Install Windows from a USB Flash Drive

Here’s how to create a bootable Windows installation USB drive starting with a Windows .iso file or a Windows Setup DVD.

If you’re looking for an easy way to create a bootable USB Windows installation drive, use the media creation tool.

What you need

• Windows 10 install .iso or DVD
• USB flash drive with at least 5GB free space. This drive will be formatted, so make sure it doesn’t have any important files on it.
• Technician PC — Windows PC that you’ll use to format the USB flash drive
• Destination PC — A PC that you’ll install Windows on

Step 1 — Format the drive and set the primary partition as active

Connect the USB flash drive to your technician PC.

Open Disk Management: Right-click on Start and choose Disk Management.

Format the partition: Right-click the USB drive partition and choose Format. Select the FAT32 file system to be able to boot either BIOS-based or UEFI-based PCs.

Set the partition as active: Right-click the USB drive partition and click Mark Partition as Active.

If Mark Partition as Active isn’t available, you can instead use diskpart to select the partition and mark it active.

Step 2 — Copy Windows Setup to the USB flash drive

Use File Explorer to copy and paste the entire contents of the Windows product DVD or ISO to the USB flash drive.

Optional: add an unattend file to automate the installation process. For more information, see Automate Windows Setup.

Step 3 — Install Windows to the new PC

Connect the USB flash drive to a new PC.

Turn on the PC and press the key that opens the boot-device selection menu for the computer, such as the Esc/F10/F12 keys. Select the option that boots the PC from the USB flash drive.

Windows Setup starts. Follow the instructions to install Windows.

Remove the USB flash drive.

If your Windows image is larger than 4GB

Windows USB install drives are formatted as FAT32, which has a 4GB filesize limit. If your image is larger than the filesize limit:

Copy everything except the Windows image file (sources\install.wim) to the USB drive (either drag and drop, or use this command, where D: is the mounted ISO and E: is the USB flash drive.)

Split the Windows image file into smaller files, and put the smaller files onto the USB drive:

How to Install Windows 7 From USB

A tutorial on using a USB flash drive to install Windows 7

Chances are you’ll need to install Windows 7 from a USB device if you have a tablet, a small laptop, or a netbook device, few of which include optical drives as standard hardware.

As of January 2020, Microsoft no longer supports Windows 7. We recommend upgrading to Windows 10 to continue receiving security updates and technical support.

Prepare for the Installation

You must migrate the Windows 7 setup files onto a flash drive (or any USB-based storage) and then boot from that flash drive to get the Windows 7 installation process started. However, simply copying the files from your Windows 7 DVD to a flash drive won’t work. You have to specially prepare the USB device and then properly copy the Windows 7 install files to it before it’ll work as you expect.

You’re in a similar, but slightly easier to solve, situation if you’ve purchased a Windows 7 ISO file directly from Microsoft and need that on a flash drive.

No matter what situation you’re in, just follow the instructions below to install Windows 7 from a USB device.

The following tutorial applies equally to whatever edition of Windows 7 you have a disc or ISO image of: Windows 7 Ultimate, Professional, Home Premium, etc.

What You’ll Need

• A Windows 7 ISO or DVD
• Access to a computer with Windows 7, 8, 10, Vista, or XP installed and working properly, as well as with a DVD drive if you have a Windows 7 DVD
• A 4 GB (or larger) flash drive

How to Install Windows 7 From USB

Correctly preparing a USB drive for use as an installation source for Windows 7 will take around 15 to 30 minutes depending on your computer speed and what edition of Windows 7 you have on DVD or in ISO format

Start with Step 1 below if you have a Windows 7 DVD or Step 2 if you have a Windows 7 ISO image.

Create an ISO file from the Windows 7 DVD. If you already know how to create ISO images, fantastic: do it, and then come back here for further instructions on what to do with it.

If you’ve never created an ISO file from a disc before, check out the tutorial linked above. It’ll walk you through installing some free software and then show how to use it to make the ISO. An ISO image is a single file that perfectly represents a disc—in this case, your Windows 7 installation DVD.

Next, we’re going to work on properly getting that Windows 7 ISO you just created onto the flash drive.

Download Microsoft’s Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool. Once downloaded, execute the file and follow the installation wizard.

This free program from Microsoft, which works in Windows 10 through Windows XP, will correctly format the USB drive and then copy the contents of your Windows 7 ISO file to the drive.

Pick the en-US.exe download for the English edition of this tool.

Start the Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool program, which is probably located in your Start menu or on your Start screen, as well as on your Desktop.

On the Step 1 of 4: Choose ISO file screen, click Browse.

Locate and select your Windows 7 ISO file, and then click Open.

If you downloaded Windows 7 directly from Microsoft, check for the ISO image wherever you tend to store downloaded files. If you manually created an ISO file from your Windows 7 DVD in Step 1 above then it will be wherever you saved it to.

