How to Create a Bootable USB Drive for Windows 10 (Compatible with Windows 11)

There are at least two ways to install Windows 10 on a USB device. You can use a tool to run a portable USB creation app, or you can download the ISO file directly to the USB device.

What is a Portable Drive on Windows 11/10/8/7?

A Portable Windows USB drive, as per Google search results, refers to a flash drive that contains a Windows system ISO and system files. It enables users to boot their computer or another PC from a USB portable drive.

What's it for? Here's a list of advantages of a portable Windows USB drive:

Here are two ways to create a portable Windows 10 system on a USB drive, one with the help of professional disk cloning software – Todo Backup, and the other by downloading an ISO file. Check their viability and level of difficulty before making your final decision.

Tip 1: How to Create a Portable Windows 10 on a USB Drive Using Software To create a portable version of Windows 10 on a USB drive, you can use specific software for this purpose. Follow these steps: 1. **Download Software**: First, you need to download a tool called "Rufus" or "Microsoft Media Creation Tool." Rufus is a free, open-source utility specifically designed for creating bootable USB drives, while Microsoft Media Creation Tool is an official Microsoft tool for creating Windows installation media. 2. **Get the Windows 10 ISO File**: Visit the Microsoft official website to find and download the Windows 10 ISO image file. 3. **Insert the USB Drive**: Plug your USB drive into your computer's USB port. 4. **Run Rufus or Media Creation Tool**: - With Rufus, after opening the software, it should automatically detect the connected USB drive. Select that drive, then under "Source," choose "Select ISO Image," browse, and select the Windows 10 ISO file you downloaded. Make sure other settings are correct, like the partition scheme (choose MBR for wider hardware support) and the file system (usually FAT32 or NTFS). Finally, click "Start" and wait for the process to finish. - With Media Creation Tool, choose "Create installation media for another PC" and follow the wizard's instructions. When selecting the installation type, make sure to check the box for "Use this PC's media to install Windows" and choose the USB drive in the next step. The tool will handle writing the ISO file to the USB drive and formatting it automatically. 5. **Safely Remove the USB Drive**: After completion, don't just pull out the USB drive; instead, safely eject it using the "Safely Remove Hardware" icon in the system tray. 6. **Use on Other Devices**: Now, you can insert this USB drive into any computer that supports USB booting. In the BIOS/UEFI settings, select the USB as the boot device, and you'll be able to start installing or running the portable Windows 10. Please note that creating a portable Windows 10 may take some time, depending on the speed of your USB drive and the size of the ISO file. Also, during the process, all data on the USB drive will be erased, so make sure to back up important files beforehand.

So, how to create such a portable Windows USB drive effectively? For instance, how to make a portable Windows 10 USB drive for users? How can you install and clone Windows to a USB drive without resorting to complicated methods?

Fortunately, powerful system cloning software like Todo Backup can get the job done. It lets you effectively clone and install a system – such as Windows 10, 8, or 7 – to a USB drive with just a few clicks. Anyone can do it. Download the software now and learn how to make your Windows system bootable from a small USB drive.

1 - Preparations

• An external hard drive
• The data cable for the external hard drive
• A Todo Backup tool

2 - Notes

Check for unallocated space (with sufficient room on the left) Check the partition style (matching that of the system drive)

Three steps forward

Here's a detailed step-by-step guide to creating a bootable Windows 10 USB system installation drive: 1. **Gather Tools:** - A USB flash drive with at least 16GB capacity, preferably a high-speed drive. - The Windows 10 Media Creation Tool, available for download from the Microsoft website. - A computer running the Windows operating system. 2. **Download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool:** - Visit the Microsoft official website (https://www.microsoft.com/zh-cn/software-download/windows10). - Click on "Create Windows 10 installation media" or a similar link. - Follow the prompts to download and run the "Media Creation Tool." 3. **Run the Media Creation Tool:** - Double-click the downloaded "MediaCreationToolxxxx.exe" file to launch the program. - Accept the license terms and click "Accept." 4. **Choose the Creation Option:** - On the "What do you want to do?" screen, select "Create installation media for another PC." - Choose your preferred language, edition, and architecture (usually 64-bit). 5. **Select Media Type:** - In the next screen, choose "USB flash drive" as your target media type. - Ensure your USB drive is plugged into the computer and select it from the dropdown menu. Note: This will erase all data on the USB drive, so back up important files first. 6. **Start the Creation Process:** - Click "Next" and confirm your choices. - The tool will begin downloading the Windows 10 installation files and writing them to the USB drive. This may take some time depending on your internet speed and USB drive speed. 7. **Completion and Testing:** - After completion, close the Media Creation Tool, and safely remove the USB drive. - Insert the USB drive into the computer where you want to install Windows 10. - Depending on your computer's BIOS settings, change the boot order to start from the USB drive (usually by pressing F2, F10, F12, or Delete to enter BIOS setup). - Save changes and exit; your computer will boot from the USB drive and display the Windows installer. 8. **Install Windows 10:** - Follow the on-screen instructions for the installation process, choosing the installation type (upgrade or custom), entering a product key if applicable, and setting preferences. - Upon completing the installation, remember to remove the USB drive during the first startup. That's it! Make sure to follow each step carefully to avoid any issues.

