No, you can't just copy and paste the files to the USB drive, it won't be in a bootable format. Use the Windows Media Creation Tool: https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11 Answer from Emerald_Flame on reddit.com
Microsoft Support
support.microsoft.com › en-us › windows › create-installation-media-for-windows-99a58364-8c02-206f-aa6f-40c3b507420d
Create installation media for Windows - Microsoft Support
Run MediaCreationTool.exe. The media creation tool walks through creating installation media. Support for Windows 10 has ended on October 14, 2025
Microsoft
microsoft.com › en-ca › software-download › windows11
Download Windows 11
On the What do you want to do? page, select Create installation media for another PC, and then select Next. Select the language, edition, and architecture (64-bit) for Windows 11.
Creating Windows 11 Installation Media on USB
Windows 7 lost full support in January 2020, therefore we do not support it in this subreddit. It is recommended you immediately install Win10 (or another supported OS) to keep your machine and network secure. Your post has been filtered and will be approved if this action was a mistake. Circumventing these filters is a bannable offense. For more information, read this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/eof66d/windows_7_support_has_ended_heres_how_to_keep/ I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. More on reddit.com
11
1
July 10, 2024Media creation tool for Windows 10 available on Windows 11?
You can create the installer on one pc for use on another. Just make sure you pick the correct usb. https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10 https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11 More on reddit.com
7
0
October 30, 2023Create Windows 10 Installation Media using a USB
Thank you for posting in r/Windows . You have selected the Help post flair, which is to request assistance with the Windows 10 OS and its related systems. This is not a generic tech support subreddit, so your post may be removed if your issue is not related to Windows, even if your computer has Windows installed. You may want to also post this on r/TechSupport for more exposure. If you have not already, be sure to include as much information about your issue that you can, including any error messages, error codes, what steps it takes to create the issue, and what you have done to troubleshoot. Also, include as much information about your computer as possible, including the specs of your hardware, and/or the full make and model of your computer. It is also important to know what your full Windows version is, you can view that on Windows 10 by going to the Settings app -> System -> About, and then it will be listed as the OS Build, for example 19042.421 I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns. More on reddit.com
7
1
July 5, 2020Used the official Media Creation Tool to create a Win10 ISO which I then used via Rufus to create a bootable drive which I installed on a brand new Dell that came with no OS. Find out that Windows 11 got installed! What gives?
Somewhere along the line you picked Windows 11 instead of Windows 10. There is no need for Rufus, the media creation tool will put Windows 10 on a flash drive for you. More on reddit.com
16
7
June 18, 2024Videos
03:56
How to Create a Windows 10 Bootable USB Flash Drive (Official Method) ...
05:17
Create Windows 11 Bootable USB using the Windows Media Creation ...
06:06
How To Create Windows 10 Install Media USB - FREE & EASY !! - YouTube
06:05
How to Create Windows 10 Installation Media On a USB Flash ...
How to Make an Official Windows 10 USB Installer with Ease
ASUS
asus.com › support › faq › 1039507
[Windows 11/10] How to Create and Use a USB Flash Drive Installation Media to Reinstall Windows | Official Support | ASUS Global
November 3, 2025 - Go to the downloaded folder of the tool, then double-click [MediaCreationTool]② file to start the installation. If the User Account Control window displayed, please select [Yes]③. Please read the Microsoft software license terms and applicable notices, then select [Accept]④. Select language ...
Dell
dell.com › home › support home › knowledge base article
Create a retail image of Windows with the Microsoft Media Creation Tool | Dell Canada
June 9, 2025 - Create Windows installation media for Windows 11 and 10 with Media Creation Tool. Choose your media type (USB or DVD) and follow easy steps for OS upgrades or reinstalls.
Corsair
help.corsair.com › hc › en-us › articles › 14206252671117-Windows-How-to-Install-Windows-10-11-Using-the-Media-Creation-Tool
Windows: How to Install Windows 10/11 Using the Media Creation Tool – Corsair
Click the "Download tool now" button to download the tool for the desired version of Windows. Insert a USB drive with at least 8GB of storage into your computer. Launch the Media Creation Tool by double-clicking the downloaded file.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/techsupport › creating windows 11 installation media on usb
r/techsupport on Reddit: Creating Windows 11 Installation Media on USB
July 10, 2024 -
Will this method work on Windows 7 and give me usable media?
-Use cmd to verify the integrity of the ISO I'm going to use
-Use cmd as an admin to clean the USB, create a partition, quick format it as NTFS, then mark the partition as active
-Mount the Windows 11 ISO in Windows
-Use cmd as an admin to robocopy the mounted ISO to the USB
Top answer 1 of 3
2
No, you can't just copy and paste the files to the USB drive, it won't be in a bootable format. Use the Windows Media Creation Tool: https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11
2 of 3
1
Windows 7 lost full support in January 2020, therefore we do not support it in this subreddit. It is recommended you immediately install Win10 (or another supported OS) to keep your machine and network secure. Your post has been filtered and will be approved if this action was a mistake. Circumventing these filters is a bannable offense. For more information, read this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/eof66d/windows_7_support_has_ended_heres_how_to_keep/ I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.
