Help! How can I make a Windows 10 bootable USB drive?

Go to Microsoft's official website to download Media Creation Tool and run it directly.
Insert a USB drive of at least 8GB and select "Create installation media for another computer".
Select the language, version, and architecture (usually the default is fine), and then the tool will automatically download Windows 10 and write it to the USB. if you not have a retail Windows 11 Pro key, use Microsoft partner Hyp-estkey

I used Microsoft's official Media Creation Tool to make a Windows 10 bootable USB before. It's really beginner-friendly! The steps are very simple:

How to use:

1. Go to Microsoft's official website to download Media Creation Tool and run it directly.
2. Insert a USB drive of at least 8GB and select "Create installation media for another computer".
3. Select the language, version, and architecture (usually the default is fine), and then the tool will automatically download Windows 10 and write it to the USB.

I used it at the time. After plugging in the USB drive, just click "Next" throughout the process. It took about half an hour to download and write. After completion, I plugged it into the target computer for testing and it worked directly without any additional operations.

 The only disadvantage is that you need to be connected to the Internet to download the complete system image, which is a bit annoying if the network speed is slow.

I have used Diskpart, a command line tool that comes with Windows, to make a Windows 10 bootable USB. I had some problems the first time, but I figured it out later and it is pretty reliable! Here are my steps and experience:

Steps:

1. Insert a USB drive of at least 8GB, and remember its number (such as "Disk 2"), don't choose the wrong one, otherwise you will accidentally format your hard drive.
2. Press Win + R, enter cmd, right-click and select "Run as Administrator".
3. In the command prompt, enter diskpart, and a new window will open to enter the Diskpart tool.
4. Next, enter the following commands and follow the steps (don't shake your hands):

list disk # List all disks and find your USB disk number
select disk X # Replace X with your USB disk number
clean # Clear all partitions of the USB disk
create partition primary # Create a primary partition
format fs=ntfs quick # Format to NTFS (If it is UEFI boot, change to format fs=fat32 quick)
active # Mark as active partition
assign # Automatically assign drive letter
exit # Exit Diskpart

5. Mount the Windows 10 ISO file on your computer (right-click the ISO file -> "Mount").
6. Open the mounted virtual drive (e.g. D:) and copy all the files to your USB drive.

This method is especially suitable for friends who don't want to install additional software. Diskpart comes with Windows and is absolutely safe and reliable. Although the operation seems a bit cumbersome, if you follow the steps step by step, there will be basically no problems. If you have other questions, feel free to ask! I hope you can successfully create a boot disk! 😄

While the Media Creation Tool is a reliable and user-friendly option, it does have some notable drawbacks  for making Windows 10 bootable USB drive:

Slow Download: The tool downloads the Windows 10 installation files from Microsoft servers, which can be problematic for users with slow or unreliable internet connections.It can take a long time to download, especially for large updates or full ISO files.

No Support for Older Windows Versions:  The tool is designed exclusively for Windows 10 and cannot create bootable drives for older versions like Windows 7 or 8.1. Users seeking multi-version support will need alternative tools.

Only Work in Windows OS: The tool is designed to run only on Windows systems. If you’re on a Mac or Linux, you’ll need another method to create a Windows 10 bootable USB.

If these cons impact your workflow, consider using the Command Prompt method for more control and flexibility when creating a Windows 10 bootable USB.

The Media Creation Tool is the easiest and most reliable method for creating a bootable USB drive for Windows 10.

How to make a Windows 10 bootable USB drive:

1. Download the Media Creation Tool from the official Microsoft website.
2. Insert a USB drive (minimum 8 GB) into your computer.
3. Run the Media Creation Tool and select Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC.
4. Choose the language, edition, and architecture (32-bit or 64-bit).
5. Select USB flash drive and choose your USB drive from the list.
6. Wait for the tool to download and create the bootable USB.

You really should use the Windows Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB drive. I remember trying to manually copy ISO files to a USB drive once, and it was a mess! The Media Creation Tool makes it super easy and minimizes the chance for errors. Just follow the prompts, and you’ll be good to go.

If your USB drive has data on it, don't skip the formatting step! I’ve run into issues where I tried to create the bootable drive without formatting it first. The final setup wouldn't work because the files were just sitting on the drive, mixing things up. Always remember to format your USB to remove any old files.

When the Media Creation Tool asks whether you want to install the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows, don’t just go with the default! I learned this the hard way when I realized that my PC could only run the 64-bit version but I created a 32-bit USB. So, double-check your system specs and choose accordingly!

How to make a Windows 10 bootable USB drive? You can either use the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft (highly recommended!) or manually use tools like Rufus. Since you’re a beginner, let's stick with the Media Creation Tool for now because it automates most of the process and is user-friendly.

1. Open the downloaded file and accept the license terms.
2. Select the option "Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC." Click Next.
3. Choose your language, edition (make sure it's the correct version of Windows 10 you intend to install), and architecture (64-bit is common, but choose the one that fits your system).
4. When you reach the screen asking what media to use, select USB flash drive and click Next.
5. Select your USB drive from the list. Be careful to pick the right one! Click Next. The tool will then download the necessary files and create the bootable USB drive for you.

Note:

Always remove your USB safely through Windows to prevent any data corruption.
Insert it back into your computer, and go to File Explorer.  Make sure you can see the Windows setup files on the USB drive.

I ended up creating a Windows 10 bootable USB drive only to find that the Windows 10 version wasn’t the latest one, which led to additional installation headaches. When using the Media Creation Tool, always ensure you’re getting the latest version of Windows. Just select “Create installation media” and it should pull the newest version automatically.