Ventoy — Make a Boot Drive Once, Then Just Copy and Paste ISO Files to Switch Systems
In a nutshell: Format a USB drive once, install Ventoy. After that, just copy any ISO file onto it and boot from it.
Tired of Remaking Boot Drives Every Time You Switch Systems? That Era Is Over
You have a USB drive with Windows 10 installation media. Today you want to try Ubuntu. The tutorial says: “Download Rufus, open it, select the ISO, write to USB.” So now your Windows 10 installation drive is gone, replaced by an Ubuntu installation drive.
A few days later, you want to help a friend fix their computer and need a PE toolkit. You open Rufus again, format the USB drive again, and write the PE ISO.
You repeat the same process: Format → Write ISO → Format → Write another ISO. It feels like having to erase and re-burn an entire CD just to change a song.
Ventoy completely changes this game. You only need to install Ventoy on your USB drive once — just once in your lifetime. After that, whenever you want to install a system, just copy that system’s ISO file directly to the USB drive, just like copying a regular file to a regular USB drive. When booting from the USB drive, Ventoy lists all ISO files on the drive, and you choose which one to install. Switching systems = delete the old ISO, copy the new ISO. No more creation tools needed.
Why Is Ventoy Revolutionary?
1. “Build a Boot Loader, Not a Boot Drive”
Traditional boot drive creation tools (Rufus, UltraISO, dd command) “burn” the ISO image onto the USB drive. Once burned, the USB drive becomes a dedicated boot drive for that one image. To change images, you have to burn again.
Ventoy’s approach is completely opposite: it partitions the USB drive into two areas — one for the Ventoy boot loader, one for storing ISO files. The boot loader reads all ISO files in the “file area” at startup and presents a menu for you to choose. This is “burn once, files are plug-and-play.”
2. One USB Drive Can Hold Windows, Linux, PE, VHD Simultaneously
This is Ventoy’s strongest feature. You can put all of the following on the same USB drive:
- Windows 10 installation ISO (5.8GB)
- Windows 11 installation ISO (6.2GB)
- Ubuntu 24.04 Live ISO (5.7GB)
- Micro PE Toolkit ISO (300MB)
- Kali Linux Live ISO (3.5GB)
- A 20GB Windows To Go VHDX virtual disk
As long as your USB drive is large enough (64GB or more recommended), these files can coexist. At boot, Ventoy presents a menu — use the arrow keys to select, press Enter to boot.
3. Supports Over 1200 Distributions
Ventoy maintains an official tested list, currently having tested over 1200 different ISO images — from Windows 7 to Windows 11, from Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora to Arch Linux, from various PE toolkits to ESXi virtualization platforms, even DOS-era systems and Chrome OS Flex. As long as the image is in a standard bootable format, Ventoy can boot it.
4. Persistent Storage: Changes in Live Systems Can Be Saved
A normal Linux Live USB is temporary — any settings, installed software, or saved files in the Live system are lost after shutdown because the Live system runs in memory.
Ventoy supports “persistent storage” — when creating the Ventoy USB drive, you can allocate some space for a persistent storage file. After that, when you boot the Live system, your changes are saved to this file and persist across reboots. This effectively turns a Live system into a portable “semi-installed version.”
5. Theme and Plugin System
Ventoy supports GRUB2 themes, allowing you to customize the boot menu’s appearance. The plugin system supports automatic injection of specific drivers (like NVMe drivers not included by default in Windows installation media, so older Win10 can recognize new hard drives), auto-answer files (unattended installation), automatic resolution selection, and more.
