steps or a forced reboot, and you switch to the new disk only when it is ready. Alongside cloning, the suite supports OS migration and physical-to-virtual operations for moving a system between hardware or into a virtual machine. For partition layout differences, you can restore or copy with resize so the target drive's free space is used fully.

Does Paragon Hard Disk Manager 17 include commercial use rights or Windows Server support?

No — the Advanced edition is licensed strictly for home, non-commercial use and does not run on Windows Server operating systems. Using it on business machines or a server requires the separate Business edition, and server deployment needs its own server license. The Business edition is the one that ships with a 30-day trial and adds technician-style licensing for managing several machines; the Advanced edition has no trial. Confirm which scenario applies before buying, because the home license cannot be upgraded into commercial coverage after the fact.

What is the difference between Hard Disk Manager 17 Advanced and Business?

The core disk tools are the same, but Advanced is a home license for up to three personal computers, while Business is a commercial license that supports Windows Server and technician use. Advanced has no trial and no server support; Business includes a 30-day trial and covers one computer per license, with server use available through a dedicated server license. Choose Advanced for personal PCs and Business if any machine is used for work or runs a server OS.

Frequently asked questions about Paragon Hard Disk Manager 17

Does Paragon Hard Disk Manager 17 run on macOS?

No, this is the Windows edition and runs only on Windows. Paragon sells a separate Hard Disk Manager product for Mac, so Apple users need that version rather than this license.

Can it create bootable recovery media for UEFI systems?

Yes. The Recovery Media Builder creates a hybrid UEFI and BIOS recovery environment on USB, ISO, or PXE using WinPE or Linux, so you can restore an image even when Windows will not start.

Can Paragon Hard Disk Manager 17 back up virtual machines?

Yes, it can configure backups for virtual machines from an available Hyper-V Manager and supports physical-to-virtual and virtual-to-virtual migration. This lets you capture a Hyper-V guest or convert a physical system into a virtual image for testing or relocation.

Can it convert a disk between MBR and GPT?

Yes. Partition Manager converts disks between MBR and GPT and includes a hex editor for direct sector edits, alongside resize, merge, split, and surface tests for bad sectors. This helps when preparing a drive for UEFI booting or repairing partition structures without wiping data.