Top 4 Ways | How to Create a Bootable USB for Windows 10

“How Do I Make a Bootable USB for Windows 10?”

Creating a bootable USB for Windows 10 is versatile, convenient, and a must-have tool for emergencies. Whether you're upgrading your system, troubleshooting an issue, or performing a clean install, having a bootable USB drive ready can save you a lot of hassle.

In this guide, we'll walk you through everything you need to know to create a bootable USB for Windows 10 using 3 different methods. Let's get started!

Why You Need to Create Windows 10 Bootable USB

Before we get into the specifics, let's talk about why you need a bootable USB for Windows 10. Imagine your system or hard drive won't boot, or you need to reinstall Windows 10 from scratch. A bootable USB will be your savior. It's like having a first aid kit for your computer. Here are several common reasons:

🎐 Emergency Recovery: If your computer fails to boot, a bootable USB can help you access repair tools to fix the problem.

🧨 Fresh Installation: A bootable USB allows you to easily install a fresh copy of Windows 10, which can help improve performance and resolve ongoing issues.

🎑 Upgrading to Windows 10: You can use Bootable USB to upgrade older versions of Windows, such as Windows 7 or 8.1, to Windows 10.

🎊 Install on multiple devices: Bootable USB makes it easy to install Windows 10 on multiple computers without the need for a physical installation CD.

🎏 Portable and convenient: Bootable USB is portable and can be customized with other tools and software to make it a versatile and convenient option for installation and repair.

What Do You Need to Make a Bootable Windows 10 USB?

Before you start creating a Windows 10 bootable USB, make sure you’re ready with the following:

A working PC with reliable internet access

USB flash drive, external hard drive, or DVD

• Minimum storage: 8GB of space is required on the USB flash drive or external hard drive.
• Blank media: Use a blank USB drive or DVD, as this process will delete all existing content. If you don’t have a blank or new USB drive, it is recommended to use this free backup tool AOMEI Backupper Standard to back up your entire disk.
• DVD burning: If using a DVD and the ISO file is too large, choose a dual-layer (DL) DVD.

Windows 10 ISO File: Download from the official Microsoft website to ensure it’s the correct and latest version.

Check BIOS/UEFI settings: Make sure your computer's BIOS/UEFI settings are configured to boot from a USB drive.

How to Create a Windows 10 Bootable USB (4 Ways)

In this part, we give you 4 effective ways to create bootable USB Windows 10. Choose from using the Media Creation Tool, Rufus, Command Prompt, or best bootbable data recovery software like MyRecover, based on your preference. Here’s a detailed guide to help you get started with each method.

Way 1. Create Windows 10 Bootable USB Using Media Creation Tool

The Media Creation Tool is Microsoft's solution for making installation media and is a free program supplied by Microsoft. It also supports the creation of ISO images from hard drives or existing operating systems. This method can also be used to create a Windows 10 recovery disk for another PC, here are the steps.

Step 1. Go to the official Microsoft website to download the Media Creation Tool. You may need administrator privileges to run this tool. If you agree to the license terms, click Accept in the pop-up window.

Step 2. Choose the desired language and edition for Windows 10. Also, ensure that your USB drive is connected to your computer.

Step 3. Choose the option Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC. Click Next. 

Step 4. Make sure that your USB drive is recognized and listed, then proceed by clicking Next. Once you see the message Your USB flash drive is ready, click Finish.

Way 2. Create a Bootable Windows 10 USB Drive Using Rufus

Rufus is a popular third-party tool that can help you create a bootable USB for Windows 10. It’s fast, free, and packed with features. This tool offers more features than Microsoft's own media creation tool.

Step 1. Download the latest version of Rufus from the Rufus website. Then, insert your USB drive and run Rufus.

Step 2. Select your USB drive under Device and click on the Select button to choose your pick your Windows ISO file.

Step 3. Set Standard Windows 10 Installation, keep the default Partition scheme (GPT) and Target system (UEFI non-CSM) for Windows 10 compatibility.

Step 4. Click Start to create a bootable USB for Windows 10

Way 3. Create Bootable USB Windows 10 via Command Prompt

How to make a USB bootable using CMD? You can create a bootable USB flash drive to deploy Windows Server Essentials. Start by preparing the USB flash drive using DiskPart, a command-line utility. If you're comfortable using the CMD, this method gives you complete control over the process.

🎈 Tip: If you think this way is a bit complicated, you can also try MyRecover in the next method. It is easy to use and create Windows 10 bootable media with simple clicks.

