Create a Windows 11 Bootable USB: A Step-by-Step Guide

Are you tired of your slow and old computer? You can make it run like new by installing Windows 11! But before you do that, you need to create a Windows 11 bootable USB drive.

Creating a bootable USB is easy, and it’s an important step to install Windows 11 on your computer. Whether you have a brand-new machine or an old one, this guide will show you how to do it step-by-step.

Here is a quick step guide you can follow to create Windows 11 bootable USB:  

• Download the Media Creation Tool: Visit Microsoft’s software download website.

• Download Windows 11: Click “Download now” under your desired Windows 11 version.

• Run the Tool: Open the downloaded tool, agree to the license, and choose “Create installation media for another PC.”

• Select Language and Edition: Choose the language, edition, and architecture (64-bit or 32-bit) of Windows 11. Ensure it matches the target machine.

• Choose Media: Select “USB flash drive” and pick your USB drive. Back up any data on it first, as it will be erased.

• Create Bootable USB: The tool will download Windows 11 and create the bootable USB drive. This may take some time.

In the following sections, we’ll walk you through the steps involved in creating a bootable USB drive for Windows 11.

Furthermore, we’ll cover everything from downloading the necessary files to formatting the USB drive and creating the bootable media. We’ll also provide some helpful tips and tricks to ensure that the process goes smoothly.

How to make a bootable Windows 11 USB using Media Creation tool ?

Creating a bootable USB for Windows 11 using the Media Creation Tool is simple and efficient. In this section will walk you through each step, ensuring you have a reliable installation media ready for upgrading or installing Windows 11 on your PC.

• To begin with, get a USB flash drive with at least 8GB of storage space. It’s recommended to use a blank USB drive.

• Secondly, download the Windows 11 installation media tool from Microsoft’s website.

• Next, run the downloaded tool and accept the license terms.

• Then, select “Create installation media for another PC” and click Next.

• After that, choose the option “USB flash drive” and click Next.

• Subsequently, the tool will ask you to select the USB drive you want to use. Select the USB drive and click Next.

• Following this, the tool will now download the Windows 11 installation files and copy them to the USB drive. This process may take some time depending on your internet speed.

• Once the process is complete, the tool will confirm that the bootable USB drive has been created successfully.

• After that, restart your computer and boot from the USB drive by pressing the specific key to enter the boot menu (usually F12, F10, F2, or Del – check your computer’s documentation).

• Then, in the boot menu, select the USB drive as the boot device and press Enter.

• Consequently, the Windows 11 installation wizard will now start. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.

Note: It’s important to note that creating a bootable USB drive will erase all data on the USB drive, so make sure to back up any important files before proceeding.

Additionally, ensure that your computer meets the minimum system requirements for Windows 11 before attempting the installation.

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How to make a bootable Windows 11 USB using Rufus ?

Creating a bootable USB for Windows 11 using Rufus is quick and easy. In this section, you’ll learn how to create a reliable installation media, perfect for fresh installs or system upgrades.

Follow the mentioned below to make a bootable Windows 11 USB drive using Rufus:

Before You Begin

• Firstly, prepare a USB flash drive with at least 8GB of free space. Important: Back up any data on the drive as it will be erased during the process.

• Secondly, make sure you have a Windows 11 ISO file downloaded. You can either download it directly in Rufus or obtain it from Microsoft official website.

Steps

• First, download and install the latest version of Rufus.

• Next, insert a USB drive (minimum 8GB, but 16GB is recommended) into your computer.

• Then, open Rufus. It will show you the device details of the USB drive you inserted.

• Under the “Boot selection” section, click on the dropdown and select “Disk or ISO image” option.

• After that, click on the icon next to the text box to browse and select the Windows 11 ISO file that you have downloaded from Microsoft.

• In the “Partition scheme” section, select “GPT” as Windows 11 requires UEFI boot mode.

• Following that, in the “Target system” section, select “UEFI (non CSM)” if your system supports UEFI boot mode. If not, select “BIOS (or UEFI-CSM)”.

• Make sure the “File system” is set to “NTFS”.

• Next, click on the “Show Advanced Drive Properties” to expand more options.

• Then, check the “Create extended label and icon files” option.

• After that, click on the “Start” button to begin the process of creating the bootable USB drive.

• Rufus will first download the required Windows 11 boot files and then prepare the USB drive. This may take several minutes.

• Once completed, Rufus will report “READY” and you can close the application.

• Subsequently, reboot your computer and enter the BIOS/UEFI settings to change the boot order and set the USB drive as the first boot device.

• Finally, save changes and exit, your computer should now boot from the Windows 11 USB drive you just created.

Note: Before proceeding, please ensure you back up any important files, as Rufus will erase all existing data on the USB drive during the process.  

How to make a bootable Windows 11 USB using Command Prompt ?  

Learn how to create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive using Command Prompt. Follow these step-by-step instructions to prepare your installation media.

Requirements:

• Firstly, a Windows computer

• Secondly, a USB flash drive with at least 8GB of free space (all data will be erased)

• Thirdly, the Windows 11 ISO file (downloaded from Microsoft https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11 or another source)

Steps:

• To begin with, insert the USB drive: Plug the USB drive into your computer.

• Next, open Command Prompt as Administrator:

• Search for “Command Prompt” in the Start menu.

• Right-click on “Command Prompt” and select “Run as administrator.”

• Click “Yes” if prompted by User Account Control (UAC).

