In this detailed tutorial, we will look at the different ways to create a bootable flash drive with the Windows 10 operating system. The basic methods are not very different from the previous version of the operating system, and creating a bootable flash drive is not a difficult task, except for possible nuances related to booting in EFI and Legacy modes in some cases.

This article will describe how to use the official method using Microsoft Installation Media Creation Tool utility to create a bootable flash drive with the original versions of Windows 10 Pro and Home, for both 64-bit and 32-bit systems. In addition, we will look at other ways and free programs that will help you burn a USB installation drive from an ISO image with Windows 10. Such tools will allow you to install the operating system on systems with UEFI and Legacy support, on discs with GPT and MBR partitions, as well as restore the system if necessary.

In addition to creating a bootable flash drive, these instructions can also be useful for the process of installing Windows 10 from a flash drive. It will provide you with a step-by-step description of the operating system installation procedure, ensuring a successful and smooth installation.

No matter which method you choose to create a bootable flash drive, it's important to remember that it's an essential tool for installing and restoring the Windows 10 operating system. Follow our instructions and you should be able to create a bootable flash drive with no problems, ready to use during the Windows 10 installation process.


Creating a bootable Windows 10 flash drive using the official method

Right after the final version of the new operating system was released, a handy utility called Windows 10 Installation Media Creation Tool (now called Microsoft Media Creation Tool) appeared on Microsoft's website. This programme allows you to create a bootable flash drive for the subsequent installation of the system. It automatically downloads the latest final version of Windows 10 to the selected drive and creates a USB drive suitable for booting in both UEFI and Legacy modes and compatible with GPT and MBR discs for HDDs and SSDs.

It is important to note that with this software you get the original versions of Windows 10, including Windows 10 Pro (Professional), Home and Home for one language, available for download from Microsoft's official website. The flash drive created with this utility is ideal if you already have a Windows 10 key or if you already have a licensed version of Windows 10 or 8.1 installed on your computer or laptop and you want to perform a clean install. During installation, skip entering the key by selecting the "I don't have a product key" option and the system will activate automatically when you connect to the Internet. You can also install Windows 10 from this USB stick without fulfilling the specified conditions and use the system without activation (no special restrictions) or activate it with a key from a previous version of the operating system.

Here are the step-by-step instructions to create a Windows 10 bootable flash drive using the official method:

1. Download Windows 10 Microsoft Installation Media Creation Tool bootable flash drive utility from the official website. Links to different languages, can be found on the page "Bootable".

2. Click Download Remedy Now.



3. Run the downloaded utility and accept the terms of the licence agreement.

4. Select "Create installation media USB flash memory device" and click "Next".



5. The window for selecting the architecture, system language, and operating system release will soon appear. By default, the recommended settings are set to match the characteristics of your current system. However, you can always change these settings by unchecking the appropriate box. Select your preferred language and bitness (64-bit or 32-bit) according to your preferences. It is important to note that the downloaded image contains all editions of Windows 10. Selecting a specific version of the operating system (for example, Professional or Home) will be available during the installation phase.



6. If you uncheck "Use recommended settings for this computer" and select a different bit rate or language, a warning message will appear: "Make sure that the release of the installation media matches the Windows release on the computer you will be using it on. However, it is important to note that the current image contains all Windows 10 releases, so this warning can usually be ignored.

7. Select the "USB flash device" option if you want the software to automatically create a bootable installation flash drive. And if you prefer to download the original Windows 10 image yourself and burn it to a USB or DVD, select the "ISO file" option. This way, you can choose the most convenient way to create a bootable media according to your preferences.



8. From the list, select the drive you want to use. Note that all data from the flash drive or external hard drive (including all partitions) will be deleted. Please note that all data from the flash drive or external hard drive (including all partitions) will be deleted. 



9. After selecting the options, the process of downloading the Windows 10 installation files and then writing them to the selected flash drive will begin. It is important to note that these steps may take some time as they depend on the speed of your internet connection and the performance of your computer. Please be patient during this process.

10. When the bootable drive creation process is complete, you will get the message "USB flash memory device is ready". Now you can close the utility and use the created drive with confidence. This means that your bootable flash drive is ready to use and you can proceed to install or restore your system using it.



Using Rufus to write a bootable flash drive:

If you already have a downloaded ISO image of the operating system, or if your computer does not support UEFI mode and uses a regular BIOS, or if for some other reason the previous method is not suitable, you can turn to Rufus. Rufus is a great solution to quickly create a bootable Windows 10 USB stick suitable for different systems.


1. Download the latest version of rufus software from the official website rufus.ie



2. In Rufus, you'll need to specify the USB drive you want to burn to, and then click the Select button to specify the path to the Windows 10 ISO image. If you don't already have an ISO image, you can also download Windows 10 directly in Rufus. In the "Image Options" field, select the "Standard Windows installation" option.

It is important to pay attention to the selection of items under "Section layout" and "Target system". The following is usually recommended:

For computers with a regular BIOS or to install Windows 10 on a computer with UEFI on an MBR disc, select "MBR" as the partition scheme and "BIOS or UEFI-CSM" in the target system.

For computers with UEFI and installation on a GPT disc, select the appropriate options under "Partition layout" and "Target system".



3. If you wish, you can change the name of your flash drive to make it easier to identify. However, for additional parameters, it is recommended to leave them unchanged, especially if you have no specific settings or requirements. After selecting all the required parameters, including the name of the flash drive, you can click the "Start" button to start the process of creating a bootable flash drive. The "Start" button starts the process of writing the Windows 10 image to the selected flash drive according to the selected settings.




5. If you wish to skip the default setup after Windows is installed, you have the option of specifying which questions Windows should not ask. This will allow you to move on to using the operating system without having to answer a number of additional questions and customisations.



6. When the bootable drive creation process is complete, you will get the message "USB flash memory device is ready". Now you can close the utility and use the created drive with confidence. This means that your bootable flash drive is ready to use and you can proceed to install or restore your system using it.



More info

In the process of creating a bootable Windows 10 flash drive, the following information may be helpful:

  • Booting from a flash drive is best done using the Boot Menu rather than changing the boot parameters in BIOS or UEFI. If the boot menu shows the drive twice - with and without the UEFI (or EFI) label, choose the labeled option to install on a GPT disc and the unlabeled option to install on an MBR disc.
  • In some cases, when you use an external USB disc (HDD) to create a bootable drive, it may acquire the FAT32 file system and its capacity may change. If you encounter this situation, after you no longer need the installation files, you can press Win+R, type diskmgmt.msc to open disc management, delete all partitions from this drive and then format it with the file system you need. You can also use the "How to delete partitions on a flash drive" instruction.
  • You can install from a USB stick not only by booting from it into the BIOS, but also by running the setup.exe file from the drive. However, in this case it is important that the bitness of the system you are installing matches the bitness of your current system (and your computer must have a system no older than Windows 7). If you need to change the bitness (for example, from 32-bit to 64-bit), you should follow the instructions in "Installing Windows 10 from a USB stick".
  • After using the official Microsoft utility to create a USB installation drive, the ESD and Windows.BT folders may remain on the disc and can be deleted.
  • To create a bootable Windows 10 flash drive, all the methods that work for Windows 8.1 are suitable. You can use the command line or many other programs to create a bootable flash drive. If you haven't found a suitable option from the ones described above, you can safely use any other method that was used for the previous version of the operating system.

Keep in mind that the process of creating a bootable flash drive may differ depending on the method or programme you choose, so follow the guidelines and instructions corresponding to the chosen method of creating a Windows 10 bootable drive.


You can read the information "How to Install Windows"