Windows 11 bootable USB: Media Creation Tool, Rufus and Ventoy
To install an operating system on a computer that has none, first prepare a bootable USB drive on another computer. There are three ways; all are free.
Everything on the USB drive will be erased. Use a drive of at least 8 GB and copy any important files somewhere else first.
Which one to choose?
| Tool | When? |
|---|---|
| Media Creation Tool (Microsoft) | If you only want to install Windows 11. The easiest; it downloads the ISO itself. |
| Rufus | If you already have an ISO file (Windows or Linux). Ubuntu's own guide also recommends Rufus on Windows. |
| Ventoy | If you want several ISOs on one USB drive (e.g. Windows 11 + Linux Mint). Just copy the ISOs to the drive. |
1. With the Media Creation Tool (Windows 11 only)
- At https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11, select Download Now in the "Create Windows 11 Installation Media" section. MediaCreationTool.exe is downloaded.
- Run the file. The tool guides you step by step: accept the license terms, choose the language and edition, choose USB flash drive as the media type and select your drive.
- The tool downloads Windows 11 and writes it to the drive. This can take a while depending on your connection.
The tool only creates installation media for computers with x64 (64-bit) processors.
2. With Rufus (Windows or Linux ISO)
Rufus is a small program that needs no installation (Windows 8 and later).
- Download Rufus from its official source and run it.
- Plug in your USB drive and check that it appears in the Device field.
- In the Boot selection row, select SELECT and pick your ISO file (how to download the Windows 11 ISO).
- For new computers, Partition scheme: GPT and Target system: UEFI are needed. Rufus usually sets this itself based on the ISO.
- Select START. For Windows ISOs Rufus may open a window with extra options; do not tick an option unless you are sure what it does.
- Confirm the warning that the drive will be erased, making sure you selected the right drive.
- When the Status bar shows READY, select CLOSE.
With Linux ISOs, Rufus may say the image is an "ISOHybrid" image and ask for the write mode. Continue with Write in ISO Image mode (Recommended), as Rufus suggests (Ubuntu's guide says the same). If the drive does not start, you can try writing it again with the other mode.
3. With Ventoy (several ISOs)
- Download Ventoy from its official source and extract the zip file to a folder.
- Run Ventoy2Disk.exe, select your USB drive and select Install. (The drive is formatted.)
- After installation a partition appears on the drive. Copy the ISO files to it like normal files; you can put them in any folder.
- When you start the computer from this drive, the Ventoy menu lists the ISOs; select the one you want to install.
When a new Ventoy version comes out you can update with Update; updating does not delete your ISO files.
On computers with Secure Boot enabled, Ventoy asks for a one-time key enrollment on a blue screen at first start: Ventoy and Secure Boot. If you only want to install Windows 11, the Media Creation Tool or Rufus is less hassle.
Next step
When the USB drive is ready, start the computer from it: see the boot menu and BIOS keys for your brand.
