How to create a bootable usb using rufus

Rufus is a very popular tool for creating bootable USB. If the USB made by Rufus is not working as a bootable device, here are a few troubleshoot tips.

Partition Scheme and Target System Mismatch

This is the most critical setting. If your computer uses Legacy BIOS, you should generally select the MBR partition scheme and BIOS (or UEFI-CSM) as the target system in Rufus.

If your computer uses UEFI firmware (common in newer PCs), you should generally select the GPT partition scheme and UEFI as the target system.

Incorrect File System

For UEFI systems, the bootable partition usually needs to be formatted as FAT32. If the source ISO file contains a file larger than 4GB, Rufus may default to NTFS, which can prevent booting on some UEFI systems.

Solution: Try forcing the File System to FAT32 in Rufus, or ensure your target system setting is correct, as Rufus has a feature (UEFI:NTFS) to boot NTFS drives on UEFI systems when configured correctly.

Corrupted ISO File or Older Rufus Version

If the original ISO image file you downloaded is corrupted, the resulting USB will not boot. An older version of Rufus might have bugs or lack support for newer operating system images or hardware.

Please download a fresh copy of the ISO and use the latest version of Rufus.

These are very effective tricks and you are safe now to create a bootable usb using rufus.