Operating System

How to Make a Bootable USB for Windows 11: Step-by-Step Guide

November 29, 2022
0 98 5 minutes read
How to Make a Bootable USB Windows 11

There is a good way to create and install Windows 11 on your device. You can do that by creating a bootable USB drive. With a Windows 11 bootable USB, you can do a variety of different things, such as clean install your OS, perform an upgrade, and troubleshoot your PC.

Contents hide
1 What Do I Need to Create a Bootable USB Drive?
2 Different Methods to make a bootable USB Windows 11
2.1 1. Create a Bootable USB Drive via Media Creation Tool
2.2 2. Create a Bootable USB Drive via Rufus
2.3 3. Create a Bootable USB Drive via Command Prompt
2.3.1 Last Words

Now, you may ask how to make a bootable USB Windows 11. Read the following content to learn more about it.

What Do I Need to Create a Bootable USB Drive?

To perform an easy installation, Microsoft created its Media Creation Tool. Moreover, you can use Rufus and Command Prompt to create a bootable USB Windows 11.

Different Methods to make a bootable USB Windows 11

You can create a bootable USB with three methods.

  • Media Creation Tool
  • Rufus
  • Command Prompt

1.      Create a Bootable USB Drive via Media Creation Tool

Microsoft helps you with its tool, which allows you to create a bootable USB Windows 11 automatically. To do so, walk through the steps below:

Note: Media Creation Tool will erase everything from the USB that you want to use. Thus, ensure you have a backup of any Important thing on your USB.

  1. Go to the Microsoft website.
  2. Scroll down to find the Create Windows 11 Installation Media section.
  3. Then, hit the Download Now button.
  4. To open the download menu, hold Ctrl + J hotkey.
  5. Click on the MediaCreationToolW11.exe file to start the installation.
  6. On the pop-up window, hit the Accept button to agree to their terms and conditions.
  7. On this page, you can change its language by unchecking the Use the recommended options for this PC option. If you do not want to change it, you will need to hit the Next button only.
  8. Make sure that the USB flash drive option is selected. Then hit the Next button.
  9. Now, you need to choose your USB drive and then click on the Next button.
  10. Now, Microsoft will download Windows 11 from its server, so you need to wait for some time.
  11. Once the downloading process is finished, hit the Finish button.
  12. To eject your USB drive, click on its icon located in the taskbar, and then select the name of your USB drive from the menu.

2.      Create a Bootable USB Drive via Rufus

Rufus is an open-source utility that helps you with formatting and creating a bootable USB drive for OS (operating system). To create a bootable USB Windows 11, follow the steps below:

  1. Go to the Rufus website.
  2.  Scroll down to find the Download section.
  3. To download its latest version, click on the Rufus link.
  4. Run the exe file.
  5. Hook up your USB flash drive to your device and wait until Rufus detects it.
  6. Select the Disk or ISO image option from the drop-down menu of Boot selection.
  7. Hit the Select button.
  8. Choose the Windows ISO file and hit the Open button.
  9. Choose the Standard Windows 11 Installation (TPM 2.0 + Secure Boot) option from the drop-down menu of the Image option.
  10. Also, choose the Extended Windows 11 Installation (no TPM / no Secure Boot) option to create a bootable drive for an unsupported system. This action will skip the requirement of your system while installing.
  11. Set Target system (UEFI) and Partition scheme (GPT) as default.
  12. Enter a name for the USB flash drive under the Volume label section.
  13. Moreover, set the Cluster size and File system as default.
  14. Checkmark the Create extended label and icon files and Quick format option.
  15. Hit the Start button to start the process of the bootable drive.

