Rufus guides for bootable USB tasks
Each guide answers one Windows task, starting with a short answer and numbered steps. Pick the row that matches your situation.
| Your situation | Guide |
|---|---|
| You need an installer or live USB | Bootable USB |
| The drive does not boot on the target PC | UEFI or BIOS |
| You are writing Windows 10 or 11 | Windows ISO |
| You have not downloaded the program yet | Get the program |
| You are unsure which executable to pick | Choose a file |
| You want to confirm the ISO is intact | Verify an image |
| The USB is second-hand, cheap or has failed before | Check a USB |
| You want to know the download is genuine | Download safety |
Every write erases the whole selected drive, so start with a spare USB and read the erase check in the bootable USB guide before confirming anything.
- Get the programThe standard file runs directly without a setup wizard; get it from rufus.ie, the upstream GitHub release, winget, or the Microsoft Store.
- Choose a fileMatch the architecture of the PC that runs the program, then decide where its settings should live.
- Bootable USBEvery partition on the selected USB will be destroyed. Confirm the device, image, and firmware mode before Start.
- UEFI or BIOSGPT with UEFI and MBR with BIOS are different boot paths; check the target PC instead of applying one setting everywhere.
- Windows ISOUse a Microsoft ISO, read each Windows User Experience option, and leave the silent install option alone unless you mean it.
- Verify an imageA checksum catches a different or damaged ISO when you compare it with a trusted publisher value.
- Check a USBA bad blocks check can reveal failing or counterfeit media, but it erases the drive and takes time.
- Download safetyThe program is open source and signed; the real risk is a fake download or erasing the wrong drive.