Set Your Computer to Boot from a USB Flash Drive

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Boot a Windows or Mac computer from a removable drive
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A bootable USB flash drive is useful for installing or repairing an operating system, running a live version of Linux, or diagnosing system problems. But once you have your bootable USB flash drive, how can you boot from it? This wikiHow article teaches you how to start up your Windows PC or Mac from a USB flash drive.

Quickly Boot from a Flash Drive

  1. Boot into your computer’s BIOS or UEFI settings.
  2. Find the option to set the boot order.
  3. Set your computer to boot from the USB drive first.
  4. Save and Exit the BIOS/UEFI settings.
  5. Insert your USB drive.
  6. Reboot your computer.
Section 1 of 3:

Using Windows

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  1. As long as your USB drive is bootable , it'll be easy to boot from it when restarting your PC.
  2. You can do this by clicking the Start menu and selecting Settings or the gear icon.
    • If you can’t boot into Windows, you will need to restart your computer and get to the BIOS using your hardware's default key. As soon as you see the logo, you will need to hit either F1, F2, F6, F10, or Del to enter the BIOS menu—the key you need to press should appear quickly on the screen (look for "Press X to enter setup").
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  3. 3
    Click System or Update & Security icon. If you are using Windows 11, click System in the menu bar to the left. If you are using Windows 10, click the Update & Security icon.
  4. On Windows 11, it’s a little ways down the menu. On Windows 10, it's in the left panel.
  5. 5
    Click Restart Now next to "Advanced Startup. " On Windows 11, it’s next to “Advanced Startup.” On Windows 10, it’s below “Advanced Startup” in the panel to the right. This will boot your computer into the Windows Recovery Environment.
  6. It's the icon with a screwdriver and a wrench.
  7. It's the option with a computer chip and a gear.
  8. Your PC will now reboot into the BIOS/UEFI, which is where you'll tell your PC you want to boot from your USB flash drive.
  9. Every manufacturer has a different BIOS/UEFI setup, so you may have to browse around to find a menu called Boot, Boot Order, or Boot Options. You'll know you're in the right place once you see a list of different types of drives (such as optical drive, removable drive, USB drive, etc.).
    • If you're using a Lenovo PC, for example, you'll select the Boot tab at the top.
    • You may have to select a menu called Advanced , Storage , or System Configuration to find the Boot or Boot order menu.
  10. This area is going to look different depending on the manufacturer. Your goal is to make the device that's called something like "USB drive" or "Removable Drive" the first item in the boot order.
    • If you don't see an option to change the order of the drives, you may just need to switch on a setting that enables "USB Boot" or similar.
  11. You can usually do this by selecting a tab or option called Save & Exit , or by pressing F10 . Once you confirm and exit, your PC will reboot from the USB drive.
    • Be sure to remove the flash drive when you're done using it. Otherwise your PC will try to boot from it the next time you have to reboot.
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Section 2 of 3:

Using macOS

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  1. As long as your USB drive is bootable , it'll be easy to boot from it when restarting your Mac.
  2. The process to boot from a USB drive is different depending on the type of processor inside your Mac. To find out:
    • Click the Apple menu at the upper-left corner and select About This Mac . [1]
    • If you see "Chip" followed by a name like "Apple M1" (or similar), you have an Apple Silicon chip.
    • If you see "Processor" followed by a name that starts with "Intel," you have an Intel processor.
  3. If your Mac is on now, click the Apple menu and select Shut Down .
  4. The process is different depending on your processor:
    • Apple Silicone: Press and hold the Power button until you see "Loading startup options." At that point, let go of the button. [2]
    • Intel: Press and hold the Option key as you restart your Mac. Keep holding down the Option key until you see a list of available startup disks.
      • If your Mac has a T2 Security Chip that prevents you from booting from a USB drive, you will need to set the Startup Security Utility to allow booting from a USB drive. To do so, restart your Mac and press and hold Command + R as soon as you see the Apple logo to boot into macOS Recovery. Log in with your Mac password when prompted. Select Utility > Startup Security Utility . Click the radio option next to “Allow booting from external or removable media.” Enter your password if prompted. [3]
  5. Your Mac will now boot from the USB drive.
    • This won't permanently change the boot order. The next time you start up your Mac, it'll start from your regular hard drive as normal.
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Section 3 of 3:

