How to Install Windows 10 on USB drive?

So you want to install Windows 10 on USB drive using the command line method. Running Windows from a USB drive can be pretty slow compared to installing it on an SSD or HDD. USB drives, especially older ones, have lower read and write speeds, which can make everything feel sluggish. You’ll definitely notice it when booting up and launching applications. USB drives aren’t designed for constant read/write cycles like an SSD. If you’re running an OS off of it, you might wear it out faster. This could lead to the drive failing or corrupting your installation. Not fun!

If you’re using a USB drive that’s just above 16GB, space will become an issue quickly. Windows 10 itself takes up quite a bit of space, and you will have very little left for any applications or files. Sometimes booting from USB can lead to hardware compatibility issues, especially if the target machine has specific drivers that need to be delved into post-installation. You may find yourself needing more troubleshooting than expected.

While technically you can carry your Windows installation around, using it on different machines might lead to licensing issues since Windows is often tied to the original hardware it’s activated on. If something goes wrong while you're working on this USB Windows installation, you won’t have the usual recovery options readily available compared to a traditional install. You might need another USB or disk to recover your system.

Microsoft used to have a nifty feature called Windows To Go designed for running Windows from a USB stick. Unfortunately, it's not officially supported anymore in recent Windows 10 versions, but if you can find an older version of Windows 10 Enterprise, it might still be a viable option.