Creating a bootable Windows 10/11 USB on Linux

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Creating a bootable USB drive for Windows 10/11 in Linux can be challenging for some users, especially those new to Linux. A bootable USB drive is essential when installing Windows on a computer, as it allows you to bypass traditional installation methods such as a CD/DVD or over the network. It can also be used for system recovery or troubleshooting purposes.

This article is a step-by-step guide on creating a bootable Windows 10/11 USB drive in Linux. It will cover everything you need to know, from the tools you need to the actual installation process. So if you’re a Linux user wanting to install Windows on your computer or create a bootable USB drive for system recovery purposes, this article is for you.

Creating a bootable Windows 10/11 USB in Linux

Prerequisites

Before you can create a bootable Windows 10/11 USB drive in Linux, you will need to make sure you have the following prerequisites:

• A Linux distribution installed on your computer. Ubuntu, Arch Linux, Fedora, and CentOS are popular Linux distributions you can use. (I will use Ubuntu 22.04 for illustration purposes)
• A Windows 10/11 ISO file. You can download the latest Windows 10/11 version from the official Microsoft website.
• A USB drive with at least 8GB of storage capacity.

Using Balena Etcher

Balena Etcher is a user-friendly and reliable tool for creating bootable USB drives. It simplifies creating bootable media by providing an intuitive interface and automating most of the steps. With Balena Etcher, users can easily select the ISO file, choose the target USB drive, and initiate the creation process with just a few clicks. It is a prominent choice among Linux users for creating bootable drives for various operating systems, including Windows 11/10.

Installing Balena Etcher on Debian-based Linux derivatives

Step 1: Download Balena Etcher

Start up your favorite browser and navigate to the official Balena Etcher website at https://www.balena.io/etcher/. Now download the appropriate version of Balena Etcher for your Linux distribution.

Step 2: Install Balena Etcher

To install Balena Etcher on Ubuntu, you can follow these methods:

Method 1: Using the official .deb binary package:

By default, Balena Etcher does not ship with Ubuntu and is unavailable to download or install via the official package repository. Therefore to install it via the terminal, we shall download it using the browser and follow the steps to install it to our system. Here are the steps to do exactly that:

1. Launch your browser and navigate to this page: https://github.com/balena-io/etcher/releases/latest
2. Select the .deb binary file as shown below:
   

   Download .deb binary

3. Be patient as the download file is being downloaded. Once it completes, proceed and enable the Ubuntu Universe repo. To do so, execute the following line of code:

   sudo add-apt-repository universe

   

   Enable the Universe repo

4. Any downloaded file is stored in the “Downloads” folder by default. Therefore to install our downloaded etcher file, we need to switch to the folder containing the downloaded file, and we can do so by running this line of code:

   cd Downloads

   

   Navigate to the Downloads folder

5. To install the .deb binary file, execute this line of code in your terminal:

   sudo dpkg -i balena-etcher_1.18.4_amd64.deb

   

   Install .deb binary file

6. Once the installation process has been completed successfully, navigate to the “Activities” section, type its name, and click on its icon to launch it.
   

   Launch Balena

Method 2: Using the Balena Etcher AppImage:

1. Visit the Balena Etcher website at https://www.balena.io/etcher/.
2. Click on the “Download Etcher for Linux” button.
   

   Download Etcher

3. Once the download is successful, open a terminal.
4. Navigate to the directory where the downloaded AppImage file is located. For example, if it is in the Downloads folder, use the following command:

   cd ~/Downloads

   

   Navigate to the Downloads folder

5. Make the downloaded file executable by running the command:

   sudo chmod +x balenaEtcher-1.18.4-x64.AppImage

   

   Make balena etcher app executable

6. Launch Balena Etcher by running the command:

   ./balenaEtcher-1.18.4-x64.AppImage

   

   Launch Balena Etcher

Either of these methods will allow you to install and use Balena Etcher on Ubuntu. Choose a method that suits you best, and follow the corresponding steps to get Balena Etcher up and running on your Ubuntu system.

Installing Balena Etcher on other Linux Distros

You must first download Balena Etcher onto your respective Linux distribution before proceeding to the installation phase. Please note that the download section has been generalized while the installation phase has been categorized for specific Linux distributions. Therefore, first, download this application to your OS before proceeding to the installation phase:

Downloading Balena Etcher:

Follow the steps provided herein to download the Balena Etcher application into your respective Linux distribution:

1. Visit the official Balena Etcher website at https://www.balena.io/etcher/.
2. On the website, click on the “Download for Linux” button.
3. Select the appropriate package for your Linux distribution. Balena Etcher is available as an AppImage, Debian, or RPM package.
   

   Download RPM and DEB packages

4. Once the download is complete, fire up your terminal and navigate to the next phase, whereby I will illustrate how to install this app on Arch Linux, Fedora, or CentOS.

