By FreePortal Team · Reviewed by FreePortal Editorial Team · Last updated October 2026

How to Download and Use Rufus Free Guide

The tiny, free, open-source tool that turns any USB drive into bootable installation media — for Windows, Linux, or almost any ISO.

Visit Official Site →

Is Rufus Free?

Yes — completely. Rufus is free and open source under the GPLv3 license, with no paid tier, no ads, and no account required. It is developed by Pete Batard and distributed only through rufus.ie and its official GitHub repository.

It is also portable: you download a single small .exe file and run it directly. No installation is required. The standard build stores settings in the registry (HKCU); the portable build stores them in rufus.ini next to the executable and leaves the registry untouched.

Current stable release: Rufus 4.15 (30 June 2026). It adds RISC-V 64 support to UEFI:NTFS, fixes a Snapdragon X ARM64 boot crash, and patches two ezxml security vulnerabilities.

System Requirements

OS: Windows 8 or later. x86 32-bit, x64, and ARM64 builds are available. ARM 32-bit builds were dropped in Rufus 4.7.
Processor: Any CPU supported by your version of Windows
RAM: Practically none — Rufus is a few megabytes
Storage: ~1.9 MB for the x64 build; ~5.2 MB for the ARM64 build
USB drive: 8 GB or larger for modern Windows ISOs; smaller for many Linux distributions

How to Create a Bootable USB with Rufus

Go to the official site. Visit rufus.ie and download the latest Standard or Portable executable. Avoid third-party "Rufus download" sites.
Insert your USB drive. Plug in the drive you want to use. Everything on it will be erased, so copy any important files off it first.
Run Rufus and select the device. Double-click the downloaded .exe — there is nothing to install. Under Device, confirm the correct USB drive is selected. This is the single most important step.
Select your ISO. Click SELECT next to Boot selection and browse to your ISO file. Rufus detects the image type automatically.
Choose the partition scheme. Use GPT for modern UEFI systems, or MBR for legacy BIOS machines. GPT/UEFI is the right choice for any PC made in roughly the last decade.
Leave the file system on default. Rufus picks the correct file system for the ISO. Only change it if you have a specific reason.
Click START and confirm the warning. Rufus displays a clear warning that the USB drive will be destroyed. Confirm it, then wait for the write and verification to complete.
Boot from the USB. When Rufus finishes, close it and eject the drive safely. On the target PC, open the boot menu (often F12, F2, or Del) and select the USB drive.

Getting Started

Understand what Rufus does. It writes an ISO image to a USB drive sector by sector and makes the drive bootable. It is not a file-copy tool — you cannot use the resulting drive for normal storage until you reformat it.
Know your firmware type. GPT is for UEFI systems and MBR is for legacy BIOS. Booting a GPT drive on a BIOS-only machine will fail, and vice versa — this is the most common reason a Rufus-created drive "doesn't work."
Use the Windows User Experience options (Windows ISOs only). When you select a Windows 10 or 11 ISO, Rufus offers optional tweaks: bypassing TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, skipping the Microsoft account requirement, removing preinstalled apps (Copilot, Teams, Outlook, and others), and — new in 4.14 — silent installation, which automatically installs Windows on the first detected disk without prompts. Silent install is powerful and easy to misuse: it wipes the first disk it finds, so only enable it on a machine with a single target drive.
Let verification finish. Rufus checks the data written to the USB after writing. Skipping verification can leave you with a drive that looks fine but fails mid-install.
Check the drive for bad blocks (optional). Rufus includes a bad-block scan. It is slower, but worth running on an old or questionable USB drive.
Reuse the drive afterwards. When you no longer need the bootable media, format it normally in Windows to turn it back into ordinary storage.

Useful Tips

💾 Back up the USB drive first. Rufus erases the entire drive, not just the free space. There is no undo.
🎯 Double-check the Device dropdown. If you have multiple drives plugged in, Rufus shows every one. Selecting an external hard drive by mistake is a genuinely common and painful error.
🪟 Use the "Standard" build unless you need zero footprint. Both builds run without installation. The Standard build saves settings to the registry; the Portable build saves them to rufus.ini and makes no registry changes.
🧠 GPT + UEFI is the modern default. Choose MBR only if you are installing on a genuinely old machine or a specific legacy scenario.
⚡ Rufus is generally the fastest option for Windows ISOs. Some 2026 comparisons found balenaEtcher faster for certain Linux images because of different write strategies, but for Windows media Rufus is consistently quick and offers the most control.
🔐 Do not use "free download" mirrors. Rufus is a single small executable, which makes it a frequent target for repackaging with adware. Download only from rufus.ie or the official GitHub releases page.
🐧 Linux persistence is optional. When writing a Linux ISO, Rufus can add a persistence partition so changes survive a reboot.
🔄 Update Rufus occasionally. New Windows and Linux releases sometimes need matching Rufus updates to boot correctly. The current release is 4.15, which adds RISC-V 64 support and patches two ezxml security vulnerabilities.
🚫 Treat the Windows 11 bypass as a trade-off. Bypassing TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot works, but Microsoft does not officially support such installations, and future updates may be affected. Know the risk before you rely on it.

