Overview
Rufus is one small executable that does one job better than anything else. Point it at a disc image and a USB stick, press start, and a few minutes later you have media that boots. It does not install, it does not run a service, it does not bundle anything, and the whole program is smaller than a single photograph.
It is the tool that matters most on the day nothing else is working, which is why it is worth putting on a stick and keeping it. It handles the operating system images, the recovery and diagnostic images, the firmware update images and the small utility images alike, and it works out the correct partition scheme and boot mode on its own in almost every case.
Writing media that actually boots
Most failed boot sticks fail because of a mismatch between the partition scheme, the firmware mode and what the image expects. Rufus detects the image type and preselects the right combination, and where a choice genuinely matters it puts it in front of you with sensible defaults rather than burying it.
It is also fast. Writing a large operating system image takes a fraction of the time other tools take, mostly because it writes directly rather than through several layers of abstraction. Bad blocks can be checked for during the write, which is worth doing once on any stick you intend to rely on.
The Windows installer options
When it recognises a Windows installer image, it offers a set of options that are applied to the written media: removing the hardware requirement checks, removing the online account requirement so a local account can be created, skipping the data collection questions, and setting the regional options in advance so setup does not stop to ask.
These are applied to the media rather than to your system, so an unmodified image produces a customised installer without the image itself being altered. That is the cleanest way to do it, and it means the same image can be written twice with different options.
The other things it writes
Beyond installers it writes recovery environments, diagnostic and memory test tools, firmware updaters that require a specific boot mode, and the small utility images that only exist as bootable media. It can also create a stick that is bootable but otherwise empty, ready for files to be copied on by hand, which is what some firmware updates require.
For images that are too large for a single file on the default file system, it handles the split automatically rather than failing at the end of a long write, which used to be the most common reason a large installer image would not go onto a stick.
What you get
- Single portable executable with no installation and no services
- Automatic detection of partition scheme and boot mode from the image
- Substantially faster writing than the alternatives
- Windows installer options for hardware checks, local accounts and regional settings
- Options applied to the written media rather than to the source image
- Bad block checking during the write
- Handles recovery, diagnostic, firmware and utility images
- Automatic handling of files too large for the default file system
- Runs on x86, x64 and ARM64 machines
Inside the archive
- Rufus portable executable for x86, x64 and ARM64
- Language packs for the interface list shown above
- Notes on which options apply to Windows installer images
- Notes on bad block checking and when it is worth running
System requirements
| Operating system | Windows 8.1 or newer |
|---|---|
| Processor | Any x86, x64 or ARM64 processor |
| Memory | 512 MB |
| Storage | 5 MB for the executable |
| Media | A USB stick large enough for the image, which is erased |
| Privileges | Administrator, required for direct disk access |
Installing it
- There is nothing to install. Run the executable directly.
- Insert the USB stick and confirm the correct device is selected. It will be erased completely.
- Select the image. The partition scheme and boot mode are preselected for you.
- For a Windows installer image, choose which of the setup options you want before pressing start.
- Run a bad block check once on any stick you intend to keep as a rescue tool.
Mirrors
| Route | Region | Note | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct, primary | Europe | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Direct, secondary | North America | No wait, resumable | Online |
| Torrent magnet | Global | Not needed at this size | Online |
Release history
- Installer options updated for the current Windows setup flow
- Fixed detection on hybrid images that carry two boot paths
- Write speed improved on sticks with slow controllers
- ARM64 build brought to parity with the desktop builds
- Automatic splitting added for oversized files in an image
- Bad block checking made considerably faster
- Fixed a rare failure at the end of very large writes
Questions about this release
Does it need installing?
No. It is one executable. Run it, use it, keep it on a stick for when you need it.
Which partition scheme should I pick?
Whatever it preselected. It reads the image and works it out, and it is right in almost every case.
Do the installer options change the image?
No. They are applied to the written media only, so the same image can be written again with different options.
Why did my stick not boot?
Usually a firmware boot mode mismatch. Check whether the machine is set to the legacy or the modern mode and write the stick to match.
Comments
Local account option on the written media saved me the usual fight during setup. Applied to the stick, not the image, exactly as described.
One file, no install, sits on my rescue stick permanently. Has never once failed to make bootable media.
Comments are read before they appear. If a build stops working, say so here and it gets rebuilt rather than quietly left up.
Wrote a 7 GB installer in about four minutes. Nothing else comes close on speed.