Creating Windows 11 USB: Step-by-Step Guide

Creating a Windows 11 USB drive is similar to creating a Windows 10 USB drive. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive:

Before you begin, you will need the following:

• A USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of storage
• A Windows 11 ISO file. You can download this from the official Microsoft website.

Step 1: Format the USB Drive

The first step is to format the USB drive. This will erase all data on the drive, so make sure you have backed up any important files before proceeding.

1. Insert the USB drive into your computer.
2. Open File Explorer and right-click on the USB drive.
3. Select "Format" from the drop-down menu.
4. In the Format window, select the file system as "FAT32" and set the Allocation unit size to "Default".
5. Give the drive a name and click on "Start" to begin the formatting process.

Step 2: Create a bootable USB drive

Once the USB drive is formatted, you can create a bootable USB drive by using the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool or the built-in command prompt tool called "diskpart". Here are the steps for both methods:

Using the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool:

1. Download and install the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool.
2. Open the tool and select the Windows 11 ISO file you downloaded earlier.
3. Select "USB device" as the media type and click on "Next".
4. Choose the USB drive you formatted earlier and click on "Begin copying".
5. Wait for the process to complete. This may take a few minutes, depending on the size of the ISO file and the speed of your USB drive.

Using the Command Prompt:

1. Press the Windows key + X and select "Command Prompt (Admin)".
2. Type "diskpart" and press Enter to open the Diskpart utility.
3. Type "list disk" and press Enter to see the list of disks connected to your computer.
4. Identify the disk number for your USB drive.
5. Type "select disk [disk number]" (replace [disk number] with the actual disk number of your USB drive) and press Enter.
6. Type "clean" and press Enter to erase all data on the disk.
7. Type "create partition primary" and press Enter to create a primary partition on the disk.
8. Type "format fs=FAT32 quick" and press Enter to format the partition as FAT32.
9. Type "active" and press Enter to mark the partition as active.
10. Type "assign" and press Enter to assign a drive letter to the partition.
11. Type "exit" and press Enter to exit the Diskpart utility.
12. Use File Explorer to copy all the files from the Windows 11 ISO file to the USB drive.

Step 3: Boot from the USB drive

Now that you have created a bootable USB drive, you can use it to install or upgrade Windows 11 on your computer. To do this, you will need to boot your computer from the USB drive.

1. Insert the USB drive into your computer.
2. Restart your computer and press the key that opens the Boot menu. This is usually F2 or Del, but it may vary depending on your computer's manufacturer.
3. Select the USB drive as the boot device and press Enter.
4. Windows Setup will now start, and you can follow the on-screen instructions to install or upgrade Windows 11.

Conclusion

Creating a Windows 11 USB drive is a simple and convenient process. With a bootable USB drive, you can install or upgrade Windows 11 on any computer that supports booting from a USB