CyberPowerPC
support.cyberpowerpc.com › hc › en-us › articles › 360014619014-How-to-create-a-bootable-installation-media-for-Windows-with-the-Windows-Media-Creation-Tool
How to create a bootable installation media for Windows with the Windows Media Creation Tool – CyberPowerPC Help Center
You'll find further requirements and step by step instructions on the software download website. Select the link that matches your version of Windows. On that page, under Create Windows installation media, click the button for Download tool now.
CNET
cnet.com › tech › computing › laptops › how to create a windows 10 bootable usb: it's easier than you think
How to create a Windows 10 bootable USB: It's easier than you think - CNET
June 16, 2025 - Right now, the filename is MediaCreationTool21H1, but that will change as newer versions are released.) The file should be in your Downloads folder. Select Create installation media from the short list of options.
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
How To EASILY Create Windows 11 Installation Media ...
Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
How To Create Windows 10 Install Media USB - FREE & EASY !! - YouTube
If you need to install Windows 10 onto a computer that currently does not have a functioning operating system, you will need to create or purchase Install Me...
Published November 14, 2022
Support center
support.agriterra.org › hc › en-us › articles › 14391681997340-Create-a-bootable-USB-drive-to-reinstall-Windows
Create a bootable USB drive to reinstall Windows – Support center
Once the download is complete, run the Media Creation Tool executable file (MediaCreationTool21H2.exe for Windows 10, for example). ... Read the license terms and click "Accept" to continue.
YouTube
youtube.com › watch
Create Windows 11 Installation Media | Media Creation Tool (Official Dell Tech Support) - YouTube
In this video, we demonstrate how to create Windows 11 installation media using the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft. If you ever need to reinstall Windows...
Published July 15, 2022
Qiling
qilingtech.com › articles › windows-media-creation-tool.shtml
How to Use Windows Media Creation Tool to Install Windows 10, 8, 7?
July 14, 2024 - Before getting started, please make the following preparations: ... Back up all your files on the PC and your USB drive, as all data on the computer and USB will be erased. 1. Download the Windows Media Creation Tool from Microsoft, and run it.
Devzery
devzery.com › post › windows-media-creation-tool
Guide to Windows Media Creation Tool: Easy Installation
August 13, 2024 - Click on the download link to get the Windows Media Creation Tool. Once downloaded, run the tool. You may need administrative privileges to execute the program. Read through the Microsoft Software License Terms and click "Accept" to proceed. Select "Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC" and click "Next."...
YouTube
youtube.com › microsoft helps
How to Create Installation Media for Windows 10 | Microsoft - YouTube
You can use installation media (a USB flash drive or DVD) to install a new copy of Windows, perform a clean installation, or reinstall Windows 10.To create t...
Published December 21, 2020 Views 163K
Ten Forums
tenforums.com › installation-upgrade › 213501-windows-10-installation-media.html
Windows 10 Installation Media - Windows 10 Help Forums
Google is not helpful today NOTE: the computer I created the installation media with did NOT have an account on it called SHIPPER so this is not something absorbed into the installer by the host computer that authors the iso 2nd NOTE: I might have either used RUFUS or win32diskimager instead for some weird reason but Im not sure why, thats basically for other stuff I do and I usually have zero issues using Windows Media Creation Tool so I tend to use that for Windows 10 or Windows 11.
Reddit
reddit.com › r/windows10 › media creation tool for windows 10 available on windows 11?
r/Windows10 on Reddit: Media creation tool for Windows 10 available on Windows 11?
October 30, 2023 -
Hi,
I came home from work to find my Windows 10 laptop not working. It has been sitting on preparing automatic repair for hours at this point. I have seen online to download the media creation tool and create a bootable USB to fix the problem, though I do not have access to another Windows 10 system, would this be possible to do on Windows 11?
Also will I lose data using this fix? I would obviously rather avoid losing data but if there is not a alternative that would keep everything I believe this sounds like my best option.
Thanks in advance!
Top answer 1 of 3
3
You can create the installer on one pc for use on another. Just make sure you pick the correct usb. https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10 https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11
2 of 3
1
Just download this to a USB flash drive: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10 You don't need Windows 10 to create bootable Windows installation media using this. It's like making your installation DVD. You boot to it and install Windows. Install, but do not format the drive. I think you won't lose anything except you will have to reinstall your apps since they won't yet be installed in this new installation of Windows.
Tom's Hardware
tomshardware.com › software › operating systems › windows
How to Make a Bootable Windows USB Install / Recovery Drive | Tom's Hardware
July 4, 2024 - There’s a separate download page for each Windows version – that is, one for Windows 10, and another for Windows 11. Even so each of the relevant links on those pages reads “Create Windows X installation media,” where X can be 10 or 11 as the target dictates.
MiniTool Partition Wizard
partitionwizard.com › home › clone disk › a complete guide to use windows 10 media creation tool
Essential Windows 10 Media Creation Tool Use Guide | Get It Now
November 27, 2024 - Windows 10 Media Creation Tool is a very useful tool for users to upgrade Windows 10 or reinstall Windows 10. In this article, I will show you how to use Windows 10 Media Creation Tool to make Windows installation media or to download ISO file with detailed steps and screenshots.
MakeUseOf
makeuseof.com › home › windows › how to create windows 10 installation media: 3 methods
How to Create Windows 10 Installation Media: 3 Methods
February 22, 2024 - The first and most obvious choice for creating Windows 10 installation media is the Windows Media Creation Tool. This application allows you to download the Home or Pro versions of Windows 10, and you can pick from the 32-bit or 64-bit version ...