Click Next once you’re back on the Step 1 of 4 screen.

Click USB device on the Step 2 of 4: Choose media type screen.

On the Step 3 of 4: Insert USB device screen, choose the flash drive or external hard drive you want to put the Windows 7 installation files on.

If you haven’t yet plugged in the flash drive or other device you’re using, you can do that now. Just click the refresh button to make it show up in the list.

Click the Begin copying button.

Click Erase USB Device if you’re prompted to do so on a Not Enough Free Space window. Then click Yes to the confirmation in the next window.

If you don’t see this it just means that the flash drive or external hard disk you’ve selected is already empty.

Any data you have on this USB drive will be erased as part of this process.

On Step 4 of 4: Creating bootable USB device, wait for the program to format the USB drive and then copy the Windows 7 installation files to it from the ISO image you provided.

You’ll see a Status of Formatting for several seconds, followed by Copying files. This part might take as long as 30 minutes, maybe even longer, depending on which edition of Windows 7 the ISO file you have is from, as well as on how fast your computer, USB drive, and USB connection is.

The percentage complete indicator may sit on one or more percentages for a long time. This apparent pause doesn’t mean anything is wrong.

The next screen you see should say Bootable USB device created successfully, with a Status of Backup completed.

You can now close the Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool program. The USB drive can now be used to install Windows 7.

Boot from the USB device to start the Windows 7 setup process.

You might need to make changes to the boot order in BIOS if the Windows 7 setup process doesn’t start when you try to boot from the USB drive. See How to Change the Boot Order in BIOS if you’ve never done that.

If you still can’t get the flash drive to boot, and you also have a UEFI based computer, see the information at the bottom of this page.

If you arrived here from How to Clean Install Windows 7, you can now return to that tutorial and continue installing Windows 7.

You should have now installed Windows 7 by USB.

Tips & More Information

When the Windows 7 USB DVD Download Tool formats the flash drive during the process above, it does so using NTFS, a file system that some UEFI systems won’t boot from if present on a USB stick.

To get the USB drive to boot on these computers, you should copy the data from the flash drive onto a folder on your computer, then reformat the flash drive using the older FAT32 file system, and then copy that same data back onto the drive.

See How to Burn an ISO File to USB for an alternative method for getting a Windows 7 ISO image onto a USB drive.

How to install Windows 7 on a Netbook from USB drive

The first step is to download and install the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool .

Under Installation, follow the instructions to download and install the tool on your PC.

Second, copy the Windows 7 ISO file to a USB flash drive:

Make sure you’ve copied any files on the USB flash drive to an external location. The Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool will erase any data on the USB flash drive.

Click the Start button , click All Programs, click the Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool folder, and then click Windows 7 USB/DVD Download Tool.

Step 1: Choose ISO file, click Browse, browse to the Windows 7 ISO file you downloaded, click it, click Open, and then click Next.

Step 2: Choose media type, click USB device.

Step 3: Insert USB device, click your USB flash drive in the drop-down list, and then click Begin copying.

If you see a dialog box that says that there isn’t enough free space on the USB flash drive, click Erase USB Device, and then click Yes. When the process is finished, click the Close button in the upper-right corner of the window.

Now, you’re ready to install Windows 7 using a USB flash drive:

If you don’t need to start your netbook using the USB flash drive, you can simply browse to the USB flash drive, and then double-click setup.exe to begin Windows 7installation.

To start your netbook using the USB flash drive:

1. Turn off your netbook, insert the USB flash drive, and then restart your netbook.

2. Press any key when prompted, and then follow the instructions that appear.

3. On the Install Windows page, choose your language and other preferences, and then click Next. If the Install Windows page doesn’t appear, and you’re not asked to press any key, you might need to change some system settings.

4. Follow the instructions to finish installing Windows 7.

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How to Install Windows 8 or 8.1 From a USB Device

Instructions on using a USB flash drive to install Windows 8 or 8.1

The need to install Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 from a USB device, like a flash drive, is a common one these days. It’s no surprise why. Many new computers, especially tablets and smaller laptops and desktops, no longer have optical drives. That Windows 8 install disc doesn’t do you much good if you don’t have anywhere to put the DVD!

If you prefer to see the process with screenshots, you can follow our step by step guide to installing Windows 8/8.1 from a USB device for an easy walk-through.

Preparing for the Installation

If you want to install Windows 8 from a USB device, you’ll need to get those setup files from the DVD to the USB drive. Unfortunately, simply copying them there won’t do. Windows 8 is also sold as a downloadable ISO file which, if you choose to buy it that way, requires similar steps to get it properly copied to a USB drive.

Regardless of whether you have a Windows 8 DVD that you need to get on a flash drive, or an ISO file with the same goal, the following tutorial will help you get the installation files properly copied to a flash drive so you can get on with the installation process.