Step 1. Connect your USB to your computer and make sure it can be recognized. Type cmd in the search box, and click Run as Administrator under Command Prompt.

Step 2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following commands one by one and press Enter respectively.

• diskpart
• list disk
• select disk 1 (take disk 1 as an example, it stands for your USB drive)
• clean (this command will clean the selected hard disk)
• create partition primary (make the disk primary)
• select partition 1
• active (boot partition)
• format fs=ntfs (makes the disk formatted as NTFS file system)
• assign letter=g (g is your drive letter for the USB drive)
• exit

Step 3. When you have finished preparing your custom image, save it to the root directory of a USB flash drive.

Way 3. Create Windows 10 Bootable USB via MyRecover (Easiest)

The easiest way to create a bootable USB drive is to try MyRecover, a powerful data recovery software known for its ability to create a bootable USB drive on Windows 11/10/8/7, it can also recover data from a hard drive that won't boot.

Key features of MyRecover

• It offers a simple interface to create a bootable Windows 10 USB/ CD/DVD easily.
• Apart from creating a recovery drive for Windows 10/11, it can also allow you to recover more than 200+ file types, including documents, photos, videos, audio, emails from USB, SD card, HDD, SSD, etc.
• Perform computer crash recovery in Windows 10/11 and recover data keeping original format, file names, and paths intact.
• Work with NTFS, FAT32, exFAT, and ReFS file systems in Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, or Windows Server PCs.

How to create a bootable USB from Windows 10/11? Please download the MyRecover and follow the simple steps below to create a Windows 10 bootable USB quickly and easily.

Step 1. Run MyRecover and start the process

Launch MyRecover and click "Crashed PC Recovery". Insert your blank USB drive into the PC.

Step 2. Choose the bootable disk creation method

In MyRecover, choose your USB drive as the destination for the bootable disk and click "Execute".

🤞 Tips: Apart from create a bootable USB, MyRecover also allows you to create a bootable CD/DVD.

• USB Boot Device: create a bootable USB drive.
• Export ISO file: Use this way to create a bootable ISO file. After exporting the ISO, you need to use a third-party burning program to burn it. Or, burn the ISO to another device or use it to boot up virtual computers.
• Burn to CD/DVD: Create a bootable CD/DVD.

Also, you can use the "Add Drivers" feature to include additional drivers in your boot disk, ensuring broader device compatibility in WinPE.

Step 3. Confirm USB drive formatting

You will be notified that the USB drive will be formatted. Confirm by clicking "Yes," ensuring you have a file backup beforehand.

Step 4. Create a bootable USB drive

Now, it will create a bootable USB Windows 10. The time required will vary based on your operating system and internet connection speed.

Step 5. Complete the process

Once the process is finished, a message will appear, along with instructions on how to boot from the newly created disk.

Summary

This guide helps you create a Windows 10 bootable USB using Microsoft's Media Creation Tool, Rufus, Command Prompt, and MyRecover. To get the best experience and enjoy additional features like recovering deleted files in Windows 10, MyRecover is your best choice.

It is perfect for creating a bootable USB in Windows 10/11, and it can also help you recover permanently deleted files in Windows 11/10/8/7 when you lose data. Download it to enjoy 500MB free file recovery!

FAQs

1. How to make a bootable USB from ISO?

• Download a third-party tool like Rufus or MyRecover.
• Add the ISO image file to the tool.
• Insert the USB drive where you want to burn the ISO file.
• Once the ISO boot files are copied to the USB drive, you can use it to boot target computers from the ISO file.

2. How do you copy Windows 10 to USB drive and make it bootable?

To copy Windows 10 to a USB drive and make it bootable:

• Download the Media Creation Tool to your PC.
• Insert a blank USB drive into your PC.
• Run the Media Creation Tool. It will automatically create the bootable Windows 10 installation media on the USB drive.
• In the tool, select "Create Installation Media for Another PC".
• Choose "USB flash drive" as the media type, not ISO.

3. How to make ISO file bootable in Windows 10?

• Under Deployment tab, click Bootable Media and select Create Bootable Media.
• Choose the ISO media type.
• Enter a bootable media name.
• Choose the WinPE tool installed location if it is installed already.
• Choose the architecture of the target computers which can be 32 bit or 64 bit.

4. Can you create a Windows 11 bootable USB?

Yes, you can use the above 4 methods to create a Windows 11 bootable USB from ISO. Prepare the ISO file and a USB drive. Ensure the method you choose meets Windows 11's requirements.