10 best programs to create a bootable USB stick

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Plug in your USB drive, choose one of the utilities for Windows, macOS or Linux, and you're done in a few minutes.

1. Rufus

• Price: Free.
• Platform: Windows.

One of the most popular tools that allows you to prepare an installation USB flash drive with Windows or Linux in just a few clicks. In addition to the main function, it can check disks for integrity, as well as add useful testing utilities to the boot image.

2. Etcher

• Price: Free.
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

A cross-platform application with a simple and user-friendly interface that will help you deploy an installation image to a memory stick or USB flash drive. All you need to do is select the image file, target disk and click the Flash button. Once written, Etcher can check the disk read and automatically unmount it.

3. Windows USB / DVD Download Tool

• Price: Free.
• Platform: Windows.

A proprietary Microsoft utility, which was originally intended to capture images of Windows 7. However, it also supports newer versions of this operating system and is still relevant. Thanks to the ascetic interface, it is simply unrealistic to make any mistake in the process of work.

4. WinToUSB

• Price: Free / $ 29.95
• Platform: Windows.

Unlike the previous ones, this program is designed to create disks from which the OS will boot and work without installation. Sources can be images in various formats, DVD-disks or installed on a Windows computer.

5. Win32 Disk Imager

• Price: Free.
• Platform: Windows.

An extremely simple tool for burning bootable discs with a minimum of settings. In addition to deploying ready-made images, he can create full backups of disks and memory cards for subsequent quick recovery.

6. Universal USB Installer

• Price: Free.
• Platform: Windows.

The functional utility creates a bootable USB flash drive for system installation. Supports all Windows versions and numerous Linux distributions. At the same time, he is able not only to use ready-made images, but also to automatically download them from the Internet.

7. WinSetupFromUSB

• Price: Free.
• Platform: Windows.

A powerful application with which you can burn a Windows or Linux installation disc in just a few minutes. WinSetupFromUSB supports BIOS and UEFI, as well as various image formats, and has many useful tools for working with disks.

8. UNetbootin

• Price: Free.
• Platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux.

An open source cross-platform utility that will help you create a bootable disk for almost any Linux distribution. For recording, you can use the existing image or download it from the Internet directly through UNetbootin.

9. DiskMaker X

• Price: Free.
• Platform: macOS.

A simple application for creating macOS installation flash drives. DiskMaker X does not have an interface: the choice of the image and the target disk is carried out through dialog boxes, and you will learn about the end of the process from the system notification.

10. Install Disk Creator

• Price: Free.
• Platform: macOS.

A very simple utility for burning bootable flash drives with macOS, which even the most inexperienced user can handle. Install Disk Creator automatically recognizes the downloaded installer from the Applications folder, and all that remains to be done is to select the USB flash drive to which you want to deploy it.