Rufus is a lightweight, open source USB boot creator tool for Windows. Originally known for its ability to create a DOS bootable USB disk, this versatile program has evolved to support creating Linux and Windows bootable USB drives from ISO files. Over the years, it has become one of the most popular alternatives to the Universal USB Installer thanks to its speed, reliability, and wide compatibility.
Rufus | Create a DOS or ISO Bootable USB Drive
Rufus is a free and portable program that helps you quickly create bootable USB drives. It works with ISO images of operating systems, making it easy to install Windows, run Linux live environments, or boot into rescue and diagnostic utilities.
Key Features
- Bootable USB Creation: Easily create bootable USB drives from ISO image files for installing or running Windows, Linux, and other OS distributions.
- Compatibility: Supports a wide range of ISO files, including Windows installers, Linux distributions, and system rescue utilities.
- UEFI and Legacy BIOS Support: Works with both modern UEFI firmware and older BIOS-based systems.
- Partition Schemes & File Systems: Supports MBR, GPT, FAT32, NTFS, and exFAT, giving flexibility based on system requirements.
- Fast & Lightweight: Known as one of the fastest ISO-to-USB tools, with no installation required.
- Customization Options: Adjust cluster size, volume label, and boot creation methods to meet specific needs.
- Bad Sector Detection: Scans USB drives for errors before writing, improving reliability.
- Multi-Language Support: Available in multiple languages, making it accessible worldwide.
Rufus started out much like the HP USB Format Tool "HPUSBFW", offering features such as formatting drives as FAT32/NTFS/exFAT, marking a drive bootable, and even installing a DOS environment. Today, it's widely used for creating installation media, testing Linux distributions, and recovering systems.
Overall, it still remains a powerful yet simple utility that works well for both beginners and advanced users. Whether you need to install Windows 11, try a Linux live distro, or build a rescue USB, Rufus is one of the most reliable solutions.
Specifications | Official Site | Download
- Official Website: Project Page
- Developer: Pete Batard
- File Size: ~80 KB
- License: Open Source
- Supported OS: Windows 11, 10, 8, 7
- Download: Download Rufus (latest release)
Alternatives to Rufus
If Rufus doesn't meet all of your needs, here are some other popular bootable USB tools:
- YUMI - Supports creating multiboot USB drives with multiple operating systems and utilities.
- balenaEtcher - A cross platform alternative to make a bootable USB drive from a single ISO file.