Here are the specific installation and usage steps for Balena Etcher on Arch Linux, Fedora, and CentOS:

Installing Balena Etcher on Arch Linux

To install Balena Etcher on Arch Linux, follow the steps provided herein:

1. First, open a terminal on Arch Linux.
2. Install Balena Etcher using the following command:

   sudo pacman -S etcher-bin

3. Enter your password when prompted.
4. Once the installation has been completed, you can start Balena Etcher from the application menu or by running the command balena-etcher-electron.

Installing Balena Etcher on Fedora

To install Balena Etcher on Fedora, follow the steps provided herein:

1. Open a terminal on Fedora.
2. Enable the RPM Fusion repository by running the following command:

   sudo dnf install https://download1.rpmfusion.org/free/fedora/rpmfusion-free-release-$(rpm -E %fedora).noarch.rpm

3. Install Balena Etcher using the following command:

   sudo dnf install balena-etcher-electron

4. Enter your password when prompted.
5. Once the installation process has been completed, you can start Balena Etcher from the application menu or by running the command balena-etcher-electron.

Installing Balena Etcher on CentOS

Please note that CentOS may not have official support for Balena Etcher. However, you can still use the AppImage version of Balena Etcher, which should work on CentOS. Here are the steps:

1. Open a terminal on CentOS.
2. Download the Balena Etcher AppImage using the following command:

   wget https://github.com/balena-io/etcher/releases/download/v1.5.123/balena-etcher-electron-1.5.123-x64.AppImage

   Replace v1.5.123 with the latest version from the Balena Etcher GitHub releases page.

3. Make the downloaded Etcher file executable by running the following command:

   chmod +x balena-etcher-electron-1.5.123-x64.AppImage

   Replace balena-etcher-electron-1.5.123-x64.AppImage with the actual filename.

4. Launch Balena Etcher by running the command:

   ./balena-etcher-electron-1.5.123-x64.AppImage

   Replace balena-etcher-electron-1.5.123-x64.AppImage with the actual filename.

Step 3: Insert the USB Drive

Insert the USB drive into an available USB port on your Linux computer.

Step 4: Launch Balena Etcher

Navigate to the ‘Activities’ section, search for ‘Balena,’ and launch it. After launching, Balena Etcher should automatically detect the USB drive you inserted. If it doesn’t, select the USB drive from the list of available drives by choosing “Select target.”

Step 5: Select the Windows ISO

Click on the “Flash from file” button in Balena Etcher and navigate to the location where you have downloaded the Windows 11/10 ISO file. Next, select the Downloaded ISO file and click “Open” to load it into Balena Etcher.

Step 6: Select the USB Drive

Ensure that the correct USB drive is selected in Balena Etcher. Double-check the drive name to avoid accidentally overwriting any critical data.

Step 7: Start the creation process

Once you have confirmed the Windows ISO and the USB drive, click the “Flash!” button in Balena Etcher to create the bootable Windows USB drive. Balena Etcher will format the USB drive and copy the contents of the ISO file onto it. This process might take some time to complete.

Step 8: Eject the USB drive

After the creation process is finished, Balena Etcher will notify you. First, eject the USB drive safely from your computer.

Congratulations, you have created a bootable Windows 10/11 USB drive in Linux! However, it is essential to note that this is not the only method. Continue reading to find alternative methods for creating a bootable Windows 10/11 USB thumb drive.

Step 9: Boot from the USB drive

Restart your computer and access the boot menu while powering on by pressing the appropriate key (usually F12 or Esc). Select the bootable USB flash disk as the primary boot device. Note that the key to access the computer’s boot menu may vary depending on your system’s manufacturer. Refer to your systems’ user manual or search online for specific instructions.

Step 10: Install Windows

Your PC will boot from the selected USB drive, and you can install Windows 11/10 by following the on-screen instructions.

Following the steps above, you can create a bootable Windows 11/10 USB drive on Linux using Balena Etcher. Balena Etcher simplifies the process and ensures a successful installation. Enjoy installing Windows 11/10 on your desired computer.

Note: These steps should help you install and use Balena Etcher on Arch Linux, Fedora, and CentOS. Remember to adjust the version numbers and filenames based on the latest releases.

Command-line way of creating a Windows installer USB drive

In addition to the method we discussed earlier using Balena Etcher, there are other methods you can use to create a bootable Windows 10/11 USB in Linux. In this section, we will discuss some of these methods.

Using dd Command

One of the straightforward methods to create a bootable Windows 10/11 USB in Linux is using the dd command. This method works well for creating bootable USB drives for any operating system, including Windows.

Here are the steps to follow:

Step 1: Download the Windows ISO

Download the Windows ISO from the official Microsoft website. Make sure to download the correct ISO file for your system architecture.

Step 2: Insert the USB Drive

Insert the USB drive into your computer’s USB port.

Step 3: Identify the USB Drive

Identify the device name of the USB drive using the following command:

sudo fdisk -l

This will list all the storage devices connected to your computer. Look for the device name of your USB drive. It will be in the format /dev/sdx, where x is a letter representing the device identifier.

