Rufus is the smallest and most reliable utility to create bootable USB flash drives using operating system images such as ISO and IMG files. Whether you need a fresh installation drive for Windows 11 or a portable Linux live environment, it gets the job done cleanly without bloated background services.
- Rufus downloads
- Download Windows ISO directly using Rufus
- Bypass TPM, Secure Boot, and MS account
- What is new in Rufus 4.15
We have used Rufus for all-purpose tasks, from creating Windows 11 setup drives to testing Linux distributions and ChromeOS Flex USBs, and it remains remarkably fast.
Download Rufus
Use the following direct links to download the latest Rufus 4.15 release from GitHub:
| File Name | Type | Platform | Size | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
rufus-4.15.exe | Standard | Windows x64 | 1.9 MB | 2026.06.30 |
rufus-4.15p.exe | Portable | Windows x64 | 1.9 MB | 2026.06.30 |
rufus-4.15_arm64.exe | Standard | Windows ARM64 | 5.2 MB | 2026.06.30 |
rufus-4.15_x86.exe | Standard | Windows x86 | 1.8 MB | 2026.06.30 |
Rufus is completely free and open source. The developer intentionally accepts no donations, noting that asking for money can feel guilt-inducing for users who cannot or prefer not to donate. That philosophy has kept Rufus completely free of adware, bundled toolbars, and unwanted sponsors for over a decade.
Unlike heavier flashing tools, Rufus requires no installation or runtime dependencies. You simply download the portable executable, launch it, and plug in your USB flash drive. It works across Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows 8.1, and Windows 7, supporting both modern GPT partition schemes for UEFI systems and legacy MBR partition schemes for older BIOS hardware.
Create Bootable USB
Writing an image to a flash drive takes only a few quick steps:
- Plug in your USB drive (at least 8 GB for Windows 11).
- Open Rufus and pick your drive under the Device menu.
- Click Select next to Boot selection and browse to your ISO or IMG file. If you need an image first, read our guide on how to download the official Windows 11 ISO.
- Choose your Partition scheme: GPT for modern UEFI computers, or MBR if installing on older legacy BIOS hardware.
- Click Start to begin writing. For full details on other flashing options, check our complete walkthrough on how to create a bootable USB.
Download Windows ISO Directly
You do not need to hunt down Windows download pages manually. Rufus includes a built-in download feature powered by the Fido script that grabs official ISO files straight from Microsoft servers:
- Launch Rufus and look at the SELECT button on the right side.
- Click the small downward arrow next to SELECT and switch it to DOWNLOAD.
- Click the DOWNLOAD button. A configuration dialog will pop up after a brief script check.
- Select your desired operating system (Windows 11 or Windows 10) and click Continue.
- Pick the Release version, Edition (Home/Pro), Language (e.g. English International), and Architecture (x64).
- Click Download to save the official ISO file to your computer, or check Download using a browser if you prefer using your browser download manager.
Bypass Windows 11 Requirements
One of the biggest reasons users rely on Rufus is its Windows User Experience (WUE) dialog. When you select a Windows 11 ISO and click Start, Rufus presents several customization checkboxes that let you strip away Microsoft hardware roadblocks:
- Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0: Lets you install Windows 11 on older desktop and laptop hardware without registry hacks.
- Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account: Skips the mandatory Microsoft account sign-in prompt and lets you set up an offline local account directly.
- Create a local account with username: Automatically pre-fills your current Windows account name so setup creates it silently.
- Set regional options to the same values as this user: Copies your keyboard layout, time zone, and language settings automatically.
- Disable data collection: Automatically skips intrusive telemetry and diagnostic privacy questions during setup.
- Disable BitLocker automatic device encryption: Prevents Windows from silently locking your internal storage drives without your explicit key backup.
What is New in Rufus 4.15
The latest Rufus 4.15 update brings several improvements and platform bug fixes:
- RISC-V 64 Support: Added RISC-V 64 architecture support to the UEFI:NTFS bootloader module.
- Snapdragon X ARM64 Boot Fix: Resolved boot crashes when using UEFI:NTFS on Snapdragon X Elite and Plus Copilot+ PCs.
- Silent Installation Polish: Improved guardrails and fixed crashes where silent Windows installations failed around the 75 percent progress mark.
- Extraction and UI Enhancements: Better progress reporting when unpacking compressed system images, and security fixes in XML parsing libraries.
Once your USB installer is ready, you can follow our detailed guide on how to clean install Windows 11. If you run into issues with boot recognition on older motherboards, check our tips for installing Windows 11 on legacy BIOS systems.
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