Create a bootable USB flash drive from an ISO file (Rufus)

For Windows Enterprise, LTSC, IoT or Windows Server you receive an ISO file instead of the Media Creation Tool. With Rufus you turn it into a bootable USB flash drive. Rufus is free software (GPLv3), costs nothing and runs on Windows 8 and later.

Create the drive

  1. Download Rufus from rufus.ie. The portable version runs without installation.
  2. Insert an empty USB flash drive with at least 8 GB. All data on it will be deleted.
  3. Start Rufus and select the drive under Device.
  4. Click Select and choose the ISO file.
  5. Keep the suggested settings and click Start.

When the drive is ready, boot the target PC from it and install as usual. The steps for installation and activation are in the guide
Install and activate Windows.

Sources

Checked on 2026-11-09 against the publisher’s information:

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