How to download Windows 11 onto a USB flash drive
If you plan to install Windows 11 on your device, you’re likely to need a bootable USB drive, and here are two ways to create one.
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Although you can install Windows 11 in multiple ways, if you plan tostart from scratch, you usually use a bootable USB flash drive to proceed with the setup. However, you must manually create one since you cannot officially purchase a physical media from the Microsoft Store.
OnWindows 11, you have at least two tools to download the installation files onto a USB flash drive and make it bootable. You can use the official Media Creation Tool to download the files to removable storage. You can also use Rufus, a third-party tool that makes creating a flash drive to install the operating system on a compatible or incompatible device easy.
In thishow-to guide, I’ll explain how to create a USB flash drive with support for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) firmware using the Microsoft Media Creation Tool and Rufus.
How to create bootable USB of Windows 11 on Media Creation Tool
The Media Creation Tool is the easiest (and official) method to create a bootable media to upgrade or clean install Windows 11.
To create an installation media with the Media Creation Tool, connect a USB flash drive of at least 8GB of space and use these steps:
Once you complete the steps, the tool will download the necessary files to create bootable media, which you can use to install the operating system.
How to create bootable USB of Windows 11 on Rufus
Alternatively, you can also use Rufus, a free non-Microsoft tool that allows you to create installation media on virtually any hardware and software configuration. The utility provides two methods for creating the installation media using an existing ISO file or directly downloading the file from the Microsoft servers.
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Create install USB with Windows 11 ISO
To create a USB media with an existing Windows 11 ISO file, connect a flash drive of at least 8GB of space and use these steps:
After you complete the steps, Rufus will create a USB flash drive to install Windows 11 on a compatible computer unless you selected the option to create a bootable that skips the system requirements (not recommended).
Create install USB downloading Windows 11 ISO
To use Rufus to create a Windows 11 USB installer, connect a USB drive with enough space, and then use these steps:
After you complete the steps, the tool will download the ISO file and create the bootable media that you can use even on computers that don’t meet the minimum requirements.
More resources
For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10 and Windows 11, visit the following resources:
Mauro Huculak has been a Windows How-To Expert contributor for WindowsCentral.com for nearly a decade and has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides. He also has an IT background and has achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and CompTIA. He has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years.