• Launch Diskpart: Then, in the Command Prompt window, type diskpart and press Enter.

• List Disks:  After that, type list disk and press Enter. This will display a list of all connected storage devices.

• Identify the USB drive: Following this, look for the USB drive in the list. Identify it by its size or disk number.

• Select the USB drive: subsequently, type select disk X (replace “X” with the actual disk number of your USB drive) and press Enter.

• Clean the USB drive (Erase data):  Caution! This will erase all data on the USB drive. Next, type clean and press Enter.

• Create a new partition: Then, type create partition primary and press Enter. This creates a new primary partition on the USB drive.

• Select the partition: After that, type select partition 1 (assuming the partition is numbered 1) and press Enter.

• Format the partition: Following this, type format FS=FAT32 quick (FAT32 is recommended for wider compatibility) and press Enter. This will format the partition with the FAT32 file system.

• Assign a drive letter: Next, type assign letter=X (replace “X” with your desired drive letter for the USB drive) and press Enter.

• Exit Diskpart: Then, type exit and press Enter to exit the Diskpart utility.

• Navigate to the Windows 11 ISO: After that, use the cmd command to navigate to the directory containing the Windows 11 ISO file.  For example, if the ISO is in your Downloads folder, type cd \Users\<username>\Downloads (replace <username> with your actual username).

• Copy files to USB drive: Finally, type xcopy /E source\*.* destination:\* (replace source with the location of the Windows 11 ISO file and destination with the drive letter you assigned to the USB drive in step 11). Press Enter. This will copy all the necessary files from the ISO to the USB drive.

• The copying process might take a while depending on the size of the ISO file. Once finished, the USB drive will be bootable with Windows 11 installation files.

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What format should a bootable USB be for Windows 11 ?

There are two main options for formatting a bootable USB drive for Windows 11:

FAT32

• This is the most widely compatible format and will work with both BIOS-based and UEFI-based PCs. However, FAT32 has a file size limit of 4GB. This means that if the Windows 11 installation files are larger than 4GB (which is likely), you’ll need to use a different format.

exFAT

• This format is a more modern option that doesn’t have the same file size limitations as FAT32. However, exFAT is not universally supported, especially on older systems.

In most cases, using the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft is the recommended way to create a bootable USB drive for Windows 11.

Consequently, the Media Creation Tool will automatically format the USB drive with the appropriate file system (FAT32) and copy the necessary installation files.  

Also Check: What is download error-0x80248007 ?

Why is Windows 11 not bootable from USB ?

There can be several reasons why your Windows 11 bootable USB isn’t working. Here’s a breakdown of common culprits and how to fix them:

USB Drive Issues

Formatting: Windows 11 typically requires a FAT32 formatted drive. If formatted with NTFS or another format, it won’t boot.

Corruption: A corrupted USB drive can prevent booting. Try a different USB drive.

Insufficient Space: The Windows 11 installation files might be larger than the USB’s capacity. Use a drive with at least 8GB of free space.

Fix

• First, use the Media Creation Tool from as it automatically formats the drive correctly.

• Alternatively, format the USB drive to FAT32 using a tool like Disk Management (built-in Windows) or a third-party formatting tool.

• Furthermore, try a different USB drive with enough space.

BIOS/UEFI Settings

Boot Order: The USB drive might not be set as the first boot device in BIOS/UEFI settings.

UEFI vs. Legacy Mode: Windows 11 typically requires UEFI boot mode. Legacy mode might not recognize the bootable USB.

Secure Boot: Secure Boot might be enabled and preventing the USB from booting.

Fix

• First, access your BIOS/UEFI settings (usually by pressing a key like Del, F2, or Esc during startup).

• Then, look for the Boot section and change the boot order to prioritize the USB drive.

• Next, check if UEFI mode is enabled (might be under Boot Mode or CSM settings). Disable Legacy mode if present.

• Additionally, try temporarily disabling Secure Boot (might be under Security settings) to see if it helps.

Bootable USB Creation Issues

Media Creation Tool Errors: The Media Creation Tool might not have created the bootable USB properly due to errors during the process.

Third-party Tool Issues: If you used a third-party tool to create the bootable USB, it might have created errors.

Fix

• First, re-run the Media Creation Tool and ensure it completes without errors.
• Alternatively, if using a third-party tool, try creating the bootable USB with the Media Creation Tool instead.

Hardware Issues

Faulty USB Port: The USB port you’re using might be malfunctioning and not reading the drive correctly.

Hardware Incompatibility: In rare cases, there might be hardware incompatibility between the PC and the bootable USB.

Fix

• Try plugging the USB drive into a different port on your PC.

• If none of the above solutions work, consider creating a bootable DVD (if your PC has a DVD drive) and booting from that.

Conclusion 

To begin with, creating a bootable USB drive for Windows 11 installation is a simple process that can be accomplished using various methods.

Whether you prefer the straightforward Media Creation Tool from Microsoft, the user-friendly Rufus utility, or the command-line approach with Diskpart, you now have the knowledge to create a reliable installation media.

However, remember to backup any important data on the USB drive before proceeding, as the process will erase its contents. Thereafter, with a bootable USB drive in hand, you’re ready to install or upgrade to the latest version of Windows 11 on your computer.

Finally, follow the on-screen instructions during the installation process, and you’ll have a fresh and up-to-date Windows 11 system in no time.

Reference:

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