How to Make a Bootable USB Drive For Windows & macOS  – 4 Easy Methods

If you need to install or repair an operating system on your computer, a bootable USB is extremely useful. A USB drive can be used to boot some operating systems. You can easily create your own bootable USB with the operating system of your choice. This article pczippo.com. How to Make a Bootable USB Drive For Windows & macOS will show you how to make a bootable USB flash drive on both Windows and Mac computers.

Bootable Drive allows you to boot from a USB rather than your hard drive. This disk can be used to repair problems with your computer or to load older MS-DOS games. Remember that this Flash Drive is not the same as a restore CD or disc that came with the computer you are using.

What You Should Know

• A bootable USB drive can be used to install a new operating system or repair an existing one.
• Windows includes a recovery drive utility that can be utilized for creating a bootable Windows USB.
• To make a bootable USB device, use Rufus on Windows or Balena Etcher on Mac.

Method 1: Making Bootable USB Drive Using Windows

1. Create or download an image file. If you have an image file (like a “.iso,” “.img,” “.usb,” or “.vhd“) that you wish to convert into a bootable USB drive, that’s fantastic! If you don’t have one, you can make one from an existing CD/DVD/Blu-ray or from existing files and directories.

• For example, if you wish to create a bootable Ubuntu drive, go to ubuntu.com/download/desktop and download the ISO of Ubuntu.

2. Rufus is a free, lightweight application that is highly regarded by developers and IT professionals worldwide. To download Rufus, open a web browser and navigate to https://rufus.ie. Scroll down to the “Download” header and click the first link.

• If the download does not begin automatically, right-click the link and select Save as, Choose where you want to save the file and click Save.
• If you see an ad after clicking the link, simply click Close to get rid of the ad and begin the file download.

3. Click the downloaded file twice. It’s the rufus-3.21.exe file (the version number may vary). Downloaded files are stored in your Downloads folder by default. To launch Rufus, double-click the file in your Downloads folder or in your web browser.

• If prompted, click Yes to allow Rufus to make changes to your system.

4. Plug in your USB flash disk. Make sure you’re using a drive that’s big enough to hold your image file.

• Please Note That: Making a bootable disk will overwrite and wipe any data on the USB drive. Make a backup of any files on the USB drive that you don’t want to lose before you begin. You will also be unable to utilize the USB drive to store files or data once it has been reformatted into a bootable disk.

Select USB Drive

5. Choose your USB drive from the “Device” drop-down menu option. It’s located near the top of the Rufus window.

6. Choose ISO Image. Use the selection menu next to the “File name” bar to select “ISO image.” ISO image files include the extensions “.iso,” “.img,” “.vhd,” “.usb,” and more.

7. Choose the image file. Click the image file you wish to select, then click Open in the lower-right corner.

• This changes the “Volume label” field to match the ISO. If you want to rename the drive, simply replace that text with whatever you desire.
• The remaining settings should be OK as is, but feel free to alter any parameters if necessary.

8. To start creating the drive, click Start. Rufus will now copy the image file to the drive, making it bootable once completed. This could take some time. When the drive is finished, click Close in the bottom-right corner to close Rufus.

Method 2: Using Mac

1. Create or download an image file. A bootable image is required to generate a bootable USB flash device. Image files are typically suffixed with “.iso,” “.img,” or “.dmg.” If you already have an image file that you wish to convert into a bootable USB stick, you’re set!

• For example, if you wish to construct a bootable Ubuntu installation drive, go to ubuntu.com/download/desktop and download the Ubuntu ISO.

2. Download Etcher. Etcher is a free and widely recommended utility for creating bootable USB flash devices from image files on your Mac. Go to balena.io/etcher and choose the Download for macOS option just below the animation to get the installation.

3. Plug in a USB flash disk. Your USB flash drive should be plugged into one of your computer’s  USB or USB-C ports. Standard flash drives only fit one way, so if it doesn’t fit, don’t force it!

• Tips: Making a bootable disk will overwrite and wipe any data on the USB drive. Make a backup of any files on the USB drive that you don’t want to lose before you begin. You will also be unable to utilize the USB drive to store files or data once it has been reformatted into a bootable disk.
• To support most operating system files, the flash drive should be at least 16 GB in size.

Setup balena Etcher

4. Set up Etcher. Your downloaded files are saved in your Downloads folder by default. Double-click the balenaEtcher-1.10.2.dmg file in your Downloads folder or online browser (version number may vary). Then, in your Applications folder, drag the Etcher icon.

5. Launch Etcher. In order to do, open the File Explorer, navigate in your Applications folder and double-click the Etcher.app file.

6. Choose Flash from the file. When you open Etcher, the blue button on the left is highlighted.

7. Select the image file. This is the “.iso” or “.img” file that will be used to generate a bootable USB device. If you recently downloaded the image file, it is almost certainly in your Downloads folder. Click Open after selecting the image file.

