There are several ways to install Windows 11, and one of the most convenient is to create a Windows 11 USB installer using the Command Prompt. This method requires no additional software. Read on to learn how to get started creating the installer.
Tip: Wondering what The difference between Command Prompt and PowerShellThis guide explains the differences in depth.
Get the Windows 11 ISO file
The first part of creating a bootable USB operating system installer is obtaining its ISO file. You'll need approximately 5.2 GB of free space to download. Follow these steps to obtain the Windows 11 ISO file:
- Visit Studyshoot Platform Microsoft Support on the web.
- Scroll down to a list “Download Windows 11 disc image (ISO) for x64 devices” andLocate Windows 11 (Multi-Edition ISO for x64 Devices) From the drop-down menu, click "to download" below.
- On the next screen, select your preferred language from the list.
- Click "to be sure" , Then select Download 64-bit To start downloading the ISO file.
Good to know: Keep data stored on your flash drive safe. Learn how to encrypt or decrypt a USB device on Windows..
Create a Windows 11 Bootable USB Using Command Prompt
After downloading the ISO file, connect the USB flash drive to your computer and create a backup if you have important files on it, as it will be formatted. Follow these steps:
- Click start menu , And type "Command Prompt" , right-click on the result, and then select "Run as administrator".
- Open Diskpart by typing diskpart And press on Enter:
- To view a list of disks on your computer, type list disk And press Enter:
- Select a disk USB Appointed by writing the following command:
select disk [number of the disk]
- You can determine which disk your USB flash drive is by checking the column. "size" In the drive list. For example, in the following screenshot, the 8GB USB drive is listed as Disc 2
- To completely clean your flash drive, type clean and press Enter:
- Create a primary section by typing the following in: Command Prompt:
create partition primary
- To select the new partition, type select partition 1 and press OK. Enter:
- You will need to format your USB flash drive to make it bootable. Type this command and press Enter. Enter:
format FS=FAT32 quick
- Assign a letter to the USB drive. Make sure that the letter you assign is not already assigned to another drive. (For example, C is not acceptable, because it is already assigned to the partition where your operating system files are located.) In this example, we are assigning "B" As the name of the USB drive.
assign letter=B
- Exit the DiskPart tool by typing exit And press on Enter:
- To download the Windows 11 ISO file, type the following and press Enter. The path to the Windows ISO file will depend on where it is located on your computer.
PowerShell Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath “Path to Windows ISO file”
- Reopen Diskpart by typing diskpart And press on Enter:
- To view a list of storage units on your device, type list volume.
- You can locate the mounted Windows 11 ISO file in the list by checking the folder format (in this case “UDF”) Or writing (DVD-ROM) or label or size. In this example, the mounted ISO is volume 0, with the letter "TO" for him.
- Exit DiskPart by typing exit And press on Enter:
- Access Windows 11 ISO file Installed using a size letter Windows ISOs Followed by a colon. In our case, we write E :.
- use Cd boot In the boot folder and press Enter:
- To update the flash drive volume with BOOTMGR compatible boot code, type the following and press Enter. Enter. Note that we allocate "B" For the flash drive in this example, replace it with the letter you chose. This essentially makes the drive suitable for booting Windows 11, as the volume's boot code is responsible for loading the appropriate files that start the operating system.
bootsect /nt60 B:
- To copy the Windows 11 installation files to a USB drive, use the following command. Remember to: "TO" و "B" These are specific to this example and should be replaced with specific details.
xcopy E:\*.* B:\ /E /F /H
- Wait for the copying process to complete.
- Your bootable Windows 11 USB drive is now ready. You can use this USB drive to install or reinstall Windows 11 on your computer. Simply reboot your system and boot from the USB drive.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: Are there other ways to create a bootable Windows 11 USB flash drive?
The answer: If you're intimidated by the command prompt and the many steps required to create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive, you might want to try using Rufus, a lightweight, fast, and easy-to-use application.
Q2: What should I do if the Windows 11 USB installer is not working?
The answer: There are several reasons why your Windows 11 USB installer may not be working. This could be due to a faulty port or cable, a damaged or corrupted USB drive, an outdated USB device (USB 1.0 or 2.0), or the USB format (NTFS or FAT32) being incompatible with the boot mode (legacy BIOS or UEFI). To fix the situation, try changing your USB device and port, checking the USB device format, and setting the USB device to your boot preferences.
Q3: How can I create a bootable Windows 11 USB installer on Mac?
The answer: Creating a bootable Windows 11 USB installer on a Mac is a little different. It requires either using Boot Camp (a program for Intel-based Macs), Terminal on M1 Macs, or a third-party application like UUByte ISO Editor.
Q4: How can I create a bootable Windows 11 USB installer in Ubuntu?
The answer: If you are an Ubuntu user, try using Terminal or applications like windy Or WoeUSB To create a bootable Windows 11 USB installer.