how to install windows 11 from a USB flash drive
All users may have knowledge about how to install windows 11 from a USB flash drive, which is known as burning a copy of Windows on the flash drive, which is to extract the Windows installation files from the ISO file and transfer them to a USB key to install Windows through it after setting the boot from the BIOS.
But what we mean through this article is to run the copy of Windows directly from the flash drive, which means installing Windows 11 on a USB flash drive as a portable system that can be booted from any computer after connecting the USB drive to it. In this way, the Windows system will work like any portable program (Portable) and therefore you will be able to run Windows 11, with programs and games installed on it, through any computer as soon as the flash is connected to it. So if it interests you, continue reading the article to the end to learn how to install Windows 11 on a USB flash drive quite simply and run Windows on flash memory with programs and applications.
In previous versions of windows, Microsoft developed a feature built into the system called "Windows To Go", a feature that allows users to copy the system and use it directly on portable storage volumes, such as installing a copy of Windows on an external hard drive, provided that it meets the required standards in terms of the type and size of the volume. But this feature is no longer officially supported in Windows 11, so if you want to install Windows 11 on a USB stick and run it as a portable system, you need to download a third-party program for this.
How to run bootable Windows from a USB flash drive
In today's explanation, we will rely on Rufus, a program known for its efficiency to burn copies of Windows to a USB flash drive and make it bootable from the BIOS to start the Windows installation from scratch. Besides, it supports the possibility of performing a portable installation of Windows 11 and using it on different computers.
But before you start installing Windows on a USB flash drive, there are things that must be taken into consideration, which is that the USB flash drive must have a capacity of at least 64 GB and the need to format the flash and delete any data stored in it and configure it to run the Windows copy of the flash memory without problems. So make sure to backup your important files on the flash drive. You will also need to download an ISO file to install Windows 11.
In the event that the file is not downloaded, you can do so through the Microsoft website, which provides you with how to download the latest version of Windows 11 from the official website. After downloading the ISO file of the Windows 11 iso file, go to the next steps to learn how to install Windows on a flash drive.
- First: Download the latest version of Rufus from the original site, the regular or portable version, which is a Windows burning program on a USB flash drive.
- Then connect the flash drive to your computer or laptop.
- As we mentioned, the flash space must be 64 GB so that you can install Windows 11 and run your favorite Windows programs comfortably.
- Now run the Rufus program and select from the Device menu at the top the flash you intend to use for the installation process of Windows on a proper flash installation and it will often be recognized automatically.
- Then press the SELECT button next to the Boot selection menu and select the ISO file from the computer to install windows 11.
- The next step is to click on the Image option menu and make the Windows To Go option. Rufus will adjust all other settings and configure the flash drive so that it is ready for the windows installation process.
- Then press the "START" button below and wait for the process to finish.
- Depending on the speed of your computer, the flash, and the type of USB port, it may take some time to complete the Windows 11 installation process.
Depending on the factors mentioned above and after the process is completed, you will now have a flash drive capable of running Windows 11 from any computer. But there is a final step before the flash is ready to run Windows 11 on a mobile, which is the usual installation and customization steps, then install the programs that you need only once, and then you can use the Windows 11 operating system with your favorite programs on any computer.
Through which you need to go to the BIOS screen (setting the BIOS settings) to make the computer start booting from the flash drive instead of the internal hard drive. This process differs from one device to another due to the diversity of the graphical interfaces of the BIOS screens, but the navigation tabs inside the BIOS are somewhat similar, with minor differences. Usually, the BIOS settings are entered on the ASUS laptop by pressing and holding the F2 button and turning on the device while continuing to press F2 until the BIOS screen appears. After that, we click on the Boot Menu option and then select the USB flash that contains Windows and press Enter to start booting to the USB flash.
Once you boot into the flash memory, you will see the interface to complete the installation of Windows, where you select the region, keyboard language, add a Microsoft account, and other usual and simple customization steps. And we repeat that this step is done once, which is the first time that booting into Windows starts after installing it on a USB flash drive. Later, when booting to a USB flash drive from any computer, the Windows desktop will appear directly.
After completing the Windows installation steps, you can start installing your favorite programs and games easily. You may also need to install the drivers for the graphics card, sound, and the network for the device on which you use the USB flash, in case the drivers installed by Microsoft do not work properly, and you can do that from here.