Ventoy lets you create a bootable Windows 11 USB by just copying the ISO file to the USB drive. Here’s how.
For Windows users, there are several free software like Rufus that let you create a bootable Windows USB drive with just a few clicks and Ventoy is one such tool. However, what’s special about it is that you just need to copy the Windows 11 ISO file to the Ventoy formatted USB. You can also copy multiple ISOs and choose which one to boot from via the initial boot menu, creating a multiboot USB. For example, I’ve created a multi-boot drive with Windows 10, Windows 11, Ubuntu, and Kali using Ventoy. This is especially useful for system administrators or users who frequently need to install different operating systems.
In this quick and simple tutorial, I will show you how to make a bootable Windows 11 USB drive using Ventoy. Let’s get started.
Before You Begin
- Ventoy requires administrative rights to use.
- Ensure a USB drive (at least 8GB is recommended) is plugged in and has no data in it. Ventoy formats the drive as part of the process.
- Ensure you have the Windows 11 ISO ready. If not, download the Windows 11 ISO and then follow the below steps.
Create Windows 11 Bootable USB Using Ventoy
- Plug in the USB drive.
- Get Ventoy from this page.
- Right-click on the downloaded ZIP file.
- Select “Extract All“.
- Click “Extract“.
- Open the extracted folder.
- Double-click the “Ventoy2Disk.exe” file.
- Select the USB drive from “Device” dropdown.
- Click “Install“.
- Click “Yes“.
- Click “OK“.
- Close the Ventoy application.
- Open File Explorer and then the Ventoy drive.
- Copy the Windows 11 ISO file to the Ventoy drive.
- With that, you’ve created a Windows 11 bootable USB drive using Ventoy.
Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)
First, plug in the USB drive. Next, go to the official developer page and click the ZIP file link.
The above action takes you to SourceForge, a website that hosts open-source software. Here, click the “Download Latest Version” button.
Once you download the ZIP file, find it in the File Explorer, right-click on it, and select the “Extract All” button. When prompted, click the “Extract” button. This will extract the ZIP file to a new folder in the same directory.
Open the extracted folder and double-click the “Ventoy2Disk.exe” file to launch the Ventoy application.
Once the app opens, select the USB drive from the “Device” dropdown menu and then click the “Install” button. If you don’t see your USB drive, ensure it is plugged in, and then click the green reload button next to the dropdown menu.
As soon as you click the Install button, Ventoy prompts you twice to confirm whether you want to format the selected USB drive. Click “Yes” to continue.
Ventoy now starts the process of making your USB drive bootable.
Once done, click the “OK” button and then close the Ventoy application.
Now, open File Explorer and open the USB drive (Ventoy formatted drive). Next, copy the Windows 11 ISO file into that drive.
Once the file is copied, you are done. You’ve successfully created a bootable Windows 11 USB drive using Ventoy. If needed, you can check and verify if the USB drive is bootable.
When you want to boot into Windows 11 ISO, plug in the bootable USB drive and restart the system. Once the system boots into the USB drive, select your Windows 11 ISO from the initial boot menu.
Note: If your system didn’t boot into the USB drive, you must change the boot priority order in UEFI/BIOS. The steps to do so will be different for each manufacturer. Typically, you can access the BIOS/UEFI settings by pressing the Delete, F2, or F12 keys during startup. So, consult the manual if necessary. You can find detailed instructions on how to access and modify boot settings for your specific motherboard model online.
Next, select the “Boot in normal mode” option and you will be taken to the Windows 11 installation screen.
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That is all. It is that simple to create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive using Ventoy. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.