USB requirements:

1. Check the disk usage of System C drive, which is assumed to be 40GB. Then prepare a qualified USB drive with a disk capacity larger than 40GB.

2. Will you be using a new, blank USB drive or an old one? Make sure you back up all important data elsewhere, as the system clone will overwrite everything on the drive.

3. Connect the USB drive to your computer correctly and make sure that Windows detects it and assigns it a drive letter.

Please create a bootable Windows USB drive and boot from it following the entire process:

Step 1: Launch AOMEI Backupper. Expand the “Tools” menu, then click “System Clone.”

Select System Clone.

Step 2: In the System Clone window, the software should default to selecting the system partition and boot partition. Choose your USB drive as the target disk. Click on “Advanced Options,” then select “Create Bootable Windows USB Drive.” Click “OK,” then click “Next.”

Step 3. You can preview or adjust the layout of the target disk. If no problem, click "Continue". The software will then start cloning the default system partition on your desktop/laptop to the USB drive immediately. Once the cloning process is done, you can safely unplug the USB drive.

Select System Clone

Step 4: Boot from the USB drive.

Connect a portable USB drive to your computer. Restart the computer and press "F12" to enter the BIOS. In the BIOS, under the "Boot" tab, change the boot order to set your computer to start from the portable USB drive. Save the changes, and you will see the system booting from the USB drive.

How to Migrate Windows 10 from HDD to SSD?

You can migrate Windows 10 by cloning the system drive partition from HDD/SSD to a new SSD.

Tip 2: How to create a Windows 10 To Go USB drive (using an ISO file)

If you don't want to use this tool, you can download the Windows 10 ISO file to create a portable Windows USB. You'll need to create the Windows 10 installation media and then burn the ISO image to a DVD. Here's how that works.

1 - Preparation

• A copy of Rufus (https://rufus.ie/) or WinToUSB
• A USB 3.0 flash drive with at least 32 GB of storage space
• A Windows ISO file
• A valid license for a portable version of Windows

Step 2 - In Progress

Step 1: You'll need to download and run the Media Creation Tool.

Since creating the Windows 10 installation media will delete the contents of the USB device or blank DVD, it's best to use a blank USB device or blank DVD.

Step 2: On the “What do you want to do?” screen, choose “Create installation media for another PC,” and then click “Next.”

Step 3: Choose the language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit) for Windows 10. Then choose which media creation tool you want to use:

 
**Burn ISO to USB in Windows 10:**

Visit the Rufus website and download the latest version. Then, double-click the .exe file to launch Rufus, and connect your USB drive to your computer. Finally, write the ISO to the USB drive.

Step 1: Choose the USB device you want to burn the ISO to. From the “Boot Selection” dropdown, choose “Disk or ISO Image (Please select),” then click “SELECT” and choose the ISO file saved on your computer.

Step 2. To make sure the USB drive can boot on both UEFI and BIOS computers, under Partition scheme, select MBR.

Step 3: Keep the other settings as they are, and click “Start” to begin burning the Windows 10 ISO file to the USB drive.

How to Run Windows 10 from a USB Drive

To install Windows 10 on another computer, simply insert the USB drive into that computer and then follow these steps to run Windows 10 from the USB drive:

Step one: Press the appropriate key (F2, F12, Delete, or Esc) to open the boot menu, and select to boot from the USB drive.

Run Windows 10 from USB Drive

Step 2: The first time you boot Windows 10 from the USB drive, you'll need to go through the normal Windows setup process. Then activate Windows 10 with your product key.

Conclusions

Either of these methods will allow you to create a bootable USB drive. Plan ahead, however, and make sure that the hardware will be compatible with the systems you'll be using.

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Frequently Asked Questions on How to Create a Portable Windows 10 on USB

How do I run a portable version of Windows from a USB drive?

First, insert the USB drive into that computer, and then press the appropriate key (F2, F12, Delete, or Esc) to open the Boot menu and boot from the USB drive. When you first run Windows 10 from the USB drive, you'll need to complete the normal Windows setup process. Then activate Windows 10 with your product key.

Can I just copy the Windows 10 ISO file directly to a USB drive?

No, you need to use the Media Creation Tool or Rufus to create a bootable USB drive. The Windows 10 ISO file is an image of a CD/DVD, and it needs to be written onto a USB drive to function as an installation media.