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Create a Bootable USB Drive

Two tools, two different jobs. Rufus writes one ISO to one USB drive — simple and fast. Ventoy turns a USB drive into a permanent multi-boot launcher you just drag ISOs onto. Pick a tab below.

Best for: one bootable USB, one OS at a time. Simple, fast, the most widely used option.

Get Rufus

  1. 1Download Rufus

    Rufus is free, open-source, and portable — no installation, just run the .exe. Use the download link above.

  2. 2Plug in your USB drive

    8 GB minimum for most current Windows/Linux ISOs. Use a drive you don't mind erasing completely — the next steps wipe everything on it.

  3. 3Select your device

    In Rufus, pick your USB drive from the "Device" dropdown at the top of the window. Double-check you've selected the right one — Rufus erases the entire device, not just a partition.

  4. 4Select your ISO file

    Click "SELECT" next to "Boot selection" and choose the .iso file you downloaded (Windows, Ubuntu, or any other bootable image).

  5. 5Choose a partition scheme: GPT or MBR

    This is the choice most guides skip over, and it's the one that actually determines whether your PC can boot the drive.

    GPT + UEFI (non CSM) — the right choice for any PC built since roughly 2012 with UEFI firmware (the large majority of PCs sold today). MBR + BIOS (or UEFI-CSM) — for older PCs, or a target machine whose firmware only supports Legacy Boot. Rufus pre-selects one based on your own PC's firmware and the ISO you picked, but you can override it — check the target PC's BIOS/UEFI setup screen first if you're not sure which mode it boots in.

  6. 6File system — leave this on the default

    Rufus picks NTFS or FAT32 automatically based on the ISO. A Windows 11 ISO over 4 GB needs NTFS specifically — current Rufus versions handle this for you without you needing to choose.

  7. 7Click START

    For a Windows ISO, Rufus may show an extra dialog offering to remove the TPM/Secure Boot/RAM requirement checks, skip the Microsoft account requirement, or create a local account during setup — pick whatever suits your install, then continue.

  8. 8Wait for it to finish, then eject safely

    Once the progress bar reads "READY", safely eject the drive before unplugging it.