How to install Windows 11 from USB

Microsoft has made the Windows 11 experience easier for you through the Windows Insider program. You can easily upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 10 through the Dev channel without having to configure everything manually. In fact, Windows Insider Beta users can now seamlessly receive Windows 11 updates as well. But with that said, if you are someone who likes to install Windows cleanly, a good option would be to flash Windows 11 from USB. That means you won’t have any temporary or leftover files, resulting in a faster and smoother experience. So if you want to install Windows 11 from USB, follow the step-by-step guide below.

Install Windows 11 from USB: A Complete Guide (2021)

First, we mentioned how to create a Windows 11 bootable USB and then how to install Windows 11 on your PC. You can expand the table below and skip to the appropriate section.

Create a bootable Windows 11 USB

We are going to use Rufus to create a bootable Windows 11 USB as it is easy to use. In case you find Rufus unnecessarily complex, you can find other Rufus alternatives from our list. Other than that, I assume you already have a copy of the Windows 11 ISO image. Now, having said all that, let’s learn how to create a bootable USB for Windows 11.

1. First, connect the USB flash drive to your computer. Then start Rufus and it will automatically select the USB device. Now, click ” Select” and choose the Windows 11 ISO image. I would recommend running Rufus on the same PC where you want to install Windows 11. It allows Rufus to automatically preselect the correct values ​​based on your system settings.
2. If you are creating the bootable USB on another computer, I suggest you check the partition scheme of the target machine beforehand. Press the keyboard shortcut “Windows + X” and open Disk Management. Here, right-click on “Disk 0” and open “Properties.” Then switch to “Volumes” and check the style of the partition, be it GPT or MBR. For example mine is GPT.

Note: Since upgrade to Windows 11 requires GPT partition style, you can learn how to convert MBR to GPT disk without data loss through our linked article.

3. In Rufus, I have selected “GPT” in ” Partition scheme“. You must choose the partition scheme accordingly. Finally, keep everything as default and click “START”. Once the update process is complete, close Rufus and plug the Windows 11 USB stick into the target machine.

Clean install of Windows 11 from a bootable USB

1. To install Windows 11 from USB, you must restart your computer. As your PC starts up, you will have to start pressing the boot keycontinuously.

Note : On HP notebook computers, pressing the “Esc” key during startup brings up the Start menu. For other laptops and desktops, you will need to search the internet for the startup key. It should be one of these: F12, F9, F10, etc.

2. Then press “F9” (the key may be different for your laptop / desktop) to open “Boot Device Options”. Here, select the USB stick you created and hit enter.
3. The Windows Installer setup will now start. 11. Click Next -> Install Now.
4. On the next page, choose ” I don’t have a product key“.
5. After that, you may be asked to select Windows 11 edition. If you are using a Windows enabled laptop, the edition will be automatically selected based on your previous settings.
6. Now click on ” Custom“. Allows you to install Windows 11 on a specific drive. This way, you don’t have to erase the entire disk.
7. Once you are on the partition page, identify the “C” drivebased on the size of the drive and click “Next” to install Windows 11 on your PC. This will only erase your C drive, including desktop programs and files, My Documents, Downloads, everything inside the C drive and will not touch other partitions.

Note: If you get any error related to MBR, please follow our guide and convert MBR to GPT disk without data loss.

8. Finally, Windows 11 will be installedfrom the USB to your PC.
9. After installation, your PC will restart automatically. During the boot process, remove the USB stick, and you will be greeted with the new Windows 11 onboarding settings (OOBE).
10. During installation, if you are on Windows 11 Home, you cannot create an offline account. You will need an active internet connection to sign in to your Microsoft account. Yes, this is one of the absurd system requirements for Windows 11. However, if you are on other editions of Windows 11, you can take the offline route: Login Options -> Offline Account -> Limited Experience.

Note : After logging in, home users can remove the Microsoft account from Windows 11 and use a local account instead.

11. There you go! You have successfully installed Windows 11 from the USB drive on your computer. Now, go ahead and try all the new Windows 11 features on your computer. It includes a new focused start menu, redesigned Microsoft Store with support for Android applications, widgets, new action center, voice typing, and much more.

Install Windows 11 from a bootable USB on your PC

Here’s how you can create a Windows 11 bootable USB stick and install Microsoft’s new desktop operating system on your computer. The process is quite similar to how we install Windows 10 from a USB flash drive. Even if you’re new to installing Windows, you can follow the step-by-step guide and get Windows 11 up and running in no time. Anyway, that’s it for us. In case you want to disable the newly released Widgets feature or disable Microsoft Teams Chat icon on taskbar in Windows 11, please follow our linked tutorial. And if you want to see a full list of Windows 11 keyboard shortcuts, we’ve got you covered. Finally, if you have any questions, comment below and let us know.