Rufus icon

Rufus

  4.11
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3.3
/ 26 ratings

The one-stop application to create a bootable USB drive

Pete Batard |
updated on October 3, 2025
Download for Windows
Rufus is the premier application for creating bootable USB drives using any ISO file you want. The sole purpose of Rufus is to create USB drives that you can use for Windows installation or any other software installation that requires an ISO image.

ISO files are usually utilized to either create backup drives or for providing software that a distributor is sharing. Rufus can help in creating bootable drives that can replace the physical drives that were used before in the form of CDs or DVDs.

The competitive edge that Rufus has over any of the competitors is its incredibly compact package, which comes at around 1.4 MB, and its fast speed when it comes to creating a bootable USB drive from an ISO file.

As you know, CD and DVD drives are becoming more and more obsolete by the day. You need at least one bootable USB drive in case of an emergency. The emergency could be your operating system crashing because of some bug or virus.

For those purposes, Rufus gives you the best and quickest solution to install any OS on your computer. It comes as a tiny package in the form of an .exe file that runs without you having to install it first. Using Rufus is an absolute breeze. It's just that easy. To create a bootable USB drive, here are the simple steps you need to follow:
  1. Plug in the USB drive.
  2. Download and open Rufus.
  3. Select the drive, or let Rufus automatically choose it for you.
  4. Select the ISO file that you want to use.
  5. Click Start and wait for the process to finish.
  6. Done.
The feature list of Rufus is as follows:
  • Creating bootable USB drives from ISO files.
  • Flashing a BIOS or any other firmware from DOS.
  • Working with various ISO files, including Windows, Linux, and UEFI images.
All in all, Rufus may be small in size, but it does everything it is supposed to do perfectly. Easy to use, lightweight, and incredibly helpful, Rufus does its job efficiently.
Hamza Sadiq
Hamza Sadiq
App tester and reviewer
★★★★★
★★★★★
Editor's pick

Pros

  • Lightweight
  • Perfect for creating bootable USB drives from ISO files
  • Completely free to use

Cons

  • Write speed can be limited by the speed of the USB drive used
LicenseGNU
Minimum requirements Windows 7 or later (32 or 64 bit)
Previous versions
4.10, 4.9, 4.8, 4.7, 4.6,
view more...
Operating systemWindows
Supported languagesAvailable in multiple languages
DownloadsTotal: 6037
Last week: 22
Download for Windows