Note: Be careful when selecting the device name for your USB drive, as choosing the wrong device can result in data loss.

Step 4: Unmount the USB Drive

Unmount the USB drive using the following command:

sudo umount /dev/sdx

Replace /dev/sdx with the device name of your USB drive. For my case, I will execute the following code:

sudo umount /dev/sdb1

Step 5: Write the Windows ISO to the USB Drive

Write the Windows ISO to the USB drive using the following command:

sudo dd bs=4M if=/path/to/windows.iso of=/dev/sdx status=progress && sync

Replace /path/to/windows.iso with the path to the Windows ISO file and /dev/sdx with the device name of your USB drive.

Example:

sudo dd bs=4M if=/home/fosslinux/Documents/Win11_22H2_EnglishInternational_x64.iso of=/dev/sdb1 status=progress && sync

The bs=4M option sets the block size to 4 megabytes, which can improve performance. The status=progress option displays the progress of the write operation. The sync command ensures that all data has been written to the USB drive before the command exits.

Step 6: Eject the USB Drive

Once the write operation is complete, eject the USB drive from your computer.

Using the bootable drive to install Windows 10/11

Now that you have created a bootable Windows 10/11 USB drive in Linux, you can install Windows on your computer. The installation process will vary depending on whether your computer uses BIOS or UEFI.

Installation Process for BIOS

To install Windows using the bootable USB drive on a computer that uses BIOS, follow these steps:

Step 1: Insert the USB Drive

Insert the bootable USB drive into your computer’s USB port.

Step 2: Boot from the USB Drive

Restart your computer and press the key to access the boot menu. The key to accessing the boot menu may vary depending on your computer’s manufacturer. Standard keys include F2, F12, and Del.

Select the USB drive from the boot menu and press Enter to boot from it.

Step 3: Install Windows

Follow the on-screen prompts to install Windows on your computer. You may need to enter the product key during the installation process.

Installation Process for UEFI

To install Windows using the bootable USB drive on a computer that uses UEFI, follow these steps:

Step 1: Insert the USB Drive

Insert the bootable USB drive into your computer’s USB port.

Step 2: Boot from the USB Drive

Restart your computer and access the UEFI firmware settings. The key to access the UEFI firmware settings may vary depending on your computer’s manufacturer. Standard keys include F2, F12, and Del.

Enable Legacy Boot or Compatibility Support Module (CSM)  and disable Secure Boot in the UEFI firmware settings.

Save the changes and exit the UEFI firmware settings.

Step 3: Install Windows

Restart your computer and press the key to access the boot menu. The key to accessing the boot menu may vary depending on your computer’s manufacturer. Standard keys include F2, F12, and Del.

Select the USB drive from the boot menu and press Enter to boot from it.

Follow the on-screen prompts to install Windows on your computer. You may need to enter the product key during the installation process.

That’s it. Wait for the installation process to complete. Once it does, enjoy your newly installed Windows OS!

Important aspects to consider while creating a bootable drive

One thing to remember when creating a bootable Windows USB drive in Linux is that it may take longer than making one in Windows, depending on your chosen method. Some ways, such as the dd command, may take longer to complete, but they are generally more reliable.

Additionally, you must ensure you have enough storage space on your USB drive for the Windows ISO file and any other files you may need. A standard 8GB USB drive should be sufficient for most purposes, but you may need more space if you have a large ISO file or need to store additional files on the drive.

Finally, double-checking your work before using the bootable USB drive to install or repair Windows on a computer is always a good idea. Ensure the USB drive is formatted correctly and that you have selected the correct ISO file before proceeding. This will help ensure that the installation or repair process goes smoothly without any issues.

Overall, creating a bootable Windows 10/11 USB drive in Linux is a valuable skill, primarily if you frequently work with Windows computers or need to repair a computer with a corrupted or non-functional operating system. With the right tools and patience, you can create a bootable USB drive that will allow you to install or repair Windows easily.

Conclusion

Creating a bootable Windows 10/11 USB drive in Linux is a valuable skill for anyone who needs to install Windows on a computer or create a bootable USB drive for system recovery purposes. With the help of the free and open-source tool Balena Etcher, the process can be done easily and quickly.

In this article, we covered the prerequisites; we discussed three methods for creating a bootable USB drive: Balena Etcher and the dd command. Each method has its own advantages and disadvantages, and you should choose the one that works best for you. Besides, we discussed how to use the bootable drive to install Windows 10/11 and the step-by-step process for creating a bootable Windows 10/11 USB drive in Linux. We have also provided examples of the installation process for both BIOS and UEFI systems.

No matter which method you choose, download the correct Windows ISO file and follow the instructions carefully. With attention to detail and patience, you can create a bootable Windows 10/11 USB drive in Linux that will allow you to install or repair Windows on any computer.

We hope this article has been helpful to you in creating a bootable Windows 10/11 USB drive in Linux. If you have any questions or feedback, please comment below. Thank you for reading!