How to use Rufus to create a bootable USB drive and install Windows (2024)

Installing Windows is something that almost everyone really should learn how to do. It's not as hard as it once was, and it can generally be done in under an hour from start to finish in most cases. These days, all you need is an ISO of Windows, which is easy to get, and an empty USB drive you can load and boot from.

What is Rufus?

Rufus is a small piece of software that will help you create a bootable USB from an ISO so you can install an operating system. It is quite simple to use and has all the options you will need, whether you are installing a new Linux distro or your preferred version of Windows. Best of all, you don't have to install it, you can just download it and run the executable.

Using Rufus to create your bootable USB

The first thing you will want to do is head over to the official Rufus website and download the latest version. You will also want to make sure you have an ISO file. If you want to install Windows 11, head over to the Windows download page and download a disk image (ISO). Now you should be ready to create your bootable ISO with Rufus.

For this guide, we will be using Rufus to install Windows 11.

1. Run the executable and choose if you want to look for updates or not.

   

2. Once it is loaded, insert your USB drive into your PC and make sure it is selected correctly.

   

3. Choose your ISO. The other options you will see are selected by Rufus and should not need to be changed in most cases.

   

4. Double-check the format options and make sure they are set to your needs. You can change the name of the volume label, enable quick format, create extended label and icon files, and even check for bad blocks.

   

5. Click start, and you will be greeted with a popup that will allow you to customize your Windows installation. These options will allow you to bypass some of the more annoying Microsoft requirements for installing Windows 11.

   

6. After a brief moment, a popup will appear that will inform you that all data on your USB device will be destroyed. (This means that you should probably start with an empty USB drive.) Click OK to continue.

   

7. Once Rufus has completed the download, you will see a green bar under the status section.

   

That's it! You are now ready to boot and install Windows from your USB device. Even if you aren't familiar with this process, it should only take about an hour from downloading Rufus to installing Windows. It really is that simple to create a bootable USB and install Windows on your PC or laptop.

Is Rufus better than the Windows Media Creation Tool?

If you are looking for the full Windows experience, you may want to use the Media Creation Tool instead. But if you want something that can help get around some of the more annoying Windows requirements and be used for other ISOs such as Linux, then Rufus is going to be the better method for you.

Rufus has some easy-to-choose options to help you bypass Windows requirements, such as the 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0 requirements. You can also use Rufus to get around the requirement to have an online Microsoft account, which is pretty much being forced on anyone installing Windows 11 these days. Rufus will even create a local account which you can change the name of right inside the Rufus program itself, making your Windows installation even easier.

While Microsoft is trying to invade your privacy as much as possible, Rufus is here to help, and even has the option to disable data collection which will skip the privacy settings during installation. While this won't be for everyone, it is great for those looking to install their Windows operating system as quickly as possible. The options in Rufus really do make installing Windows as easy as possible.

If you are looking to make your Windows experience a bit more discreet, you can read our guide on how to make Windows 11 more private. This will walk you through a few different options you can do to help reduce the amount of data that Windows 11 collects about you.