[Stepwise] How to Download and Create a Rufus Windows 11 Bootable USB

Overview of Rufus

Rufus is a very popular and widely used tool for Windows computers. Its main purpose is to help users make a bootable USB drives that can be used to install or run operating systems on computers. It is useful when you want to install an operating system on a computer that doesn't have a CD/DVD drive, or when you want to do the installation quickly and efficiently.

Lots of different people find Rufus helpful, including those who take care of computer systems at work, IT professionals, and regular folks who use computers at home. They often need to set up operating systems or fix computer problems, and Rufus makes this process easier.

How to make a Rufus Windows 11 Bootable USB

Here we will display the method for creating Rufus Windows 11 bootable USB.

Step 1. First, you need to connect a suitable USB flash drive to your computer and then download Rufus. Then, launch the application to access the main interface.

Step 2. Prepare your Windows 11 ISO file and choose the choose USB flash drive as the destination.

Step 2. Determine the partition scheme and target system type, opting for NTFS as the file system. And click the "Browse" button to select your ISO file.

Step 3. Select the Windows To Go option. Click "Start", then confirm with "Yes".

Step 4.Finally click the “Download” > "OK" icon.

The pros and cons of Rufus Windows To Go

Rufus is a popular tool used to create bootable USB drives, including for installing operating systems like Windows 11. According to users’ feedback, here we collect some pros and cons of using Rufus Windows To Go.

Pros:

• Fast and reliable: Rufus is known for its speed and reliability in creating bootable USB drives. It uses efficient algorithms and optimizations to quickly transfer data to the USB drive, reducing the time required for the process.

• Portable and lightweight: Rufus is a standalone application that doesn't require installation. It can be run directly from a USB drive or any local storage, making it convenient to use on different computers without leaving any traces.

• Advanced customization options: Rufus offers advanced options for customization, allowing users to select the partition scheme, file system, cluster size, and other settings according to their specific needs. This flexibility is useful for advanced users or those with specific requirements.

Cons:

• Potentially complex settings: While advanced customization options can be beneficial, they may also be overwhelming for users who are not familiar with disk formatting and partitioning. Adjusting these settings incorrectly can lead to data loss or compatibility issues, so caution is advised.

• Limited support: Rufus is a third-party tool and does not come with official support from Microsoft. While it is generally reliable, if you encounter any issues or errors during the bootable USB creation process, you may need to seek assistance from the Rufus community or forums.

• Risk of data loss: Creating a bootable USB drive with Rufus involves formatting the USB drive, which erases all existing data. Therefore, it's important to ensure that you have a backup of any important files on the USB drive before proceeding.

The best Windows 11 Rufus alternative

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is an excellent and user-friendly freeware that offers a Windows To Go utility for computer users. Compared to Rufus Windows To Go, it takes many advantages in convenience and efficiency with ease.

It's wide compatibility allows users to create a Windows To Go drive in Windows 7, 8, 8.1, 10, or 11 with simple operations. Furthermore, this remarkable alternative to Rufus Windows To Go relaxes the USB drive requirements, offering more flexibility in choosing the storage device.

Except for creating a bootable USB for Windows 11, this integrated tool offers a wide range of disk-related features, which means users can perform various disk operations in a single software package. For example, you can migrate OS to SSD for performance enhancement, move installed apps to another drive to extend drive space, recover lost data, and so on.

Step 1. Insert the USB in and wait for your computer to detect it. If it failed, you can check the solutions here.

Step 2. Install and run AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional. On the top toolbar, click "Tools" > "Windows To Go Creator".

Step 3. Choose “Create Windows To Go” for personal computer and click “Next”.

Step 4. Choose the suitable option "Create Windows To Go with system disc/ISO" or “Create Windows To Go with the current system”. If Windows 11 ISO file isn’t detected automatically, click the folder icon to select it manually. Then, click “Next”.

Step 5. Select a USB drive as a target and click “Proceed”

Step 6. You’ll receive the message that all data on this USB drive will be erased. Click “Yes” to continue.

After that, you can disconnect the USB, and try to boot it on another PC.

Note: If you choose “Create Windows To Go with the current system”, there will be 2 more steps after steps 3 and 4.

1. After you choose the creating way, you’ll see the current system info.

2. After you select a USB, the program will restart into the Windows PE environment to create Windows To Go. Wait until the progress reaches 100%.

Further: How to boot Windows 11 from a USB drive?

If you don’t know how to boot Windows 11 from your Windows 11 To Go USB, here we have a step-by-step tutorial.

Step 1. Connect the Windows 11 To Go USB drive to your device. Boot the computer and press a certain key to enter BIOS/UEFI.

Step 2. Select the USB Device and hit the “Enter” key to boot from the Windows 11 bootable USB.

Conclusion

To follow this guidance, you can easily download and create Rufus Windows 11. However, given the disadvantages of this tool, it is recommended to choose a more safe tool, like AOMEI Partition Assistant.

This tool can not only create a Windows 11 bootable USB, but it can also convert system disk between MBR/GPT for Windows 11 upgrading, migrate OS to SSD for computer performance enhancement, allocate free space to C drive to extend system space, and so on. If you are a 2003, 2008 (R2), 2012 (R2), 2016, 2019, 2022, and SBS 2003, 2008, 2011 user, you can also choose the Server Edition to enjoy the convenience and high efficiency.