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rufus

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36.0k stars·System Optimization·SHA-256 checksum verified

Rufus is a lightweight utility that helps you format and create bootable USB flash drives from bootable ISOs (Windows, Linux, etc.). It supports both BIOS and UEFI, includes features like Windows To Go, bad block checking, and official Windows ISO download. Portable, free, and open source under GPL v3.

Smart Download

Download Download Version

v4.14 · 5.1 MB

A tiny but mighty tool to format and create bootable USB drives from ISOs.

Core Features

  • Format USB, flash card, and virtual drives to FAT/FAT32/NTFS/UDF/exFAT/ReFS/ext2/ext3
  • Create bootable drives from bootable ISOs or disk images (including compressed)
  • Support for BIOS and UEFI boot, including UEFI NTFS boot
  • Create Windows To Go drives and Windows 11 installation media without TPM/Secure Boot
  • Detect bad blocks and counterfeit flash drives, compute MD5/SHA-1/256/512 checksums

What It Can't Do

  • •All data on the USB will be destroyed—backup first! 2. Downloading Windows ISOs requires internet and several GB of data. 3. UEFI boot may require disabling Secure Boot or changing boot mode on older motherboards. 4. Bad block checking significantly increases write time; skip unless needed.

Use Cases

  • Create a bootable USB for reinstalling Windows or Linux
  • Prepare a Windows To Go portable workspace
  • Test used USB drives for fake capacity or bad blocks
  • Make a UEFI Shell boot drive for firmware diagnostics

Detailed Introduction

Rufus is a free and open-source Windows application that helps you format and create bootable USB flash drives. It can turn a bootable ISO (Windows, Linux, etc.) into a USB installation media, support both BIOS and UEFI modes, create Windows To Go drives, perform bad block checks, and even download official Windows ISOs from Microsoft. With a clean, portable interface and support for 38 languages, Rufus is a go-to tool for system administrators, power users, and anyone needing reliable bootable USB creation.

Troubleshooting & FAQ (1)

Troubleshooting
How to fix Rufus persistence not working on Linux Mint 22.3?

Rufus creates the persistence partition with the label 'casper-rw', but Linux Mint 22.3 (based on Ubuntu 24.04) expects the label 'writable'. As a workaround, after writing the ISO with persistence enabled, boot the USB and rename the partition: open a terminal and run sudo e2label /dev/sdX# writable (replace /dev/sdX# with the actual partition, e.g., /dev/sdb2). Alternatively, use GParted to relabel the persistence partition. This should enable persistence storage immediately. The issue may also affect other Ubuntu 24.04‑based distributions. A permanent fix in Rufus is not yet confirmed.

GitHub Issue #2922

Tags

usbbootableformattingwindowsisouefifreeware

Getting Started

1

Download installer

Click the button above to download the installer for your system

Windows· 5.1 MB
2

Install the software

Double-click the downloaded installer and follow the prompts

3

Step 1: Download the latest portable exe from rufus.ie

4

Step 2: Insert your USB drive, launch Rufus, select the device and the ISO file

5

Step 3: Click 'Start' and wait for completion. Safely eject the USB and boot from it.

Install Guide
  1. Step 1: Download the latest portable exe from rufus.ie
  2. Step 2: Insert your USB drive, launch Rufus, select the device and the ISO file
  3. Step 3: Click 'Start' and wait for completion. Safely eject the USB and boot from it.
File Integrity

SHA-256 checksum verified

Checksum extracted from GitHub official Release page

SHA256 Checksum

65461a08dd88f0f2d7bb08fe0e8feae33ebc75bc68f25f8dd7803b8f42bc5267

This checksum is extracted from the GitHub Release page. Verify file integrity after download.

All SHA-256 checksums on this platform are extracted from the project's official GitHub Release page, without any modification. You can independently verify them on the GitHub Releases page.

Open Source Transparency

View GitHub Source
Environment Guide

Uninstall Info

Rufus is portable. Simply delete the downloaded executable file.

No Extra Dependencies

Ready to use after download. No additional runtime required.

Project Info
LicenseGPL v3
Last Updated2026-06-26 14:40:26
GitHub RepositoryOfficial Website

Having issues? Check the FAQ below

1 FAQ

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