Rufus
Small, free Windows utility for creating bootable USB drives from ISO images.
- Verified facts
- 4 of 4
- Alternatives ranked
- 3
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- 0
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About Rufus
Rufus is a lightweight Windows program for formatting USB drives and turning ISO images into bootable installers. It handles Windows and Linux installation media, UEFI and legacy BIOS targets, and DOS boot disks for firmware flashing. For Windows installers it offers extra options, such as skipping some Windows 11 setup requirements or creating a local account. It's a single executable of a couple of megabytes that needs no installation, with a portable version available, and it's known for writing faster than many alternatives. It's free and open source under the GPLv3, maintained by developer Pete Batard, with no donation prompts and ads only on the website. The big limitation is that it runs only on Windows (8 or later), so Mac and Linux users need something else.
Best for: Windows users making Windows or Linux installer USBs who want speed and fine control.
Pros and cons
What works
- Tiny portable executable, no installation
- Creates Windows installer USBs with useful setup tweaks
- Supports UEFI, legacy BIOS and DOS boot media
Why people leave
- Windows only
- Lots of options can confuse first-time users
- One image per drive, no multi-boot
Top Rufus alternatives
See all 3- 1
Ventoy66.5Holds many ISOs on one drive and boots them from a menu, with no reflashing.
- 2
balenaEtcher62.6Works on macOS and Linux too, with a simpler interface for flashing images.
- 3
Fedora Media Writer59.6Cross-platform and downloads Fedora for you if that's the system you're installing.
Why people left Rufus
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Rufus: common questions
Is Rufus free?
Yes. Rufus is free, open-source software.
Is Rufus open source?
Yes. The source code is on GitHub at pbatard/rufus.
What platforms does Rufus run on?
Rufus is available for Windows.
What are the best alternatives to Rufus?
The highest-ranked Rufus alternatives right now are Ventoy, balenaEtcher and Fedora Media Writer. See the full ranked list for pricing, platforms and verified facts.