Rufus creates bootable USB drives from ISO images — Windows installers, Linux distros and firmware tools — faster than most alternatives.
| Version | Size | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 4.6 | ~1.5 MB | Stable — official channel |
| 1 | Windows 8+ (7 with older Rufus) |
|---|---|
| 2 | USB drive 8 GB+ |
| 3 | ISO image file |
Get the latest build from rufus.ie — a single ~1.5 MB portable executable, no installation.
Yes — creating a bootable drive removes everything on it. Back up first.
GPT for UEFI machines (2012+), MBR for legacy BIOS. The wrong choice means no boot.
Ventoy boots multiple ISOs from one stick; Rufus writes a single image with better compatibility. Use Rufus for one-off installs, Ventoy for a toolbox.
No native macOS build — use balenaEtcher or the dd command instead.
Close Explorer and antivirus scanning the drive, re-plug into another port, or reboot and retry.
| Ventoy | Multi-ISO boot menu |
|---|---|
| balenaEtcher | Simple image flasher |
| UNetbootin | Linux USB writer |
| Media Creation Tool | Official Windows USB |
License: Free · open source (GPL)
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