How To Create Windows 11 v25H2 Bootable USB Drive

Learn two of the easiest methods to create a Windows 11 v25H2 bootable USB drive to install or upgrade the operating system.

Microsoft just released the newly baked v25H2 for everyone. You can download the Windows 11 v25H2 ISO file to manually install it on a new machine or upgrade your existing one with just a few simple clicks. But, before you can do that, you need to create a bootable USB drive. In this quick and simple guide, I will show two methods to make a bootable USB drive with Windows 11 v25H2. The first method uses Rufus, which lets you do basic customizations while creating the bootable drive. The second method uses the official Media Creation Tool, which is particularly useful for those who don’t have the ISO file readily available. Let’s get started.

Before You Start

• Plug in a USB drive that is at least 8 GB.
• The following process will format the USB drive. So, ensure that any data on the USB drive is backed up.

Create Windows 11 v25H2 Bootable USB Using Rufus

Rufus is a free and open-source tool that helps you create a bootable USB drive with just a couple of clicks. The best part is that it can also help you bypass the Microsoft account requirement to install Windows 11. Here’s how.

1. Go to the official web page and download Rufus.
2. Double-click the downloaded exe file.
3. Select the USB drive from the “Device” dropdown menu.
4. Select “Disk or ISO image” from the “Boot selection” dropdown.
5. Click the “Select” button.
6. Select the Windows 11 v25H2 ISO file and click “Open“.
7. Click the “Start” button.
8. Click “OK“.
9. Click “OK” in the warning dialog.
10. Rufus starts creating the bootable USB drive.
11. Once done, close the Rufus application and unplug the USB drive.
12. With that, you’ve created a bootable USB drive to install Windows 11 v25H2.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, we must download the Rufus utility. To do that, head over to the official website and click the “rufus-4.xx.exe” link under the “Download” section. Once the file is downloaded, find it in the File Explorer’s Downloads folder, and double-click it.

The above action opens the Rufus app. In it, select your USB drive from the “Device” dropdown menu. If you don’t see your USB drive, ensure it is plugged in.

Next, ensure the “Disk or ISO image” option is selected in the “Boot selection” dropdown menu and then click the “Select” button next to it.

In the Browse window, select the Windows 11 v25H2 ISO file, and click the “Open” option. This action adds the ISO file to Rufus.

(Optional) You can modify the USB drive name using the “Volume label” field.

Click the “Start” button to continue.

As soon as you do that, you will see the “Windows User Experience” dialog. Here, you can select the options to customize the Windows 11 installation. For example, you can make Rufus automatically create a local user account by selecting the “Create a local user account with username” checkbox.

By default, Rufus is configured to remove the requirements for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, and a Microsoft account. If you want, you can uncheck these options.

After configuring the options, click the “OK” button to continue.

Click the “OK” button again in the warning dialog.

Rufus starts creating the bootable USB drive.

Once done, you will see the bottom bar fill with green color. At this point, you can close the application and unplug the USB drive.

With that, you’ve created the bootable USB drive for Windows 11 v25H2.

Create Windows 11 v25H2 Bootable USB Using Media Creation Tool

You can also create a bootable drive for Windows 11 25H2 using the Microsoft utility, Media Creation Tool. This method is especially useful if you don’t already have the ISO file.

1. Go to the official Microsoft download page.
2. Click the “Download” button under “Create Windows 11 Installation Media”.
3. Open the downloaded file.
4. Click the “Accept” button.
5. Click “Next“.
6. Select “USB flash drive” and click “Next“.
7. Select the USB drive and click “Next“.
8. The tool will now download the latest version of Windows 11 and create the bootable drive.
9. Once done, close the tool window.
10. Unplug the USB drive, and you are done.

Detailed Steps (With Screenshots)

First, we must download the Media Creation Tool. To do that, go to the official Microsoft download page, scroll down to the “Create Windows 11 Installation Media” section, and click the “Download Now” button.

Once downloaded, find it in the File Explorer and double-click it to open. Once it opens, click the “Accept” button.

If you are creating the USB drive for your current machine, ensure the “Use the recommended options” checkbox is selected and click “Next“. Otherwise, uncheck this option, select the language of your choice, and click “Next”.

Now, select the “USB flash drive” option and click the “Next” button.

Next, select your USB drive and click “Next“. If you don’t see the USB drive, make sure it is plugged in and click the “Refresh” option at the top.

That’s it. The tool will now download the latest version of Windows 11, v25H2 in this case, and automatically create the bootable USB drive.

Once done, click the “Finish” button and close the tool. You can also unplug the USB drive.

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That is all. It is that simple to create a bootable USB drive to install Windows 11 v25H2. If you are curious, you can also verify if the USB drive is bootable. If you have any questions or need help, comment below. I’ll be happy to assist.