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Create a Windows 11 Installer USB With Rufus

A bootable stick that skips the online-account requirement, fits on 8 GB and can be rebuilt when a new ISO appears.

by@guidox updated:10/30/26 time:25 min level:Beginner tested on:Windows 11 24H2, Rufus 4.6 works on:Windows 10, Windows 11 tools:Rufus, 8 GB USB stick
TL;DR

Download the **official ISO**, write it with **Rufus** in GPT/UEFI mode and answer the customisation dialog: **remove the online account requirement**, keep **TPM check off** only if your board needs it.

Before you start

Requirements

  • An 8 GB USB stick (16 GB if you keep the ISO on it)
  • The Windows 11 ISO from microsoft.com
  • Rufus 4.x
Step by step

Instructions

01

Get the ISO from Microsoft

Use the media creation page and choose **Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO)**. Third-party ISO mirrors are how people end up with a machine that phones somewhere unexpected.

⚠ warningThe ISO is about 6 GB. Check the hash against the one Microsoft publishes on the page.
02

Point Rufus at the right device

Insert the stick, start Rufus and confirm the device letter. Rufus erases the whole stick, and picking the wrong letter is the only irreversible mistake in this guide.

Device: your USB stick
Boot selection: the downloaded ISO
03

Choose GPT and UEFI

Set **Partition scheme** to GPT and **Target system** to UEFI. A modern board will not boot an MBR stick in UEFI-only mode, and CSM is on its way out.

Partition scheme: GPT
File system: FAT32
Cluster size: default
04

Answer the customisation dialog

Rufus offers to remove the **online account requirement**, the TPM and Secure Boot checks and the data collection. Removing the account requirement creates a local account, which is what most people want.

Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account: yes
Remove TPM/Secure Boot check: only if the board needs it
tipKeep the TPM check on a supported board. Windows 11 updates expect TPM 2.0 afterwards.
05

Let it write and verify

Press **Start** and accept the warning. The image is written and verified; a 6 GB image takes a few minutes on USB 3 and much longer on a slow stick.

06

Boot it once before you need it

Reboot, open the boot menu and start the stick. Stop at the first setup screen and power off. That proves the stick works while your current install is still intact.

⚠ warningDo not install over your working system to test the stick. Reaching the setup screen is the whole test.
Troubleshooting

Common issues

The stick is not in the boot menu

Secure Boot with a non-signed bootloader, or the stick is in a USB 2 port on a board that only boots USB 3 in UEFI. Try another port and disable CSM.

Rufus refuses the ISO

A truncated download. Re-download the ISO and compare its hash with Microsoft's.

Setup asks for a Microsoft account anyway

The customisation step was skipped. Rebuild the stick and answer the dialog, or disconnect the network during setup.

The stick is write-protected

Some sticks ship locked or were used with a Linux ISO tool. Check the physical switch first, then recreate the partition table in Disk Management.

FAQ

Frequently asked

Rufus or the Media Creation Tool?

Rufus when you want a local account and repeatable builds; the official tool when you want the least possible clicking.

Can I reuse the stick?

Yes, Rufus overwrites it. Keep one stick as the emergency installer and use another for files.

How to undo this

Format the stick in Disk Management to get it back as a normal drive. Nothing on the PC was changed by creating the installer.

Changelog · 1 entry
  1. 2026-10-30
    First version
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