This is a fairly simple process that will only take between 20 and 30 minutes, depending on what format your copy of Windows 8 is in right now and how fast your computer is.

Windows 10 users should learn how to burn an ISO File to a USB drive for an easier way of getting a Windows 10 ISO image to a USB drive for installation of that operating system.

To complete this process, you’ll need:

• A flash drive (4 GB for 32-bit, 8 GB for 64-bit).
• A Windows 8/8.1 DVD or ISO.
• Access to a working computer (with a DVD drive if you have a Windows 8 DVD) with Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP installed.

If you have a Windows 8 ISO file and want that on a flash drive, start with Step 2. If you have a Windows 8 DVD and need that on the flash drive, start with Step 1.

How to Install Windows 8 or 8.1 From a USB Device

Create an ISO file from the Windows 8 DVD. This is the procedure by which you create a single file, called an ISO image, that contains all the data stored on the Windows 8 setup DVD disc.

Once you have an ISO image, come back here and continue on with this tutorial which will explain how to get it onto a flash drive.

If you already know how to create ISO files with your favorite program, often called «ripping,» then do so in whatever way you’re used to doing it. However, if you’ve never created one or don’t have a program installed right now that does it, please see the linked tutorial above for complete instructions on doing so with a free program.

This free program properly formats your flash drive and then copies the contents of the Windows 8 installation ISO file you have to that flash drive.

This program works perfectly well with Windows 8 ISO files and can be used in Windows 10, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, or Windows XP.

Start the Windows USB DVD Download Tool program. You should be able to find the shortcut on the Desktop, as well as in your Start menu or on your Start screen, depending on which version of Windows you installed the program on.

Select Browse on Step 1 of 4: Choose ISO file screen.

Locate, and then select your Windows 8 ISO file. Choose Open.

If you downloaded Windows 8 from Microsoft, check your Downloads folder or your Desktop for the ISO image. If you created an ISO image from your Windows 8 DVD, the ISO file will be wherever you created it to.

Select Next.

Choose USB device on Step 2 of 4: Choose media type screen.

As you can see here, there is also a DVD option. While it doesn’t do us much good in this case, since the end game is to get Windows 8’s setup files on a flash drive, you could also use this tool to burn a Windows 8 ISO image to a DVD or BD disc.

On Step 3 of 4: Insert USB device screen, choose from the drop-down box the flash drive or USB-connected external hard drive you want to put the Windows 8 setup files onto, and then select Begin copying.

If you haven’t yet plugged in the USB storage device you’re planning on using, you can do that now and then select the blue refresh button to make it show up in the list.

Select Erase USB Device if you’re prompted to do so on a Not Enough Free Space window. If you don’t see this, don’t worry, it just means that your flash drive or external hard disk is already empty.

If this message didn’t make it apparent, you should know that whatever data you might have on this drive is going to be erased as part of the process of getting the Windows 8 setup files copied.

On Step 4 of 4: Creating bootable USB device, just wait for the Windows USB DVD Download Tool to prepare the drive and copy the Windows 8 installation files to it.

The first Status you see will be Formatting, which will take anywhere from a few to several seconds, depending on how large the USB drive is that you’re using. Next will be Copying files, which could take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes, possibly longer. This will depend on which Windows 8 ISO file you’re working from, as well as on how fast your flash drive, USB connection, and the computer is.

Don’t worry if the percentage indicator jumps ahead quickly but then sits on a single number for a long time. While it might not make a lot of sense to behave that way, it doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong.

Assuming everything went as planned, the next screen should say Bootable USB device created successfully with a Status that says Backup completed.

You can now close the Windows USB DVD Download Tool program window. The flash drive, or other external USB drive you’re using, now has the necessary files on it to install Windows 8 and is also properly configured to be booted from.

There is an alternative method for getting the ISO onto a USB drive. See How to Burn an ISO File to USB for a walkthrough of this process if you’re unfamiliar with it. We prefer the procedure outlined above, but if you have trouble with it, that general ISO-to-USB procedure should work as well.

Boot from the USB device that you just created to start the Windows 8 install process. You should now be installing from a USB device.

If the Windows 8 setup process doesn’t start, it’s very likely that you’ll need to make boot order changes in the BIOS. See our article on how to change the boot order in BIOS if you need help doing that.

Booting Windows 8 Setup on a UEFI-Based System

If you have a UEFI-based system and you still can’t boot Windows 8 Setup from the flash drive, even after setting the USB device first in the boot order, there’s a workaround that might work for you.

The Windows USB DVD Download Tool formats the USB drive as NTFS, a file system that many UEFI-based computers will not boot from when on a USB drive.

To work around this issue:

After Step 11 above, copy all of the files from the flash drive to a folder on your PC.

Format the flash drive manually, using the older FAT32 file system.

Copy all of the files from the folder you made in Step 1 back to the flash drive.