How to create Windows 10 bootable USB?

6 min readFeb 24, 2021

Introduction

I am here with a very informative article for you — How to create Windows 10 bootable USB?

My article would give you precise information on the topic and I am very sure that by the end of the article, you’d be able easily create Windows 10 bootable USB.

Being an old windows user or being completely new to windows doesn’t matter, as all the steps are explained and can be followed by anyone.

Here’s a detailed insight on what I will cover in this article. This guide includes -

A general overview on the topic
Steps to create a bootable USB flash drive
Steps to create a Windows 10 bootable USB
Concluding statements
FAQs regarding any general confusion

Overview

When you own a Windows 10 PC, it is always a good idea to create a bootable Windows 10 USB drive for backup. I recently reinstalled Windows, and I swear to God, it is hard to do without a bootable USB. As soon as it did complete, the first thing I did was to install a bootable USB. I learned the hard way, so explain it to you to get a break from the headache.

Do you wish to build a gaming PC? You are at the right place to learn how to complete the process without havoc as this step of creating a bootable USB is the last step to it.

What do you need for this process -

An empty 8GB USB
Windows PC (easy to guess)
Best internet speed for roughly 30 minutes

You are ready to rule the world now.

How to create a bootable USB flash drive using Etcher

Most of the sites that give you options of creating a bootable USB drive may make it seem complex. But in the following steps I’ll show a simple step-by-step process to create a bootable USB flash drive for Windows 10. With a simple UI offered to you, the only thing you have to do is select an image file and the USB flash drive to install a bootable USB flash drive.

Do note that BalenaEtcher is available to you on Windows 7/8/10, Mac, and Linux.

Let us learn how to -

Download BalenaEtcher and while you are at some work, let it be installed in your system. Or you can download it from here — https://truzine.com
Once installed, insert a USB drive. Open the Etcher option from the Start menu or from the desktop shortcut.
Click on a bootable image and select it. Etcher supports images in formats like ISO, DMG, BIN, and many more.
Select the inserted USB drive on BalenaEtcher
Select “Flash!” which would lead you to create a bootable USB flash drive on default settings.

It would depend on the size of the image uploaded and the flash drive’s speed as to how much time it would take to flash. This would be followed by the process of validation leading to you being able to boot from a USB flash drive.

Once it is finished, the message “Flash Complete” would be displayed on your screen. You can exit Etcher now.

How to install Windows 10 from USB with the help of UEFI support?

While installing a new copy of Windows 10, you’d have to use USB media to get the device into the “Windows Setup” which would help you continue the installation process. If your PC has UEFI i.e. Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, instead of BIOS, it would make it crucial to use the correct firmware.

You can use two tools for the purpose -

The first tool is Media Creation Tool

Let us learn how to install Windows 10 UEFI boot using the Media Creation tool -

When you open the Windows 10 download page, you’d find “Create Windows 10 installation media”. Click the download button under it.
Double click on MediaCreationToolxxxx.exe to launch the file again
Click on “Accept” to agree with the Microsoft terms and conditions
Select the USB flash drive and click on the Next button
Select the correct edition, language, and architecture
Click the Next button and select the USB flash drive
Click the Next button and select the USB flash drive from the options given
Click Next and then Finish. Voila!
The second tool for the purpose is the Rufus Tool

While there is an existing Windows 10 ISO file on your PC, you could use these steps -

Open the download page of Rufus
Click on the latest release under the “Download section” and save the file
To launch the file, double-click on Rufus-x.x.exe
Select the USB flash drive under “Device”
Click the select button on the right-hand side under the “Boot Selection” button
Select the Windows 10 ISO file and click Open
Select the Standard Windows Installation button after using the image option
To select the GPT option, click on the “Partition scheme” and use the “Target System” option to select the UEFI
Enter a name for the flash drive under the “Volum Label” option
Select Quick Format and Create extended label and icon files and click on the start button
Choose OK to confirm and close

If you have to download Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft, then follow these steps to ensure the process -

Open the download page of Rufus
Click on the latest release under the “Download section” and save the file
To launch the file, double-click on Rufus-x.x.exe
Click on the “Settings” option and select “Daily”
Click on Download and select Windows 10
Click Continue and select the newly downloaded Windows 10 option
Click Continue and select Windows 10 Home/Pro option and continue again for language settings

Make sure that you choose “English International” if living outside the US.

Continue to use the “Architecture” button to select the 32-bit or 64-bit option: Download
Temporarily store the file in a folder and save
Select the Standard Windows Installation button after using the image option
To select the GPT option, click on the “Partition scheme” and use the “Target System” option to select the UEFI
Choose Show Advanced Format Options
Select Quick Format and select Create extended label and icon files
Click Start > OK > Close

The Rufus tool might look impossible to deal with, but believe me, it is so easy to work with.

Conclusion

Wow, that was one long essay on how to do a simple task. Yes, it might look tiresome to work on, but it is one of the easiest tasks one could be assigned to. Well if you wish to reinstall Windows with ease, you need to look up and follow the above-mentioned steps.

The series of steps that have been offered to you have options to either use BalenaEtcher or use the Rufus tool. The steps might look long and tiring, but once you get used to them, they’re peanuts. I hope you got the information you had been searching on the internet for. Do use it for your benefit.

FAQs

If you have to download Windows 10 again, which site to use for the installation of a bootable USB flash drive?

The answer to this is quite simple. Use Rufus. It is because here in this article you get the steps to do the same. You can see to yourself what the process has.

Q: How to download BalenaEtcher?

A: Go to the site — www.balena.io/etcher/ — while you scroll you’d come to know which one to download for your PC version.

Q: How to download Rufus Tool?

A: Visit the site Rufus for Windows — www.rufus.ie — you’d see a download button, click and install on the PC.