how do I clone micro-sd cards?

[monos]

Since you are a Linux user, at least that's what it seems, I recommend you to use gnome-disk-utility, a disk management tool created by gnome.

I use it instead of the command dd for security and although it does not prevent you from making mistakes if you neglect, it makes it much easier to identify the disks drives and partitions to manipulate them.



Remember that you should back up the entire SD and not its partitions.
Here you have a small guide of how to use it is not intended for the Rpi but for hard disks but the management is the same.

https://www.maketecheasier.com/backup-ha...k-utility/

If you have any SD that has been rendered useless after manipulating it with dd you can recover it. Just try to restore any *. img file and after a little while if you will cancel the restoration, the disk or SD will remain in a state where you can format it normally and recover it.

How do you create an image of the SD with Disks when there are 2 partitions; one primary and one extended?
You cannot select both partitions. So I end with an image of either one of the extensions.

Click on the left side, disks.