Rufus vs balenaEtcher vs Ventoy

Rufus: Windows-only, generally the fastest option for Windows ISOs, and the most advanced options for Windows media (TPM/Secure Boot bypass, local account, silent installation, preinstalled app removal, partition scheme control). No telemetry. Best for Windows power users and anyone creating a one-off bootable USB.
balenaEtcher: Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux), validates writes by default, simple three-step UI. Can be faster than Rufus for some Linux images. Best for beginners and for anyone flashing a Linux ISO who wants cross-platform support.
Ventoy: Different model — install Ventoy once, then drop multiple ISOs onto the USB drive and pick one to boot. Best for anyone who flashes frequently or wants a portable multi-boot drive.

All three are free. For occasional Windows flashing, Rufus is the best choice. For cross-platform simplicity, balenaEtcher. For a drive that boots multiple ISOs, Ventoy. See our balenaEtcher guide and Ventoy guide.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

❌ "ISO image is not bootable" or the drive doesn't boot. Confirm you are using the correct partition scheme — GPT for UEFI PCs, MBR for legacy BIOS. If the target PC is UEFI and the drive is MBR, it may still work if CSM is enabled, but native UEFI boot requires GPT.
🔒 "Access denied" or drive won't format. A background process is holding the drive open. Close File Explorer windows showing the drive, check Task Manager for anything with the drive letter open, and try again. On some systems, disabling antivirus temporarily also helps.
🐌 Rufus is very slow. Slow USB 2.0 ports, cheap USB drives, or antivirus scanning the write process are all common causes. Use a USB 3.0 port and a good-quality drive where possible.
⚙️ Windows 11 requires TPM/Secure Boot error. Rufus can bypass both — when you select a Windows 11 ISO, tick "Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0" in the Windows User Experience dialog. This is a documented Rufus feature, but Microsoft does not officially support bypassed installations.
💾 "Windows cannot be installed to this disk" (GPT/MBR mismatch). Confirm the partition scheme matches the target PC's firmware. On modern PCs, use GPT. If the drive was previously used with MBR, Rufus will create GPT on the new write — but the target PC must also be UEFI boot mode.
🔑 Write verification fails. Rufus's verification pass checks the data written to the USB drive, not the ISO's checksum. A failure usually means a bad write — a failing USB drive, a flaky port, or a corrupt source image. Re-download the ISO if possible, verify its SHA-256 against the official source, then try a different drive or port.
🧹 Windows 11 install includes unwanted apps. In the Windows User Experience dialog, use the preinstalled app removal options (Copilot, Teams, Outlook, and others) before creating the media. This is a 4.14+ feature.
💽 Silent installation wiped the wrong disk. Silent installation (4.14+) automatically installs to the first detected disk with no prompt. Only enable it when you are certain the target machine has a single drive, or when you have disconnected other drives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Rufus need to be installed?

No. Rufus is portable — you download a single .exe file and run it directly. There is no installer. The standard build saves settings to the registry (HKCU); the portable build saves them to rufus.ini next to the executable and makes no registry changes. Choose the portable build if you want zero footprint.

Can Rufus create a Windows 11 bootable USB without TPM 2.0?

Yes. When you select a Windows 11 ISO, Rufus offers a Windows User Experience dialog with options to bypass the TPM 2.0 requirement, the Secure Boot requirement, and the Microsoft account requirement. This is an officially documented Rufus feature. Caveat: Microsoft does not officially support Windows 11 installations that bypass TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot, and such systems may not receive certain updates or may encounter future compatibility warnings. The bypass is a legitimate tool, not a risk-free one.

What is the difference between GPT and MBR?

GPT (GUID Partition Table) is the modern standard for UEFI firmware. MBR (Master Boot Record) is the older standard for legacy BIOS. Choose GPT for any PC made in the last decade; choose MBR only for older machines or specific legacy scenarios.

Can I use Rufus on Mac or Linux?

No. Rufus is Windows-only. On Mac, use balenaEtcher or Apple’s own dd command. On Linux, use dd, balenaEtcher, or your distribution’s USB writer tool.

Does Rufus work with Linux ISOs?

Yes. Rufus works with virtually any ISO, including Linux distributions. For Linux ISOs, it can also add a persistence partition so changes survive a reboot — useful for a live USB you intend to use repeatedly.

Why does Rufus sometimes not show my USB drive?

Usually because the drive is mounted or in use by another process. Eject the drive in File Explorer, close any windows showing it, and try again. If it still doesn’t appear, the drive may be faulty or not recognized by Windows.

Can I use Rufus to create a Windows To Go drive?

Yes, with context. Microsoft discontinued the official Windows To Go feature (last supported for Windows 10; removed from Windows 10 2004 onward). Rufus still offers its own Windows To Go mode for Windows 10 and 11 media, applying the image directly to the USB drive’s sectors. This is a third-party implementation of a deprecated Microsoft feature, and the resulting drive needs SSD-class USB media to be usable. Treat it as an advanced option, not a standard Windows feature.

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