8. Select “taret” by clicking the button. It’s the blue button to the right of the hard drive icon. Click this button.

9. Select your flash drive. To do so, select your flash drive by checking the box next to it and then clicking Select in the lower-right corner.

• If the flash drive is already displayed below the hard drive-like icon, you can skip this step. If a flash drive is already visible but it is not the correct drive, click Change alongside it. Then, select the drive by checking the box next to it.

10. To make a bootable USB drive, click Flash. Etcher will now transfer the image file to your flash drive, making it bootable. When the procedure is finished, you will see a success message.

11. If you come across a disk error, click Eject. If you see the message “The disk you inserted was not readable by this computer,” don’t worry—just click Eject instead of “Initialize,” and then unplug the drive. You can then boot from the drive whenever you want.

Method 3: Creating a Windows Recovery Drive

1.  Insert a USB drive with a capacity of at least 16 GB. If you ever have issues booting into Windows 10, having a bootable Windows recovery disk offers you access to troubleshooting tools as well as the ability to reinstall Windows. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 allow you to build a recovery drive.

• Attention!  Creating a recovery disk will destroy any existing files on the drive. If you don’t want to lose any files on the USB device, make a backup before you begin.
• Attention! Once you’ve made your recovery drive bootable, you won’t be able to use it for anything else, such as file storage.

2. Type create a recovery disk into the Windows Start menu. A list of search results will be displayed. The Windows Start menu is the button with the Windows logo at the bottom of the screen in the taskbar.

• If you don’t see the search bar after clicking the Start menu, click the circle or magnifying glass to its right.

3. In the search results, select Create a recovery drive. It has a checkmark over an icon that looks like a computer screen. This launches the Recovery Drive Wizard.

• To launch the application, you might need to click Yes.

Create Recovery Drive

4. Check box next to “Back up system files to the recovery drive” and then click Next. This option should be selected by default, but it’s always a good idea to double-check. After that, Windows will look for your USB disk. This could take some time.

5. Click Next after selecting your USB drive. If you continue, a warning box will display informing you that everything will be wiped.

6. After seeing the warning message, click Create. The USB drive is reformatted and the Windows recovery disk is installed. This procedure could take several minutes.

7. To close the window, click the Finish button. Your bootable Windows 10 recovery drive is now ready to use.

Method 4: Creating Bootable USB Drive Installer for a Mac

1. Download macOS. You can use this technique to build a USB drive if you need to install macOS from it. In general, the normal user doesn’t need to do this because everything needed to upgrade or reinstall macOS has been plugged into the computer. However, if you need to install macOS on many computers or create a Hackintosh, a USB drive will come in handy. The Mac App Store is where you can get MacOS Catalina, Mojave, High Sierra, Big Sur, and Monterey.

• To make a bootable Catalina disk, for example, You have to go to the Catalina page on the Mac App Store, then click GET to download the installers. Simply do not click Install—you only need the files.
• If you already have the version you want to download, a caution notice will appear; simply click Continue to save the installer to your Applications folder.
• Close the window if the installer starts automatically.

2. Insert a USB flash disk. Your flash drive should be plugged into one of your Mac’s rectangular or oval USB or USB-C connectors. Standard flash drives only fit one way, so if it doesn’t fit, don’t force it. The drive must be at least 12 GB in size and formatted in Mac OS Extended.

• During this process, all of the data on your drive will be erased. Back up your files now if there is anything you wish to save.

Access To Terminal Windows

3. Start the Terminal window. To access the Terminal, click the magnifying glass in the upper-right corner and type “Terminal.” Then select the Terminal app, which has the icon of a black screen with a white cursor. Alternatively, the Terminal app can be found in the Applications folder named “Utilities.”

4. Enter the command for your macOS version. To run it, type or paste the proper command for your operating system, then press the Return key.

The following are the commands:

1. El Capitan: sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/MyVolume –applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app
2. Catalina: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/MyVolume
3. Mojave: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/MyVolume
4. High Sierra: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/MyVolume
5. Big Sur: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/MyVolume
6. Monterey: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Monterey.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/MyVolume
7. Ventura: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Ventura.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia –volume /Volumes/MyVolume

5. Enter your administrator password and hit Enter. This executes the operation and questions you for confirmation.

6. To confirm, press the y key and then Return. This generates an image of the installation files on the USB stick. When the process is finished, you’ll see “Done” and be returned to the prompt. This implies you can disconnect the drive and use it to boot this or another Mac.

Final Verdict

Cruising via Rufus was a breeze for Windows users. From selecting the correct tools, to deal with difficulties within making a perfect bootable flash drive, you’re now an expert at creating bootable USB devices on your Windows system. You have your own toolbox, Mac users too. Whether you’re using Disk Utility or stretching your Terminal Command, you’re the master of creating bootable USB devices on your Mac. But wait, we’re not finished; we’re only getting started. This isn’t the end; it’s just the beginning.

• Also Read :- How To Boot PC Using USB Flash Drive
• Also Read :- How To Reinstall Windows And Start Over