How to Make a Bootable Windows 10 USB Drive

Creating a bootable Windows 10 USB drive is one of those tech tasks everyone should know how to do. Whether you’re installing Windows on a new PC, upgrading from an older version, or just need a recovery tool, having a bootable USB makes it fast and easy.

Here’s how to do it the right way, step by step.

What You’ll Need

• A USB flash drive (at least 8GB of space)
• A Windows PC with internet access
• Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool

Step 1: Download the Media Creation Tool

1. Go to Microsoft’s official Windows 10 download page.
2. Click “Download tool now.”
3. Once downloaded, run the Media Creation Tool.

Step 2: Prepare the USB Drive

Plug in your USB drive. Important: All data on it will be erased, so back up anything important first.

Step 3: Create the Bootable USB

1. Launch the Media Creation Tool.
2. Accept the license terms.
3. On the “What do you want to do?” screen, choose “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC” and click Next.
4. Choose the language, edition, and architecture (32-bit or 64-bit). Most people should go with Windows 10, 64-bit.
5. Select USB flash drive as the media to use.
6. Choose your USB drive from the list, then click Next.

The tool will download Windows 10 and create the bootable drive automatically. This might take a little time depending on your internet speed.

Step 4: Boot From the USB Drive

To install or repair Windows:

1. Insert the USB into your PC.
2. Restart and enter the boot menu (usually by pressing F12, F2, DEL, or ESC — check your PC’s startup screen).
3. Select the USB drive from the boot options.
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to install or repair Windows.

Done

Now you’ve got a fully functional Windows 10 bootable USB drive. Keep it somewhere safe — you never know when you might need it.

Need help installing Windows or running into errors? Drop a comment below — I’ve got your back.