Creating a Bootable Flash Drive

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  1. 1
    Create a Windows Installation drive. You can use a Windows Installation drive to install or reinstall Windows. You will need a product key to register Windows once it is installed. Use the following steps to create a bootable Windows installation drive: [4]
    • Go to the download site for Windows 11 or Windows 10 .
    • Click Download Now .
    • Insert a blank USB drive.
    • Run the MediaCreationTool.exe file in your download folder.
    • Follow the prompts to create a bootable USB drive.
  2. 2
    Create a Windows Recovery drive. You can use a Windows Recovery drive to repair your Windows installation and troubleshoot problems. You can also use it to reinstall Windows , if needed. Use the following steps to create a Windows Recovery drive:
    • Click the Windows Start menu.
    • Type “Recovery drive.”
    • Click Recovery drive .
    • Insert a blank USB drive.
    • Check “Backup system files to recovery drive.”
    • Click Next .
    • Follow the prompts to create a recovery drive.
  3. 3
    Create a bootable macOS installer. You can use a macOS installer to troubleshoot problems with macOS and reinstall macOS . To create a bootable macOS installer, you will need to download the version of macOS you want to install from the App Store. You may need to use Safari to download older versions of macOS. Then you will need to insert your USB drive and open the Terminal. You can do so by clicking the magnifying/spotlight icon on your desktop and searching for “Terminal.” Once you open the Terminal, you will need to enter a specific command for the version of macOS you want to create a bootable flash drive for. The following are the Terminal commands you need to enter to create a macOS installer for the different versions of macOS:
    • Sequoia 15: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sequoia.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume
    • Senoma 14: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Sonoma.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume
    • Ventura 13: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Ventura.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume
    • Monterey 12: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Monterey.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume
    • Big Sur 11: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Big\ Sur.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume
    • Catalina 10.15: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Catalina.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume
    • Mojave 10.14: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume
    • High Sierra 10.13: sudo /Applications/Install\ macOS\ High\ Sierra.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume
    • El Capitan 10.11: sudo /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app/Contents/Resources/createinstallmedia --volume /Volumes/MyVolume --applicationpath /Applications/Install\ OS\ X\ El\ Capitan.app
  4. 4
    Create a bootable Linux drive. You can use a bootable Linux drive to install Linux , create a Linux dual-boot system. Some versions of Linux can be run entirely off a USB drive. To create a bootable Linux drive, you will need to download the Linux ISO file from the official website for the Linux distribution you want to install. Then you will need to download a USB flash program, such as Rufus or Belena Etcher . Insert your USB drive and open Rufus or Etcher. Select your USB drive if it isn’t found automatically. Then select your Linux ISO file below “Boot section.” Click Start or Flash .
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Can I use and boot from an existing O/S (XP) hard drive in a USB enclosure with Windows 10?
    Community Answer
    Yes, as long as there is enough available storage to support Windows 10.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    How can I tell if my computer booted from the flash drive, if the hard drive is second priority?
    Community Answer
    The windows installation screen should appear when you are planning on installing a new Windows.
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  • Question
    What can cause my computer to display multiple colors after installing Windows 7?
    Community Answer
    If you're booting from a copy of Windows 7 on a USB drive, the most likely culprits are a corrupted copy of Windows, which just requires a reinstall, or damage done to the USB, which may be present on either the drive or the computer's port itself. Or the monitor may just be having some issues of its own. If you get these colors when doing hardware intensive tasks like gaming, exporting video files or any other GPU-intensive tasks, the driver may be crashing which can be caused system errors or by overheating of the card.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211814
      2. ↑ https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/change-your-mac-startup-disk-mchlp1034/mac
      3. ↑ https://support.apple.com/en-us/102522
      4. ↑ https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/create-installation-media-for-windows-99a58364-8c02-206f-aa6f-40c3b507420d

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      1. Insert a bootable USB flash drive.
      2. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery > Restart Now .
      3. Click Troubleshoot and select UEFI Firmware Settings .
      4. Click Restart .
      5. Open the Boot or Boot Order menu.
      6. Make USB or Removable Drive the first option in the boot order.
      7. Save and exit.

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