3.      Create a Bootable USB Drive via Command Prompt

If you do not want to use a third-party tool, you can use Command Prompt for creating a bootable USB Windows 11. To do so, use the following steps:

  1. First of all, you need to take a backup of your USB drive files.
  2. Press the Windows key to open the windows search box.
  3. Type cmd into the Windows search box.
  4. Right-click on the first result and choose the Run as Administrator option.
  5. To launch the Windows Diskpart utility, copy and paste the following command: DISKPART
  6. To show all the available devices, copy and paste the following command: LIST DISK
  7. Now, your USB drive will be shown with the name DISK 2.
  8. To select your USB drive, copy and paste the following command: SEL DISK 2
  9. In the above command, you need to change the DISK2 with the number that is dedicated to your USB drive. For instance, an SSD or SATA drive will consider as DISK0, and a USB drive will be DISK1. This step is vital because, in the next step, you need to clear all the contents of your drive.
  10. To erase the content of your USB drive, you will need to copy and paste the following command: Clean
  11. Now, you need to create a primary partition. To do so, copy and paste the following command: Create Partition Primary
  12. To choose the main partition, copy and paste this command: List Par
  13. Now, you can see your USB drive’s details.
  14. Copy and paste this command: Active
  15. Hit the Enter button.
  16. Now, you need to format your USB drive. Note that you should format it in NTFS format since FAT32 will make an incorrect parameter error. To do so, copy and paste the following command: FORMAT FS=NTFS LABEL=“BootableUSB” QUICK OVERRIDE
  17. Copy and paste this command: Exit
  18. Hit Enter.
  19. Now, you need to mouth the ISO image.
  20. Then, move its content to your USB drive.
  21. Copy and paste this command: PowerShell Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath “C:\Users\UserName\Downloads\Win11_English_x64v1.iso”
  22. Replace the file path with the path of your Windows 11 ISO file.
  23. To launch Diskpart, type the following command: Diskpart
  24. To see the available volume, copy and paste this command: List volume
  25. By this action, you can specify the Mounted ISO file’s drive letter. Your Mounted ISO will be listed as DVD-ROM under the Type column. Under the LTR column, you can find the letter dependent on the volume. Write down the ISO volume since you will need it in the further steps.
  26. Type this command: Exit
  27. Type the letter of the Mounted ISO volume and hit the Enter button. For example, if your Mounted ISO volume letter is J, type it like this: J:
  28. To boot from the PC, type the following command: cd boot
  29. To apply the main boot code suitable with Bootmgr to the USB flash drive: Bootsect /nt60 I:
  30. Replace I with the drive letter with your USB flash drive.
  31. To copy the files of Windows 11 to your USB flash drive, copy and paste this command: xcopy J:\*.* I:\ /E /F /H
  32. Replace K: with Mounted ISO Volume and I: with the USB drive letter.
  33. This process will take about 5 to 10 minutes.
  34. In case the process was successful, you will see the File(s) Copied message.
  35. Now, you can use your bootable USB to clean install Windows 11.

Last Words

Sometimes, you may need to install Windows 11 with a bootable USB drive. In this article, we described three methods to make a bootable USB Windows 11. Do you know any other methods to create a bootable USB drive for installing Windows 11? Which method is your preference? Share your ideas with us.

November 29, 2022
0 98 5 minutes read
Photo of Kimia Sh

Kimia Sh

Kimia is an accomplished author and technology enthusiast with a keen interest in writing about Windows tips and tricks. Born and raised in Tehran, Iran, Kimia always had a fascination for technology and its ever-evolving capabilities. After completing her studies in Computer Science, Kimia started working in the software development industry, where she gained extensive experience and technical expertise. Her passion for writing about technology led her to create a blog focused on providing Windows users with useful tips and tricks. Kimia's blog quickly gained popularity, and she became known for her ability to communicate technical concepts in an accessible and easy-to-understand manner. Her articles are praised for their clarity and practicality, and she has developed a loyal following of readers who look to her for advice on getting the most out of their Windows systems. In addition to writing about technology, Kimia is also an accomplished software developer and has contributed to the development of numerous applications and software programs. Her technical expertise gives her a unique perspective on the challenges faced by Windows users, and she is always seeking out new ways to make their lives easier and more efficient. When she's not working on her blog or developing software, Kimia enjoys hiking, reading, and spending time with her family and friends. She is also an avid traveler and loves to explore new cultures and cuisines. Overall, Kimia is a talented author and technology expert who is passionate about sharing her knowledge with others. Her dedication to providing practical, useful advice to Windows users has made her a respected figure in the industry, and she continues to inspire and educate others through her work on her blog and beyond.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button