How to Install an M.2 NVMe SSD

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M.2 NVMe SSDs are the easiest storage upgrade in PC building: no cables, no drive cage, just a stick-of-gum drive that screws flat onto the motherboard. Most of the problems people hit come from picking the wrong slot or forgetting to initialize the drive in Windows. Both are easy to avoid.

This guide covers desktop installation. For laptops, see how to upgrade a laptop's RAM and SSD. Need a drive? See our best Gen4 NVMe SSDs.

Before you start: check compatibility

• Form factor: desktop boards almost always take 2280 drives (22mm wide, 80mm long). Some slots also support 2242 or 22110.
• Interface: NVMe (PCIe) drives need an M.2 slot wired for PCIe. Most modern slots are. Some older boards have SATA-only M.2 slots. Check the manual.
• PCIe generation: a Gen4 drive works in a Gen3 slot (at Gen3 speed) and a Gen5 slot. Put your fastest drive in the slot closest to the CPU, which is usually the fastest.
• Shared lanes: on some boards, using a particular M.2 slot disables certain SATA ports or reduces a PCIe slot's bandwidth. The motherboard manual lists these trade-offs.

What you need

• A small Phillips screwdriver (#0 or #1). M.2 screws are tiny and easy to strip. Some boards use tool-less latches.
• The M.2 screw and standoff (usually pre-installed on the board, or in the motherboard accessory bag).
• Your motherboard manual.

Our PC tool kit roundup has a good precision driver if you need one.

Step-by-step installation

1. Power down and unplug. Shut down Windows, switch off the PSU and unplug the power cable. Press the power button once to drain any leftover charge. Touch the case's bare metal to discharge static.
2. Find the right slot. Check the manual. The top slot near the CPU is usually the fastest and the best for a boot drive. It's often under the GPU on other slots, so you may need to remove the graphics card to reach them.
3. Remove the M.2 heatsink. If the slot has a heatsink cover, unscrew it and peel the protective plastic film off its thermal pad. Forgetting this film is very common and it blocks heat transfer.
4. Check the standoff position. Make sure the standoff or latch sits at the position that matches your drive's length (2280 for most drives).
5. Insert the drive at an angle. Line up the notch in the drive's connector with the key in the slot and slide it in at about 30°. It should go in smoothly, without force.
6. Press flat and secure. Press the far end down to the standoff and fasten the screw or latch. Snug is enough. Don't crank it.
7. Replace the heatsink. Put the heatsink back on with its thermal pad against the drive. If your drive has its own heatsink, you usually don't use the board's cover as well. Do one or the other.
8. Reassemble and boot. Refit the GPU if you removed it, close up, reconnect power and boot into the BIOS to confirm the drive shows up.

Make the new drive show up in Windows

A brand-new secondary drive won't appear in File Explorer until you initialize it:

1. Right-click the Start button and open Disk Management.
2. Windows will prompt you to initialize the new disk. Choose GPT.
3. Right-click the unallocated space → New Simple Volume → follow the wizard (NTFS, default allocation size, pick a drive letter).

Now it appears in File Explorer. If you're replacing your boot drive, see how to clone your boot drive, or do a clean Windows install onto the new drive.

Troubleshooting

• Drive not in BIOS: reseat it and confirm the slot supports NVMe. Check whether the slot shares lanes and has been disabled by another device.
• In BIOS but not in Explorer: initialize it in Disk Management, as above.
• Slower than expected: you may be in a slower chipset slot or a Gen3 slot. Check the manual, and install the latest chipset driver.
• High temperatures: make sure the heatsink's film is removed and the pad makes contact. Gen5 drives especially need good cooling.

Moving Windows to the new drive

If the new M.2 drive will become your boot drive, you have two options. Clone your existing drive onto it, which keeps all your apps and settings. Our cloning guide walks through it. Or do a clean install of Windows from a USB installer, which gives you a fresh, clutter-free system. Either way, set the new drive as the first boot device in the BIOS afterwards, and keep your old drive disconnected until you've confirmed the new one boots.

Adding a second M.2 drive later

Most modern motherboards have two to four M.2 slots, but not all of them are equal. Slots connected directly to the CPU are fastest, while slots routed through the chipset share bandwidth with USB, SATA and networking. For a secondary game or storage drive, a chipset slot is perfectly fine. Check the manual for any slot that disables SATA ports or reduces a PCIe slot's lanes when it's in use.

Gear for the job

A few helpful extras for an M.2 install, whether you're adding a drive or starting fresh.