Professional Media and User Reviews
| Media | Review |
|---|---|
| How-To Geek | ”Ventoy is a game changer — the most innovative bootable USB tool in years” |
| Bleeping Computer | ”The last bootable USB tool you’ll ever need” |
| ItsFoss | ”Every Linux user should know about Ventoy” |
What Real Users Say
“In IT operations, I carry a 128GB USB drive with Ventoy. Windows Server versions, Ubuntu Server, ESXi, Hiren’s Boot, various PE — all stored on it. I only take this one drive to the server room, and it handles any scenario.” — Operations Engineer, 知乎
“Ventoy is an open-source project by a Chinese developer (longpanda), actively updated since its 2020 release. As a Chinese programmer, seeing a tool made by one of us used by IT professionals worldwide makes me特別 proud.” — Software Engineer, GitHub
“Setting up systems for clients’ servers — some older machines need Legacy BIOS, newer ones need UEFI, some require specific RAID drivers. Ventoy is compatible with everything and can inject drivers. I used to carry three or four USB drives; now one does it all.” — IT Service Provider, V2EX
Comparison with Similar Tools
| Dimension | Ventoy | Rufus | YUMI (Multi-ISO) | Easy2Boot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switching Systems | Copy paste ISO | Rewrite | Re-add | Copy + defrag |
| Multi-System Support | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Unlimited | ❌ Can’t | ⭐⭐⭐ Limited | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Supported |
| Initial Setup Complexity | ⭐⭐ Install + format | ⭐ Ready to use | ⭐⭐ Wizard-style | ⭐⭐⭐ More complex |
| BIOS/UEFI Compatibility | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dual | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Dual | ⭐⭐⭐ Partial | ⭐⭐⭐ Partial |
| Tested ISOs | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1200+ | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Mainstream | ⭐⭐⭐ Hundreds | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 1000+ |
| Persistent Storage | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Supported | ❌ Not supported | ⭐⭐⭐ Supported | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Supported |
| Plugins/Themes | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rich | ❌ None | ⭐⭐ Limited | ⭐⭐⭐ Yes |
| Cross-platform | Win/Linux | Windows only | Windows only | Windows only |
| Price | Free open source | Free open source | Free | Free |
Selection advice:
- Frequently installing different systems, want “make once, use forever” → Ventoy (revolutionary multi-ISO mode)
- Just need to make one Windows install drive, done → Rufus (better single-use experience, faster)
- USB drive is very small (<16GB), only install one system at a time → Rufus (Ventoy needs extra space for boot partition)
- Using both Ventoy and Rufus isn’t incompatible — some people even use Rufus to create a Ventoy boot drive (though usually the other way around)
Download and Installation Guide
Official Download (Recommended)
Ventoy’s only official website is ventoy.net, also hosted on GitHub and Gitee:
| Channel | Download Link | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Official Website | ventoy.net | Official main site, latest version |
| GitHub | github.com/ventoy/Ventoy | Project source + releases, most active globally |
| Gitee | gitee.com/longpanda/Ventoy | Faster download in China |
⚠️ Safety reminder: Ventoy’s official website is
ventoy.net. The official repositories on GitHub and Gitee are also safe. Again, avoid third-party download sites. Ventoy is maintained by a Chinese developer with complete Chinese documentation — no “Chinese localization” needed.
3-Minute Quick Start
- Open ventoy.net or GitHub releases, download the Windows version (Ventoy2Disk.exe)
- Extract and double-click
Ventoy2Disk.exe - Select your target USB drive from the “Device” dropdown (Important: All data on the USB drive will be erased)
- Keep partition type as “MBR” (compatible with most older computers) or select “GPT” (pure UEFI environment)
- Click “Install,” confirm, and Ventoy writes the boot loader (a few seconds)
- After installation, an empty data partition named “Ventoy” appears on the USB drive
- Copy the ISO files you want to use directly to this partition, just like copying to a regular USB drive
- Safely eject the USB drive, plug it into the target computer, boot from USB — Ventoy’s menu lists all the ISO files you copied
Recommended Configurations
- 128GB USB + Ventoy: Windows 10 + Windows 11 + Ubuntu + PE Toolkit + Acronis True Image rescue ISO
- 32GB USB + Ventoy: Windows 11 + one PE Toolkit + one driver injection plugin
- Upgrading Ventoy: When the main program updates, open Ventoy2Disk.exe, click “Update” — it won’t erase the ISO files in the data partition
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Which should I choose, Ventoy or Rufus? It’s not a “one or the other” choice. Ventoy solves the “one USB drive for multiple systems” problem; Rufus solves the “quickly and reliably write a boot drive” problem. If you don’t install systems often (once a year), Rufus is sufficient. If you frequently tinker with various systems or do IT maintenance, Ventoy is a godsend.
Q: Can a Ventoy USB drive be used as a regular USB drive (for regular files)? Yes. The Ventoy USB drive has two partitions: a boot partition (hidden, you can’t see it) and a data partition (the “Ventoy” drive you see). Copying non-ISO files (documents, images, any files) to the data partition doesn’t affect the boot function at all. Many people actually use their Ventoy USB drive as their main USB drive.
Q: Why won’t some ISOs boot with Ventoy? In most cases, it’s because the ISO itself isn’t in a standard bootable format. Ventoy supports 1200+ tested ISOs. If you encounter a boot failure, you can search or report it on Ventoy’s GitHub Issues — the developer responds quickly. You can also try pressing Ctrl+W on the ISO in Ventoy’s menu to switch to wimboot mode.
Q: Can Ventoy bypass Windows 11’s TPM and Secure Boot requirements? Ventoy itself doesn’t touch these restrictions. But you can use Rufus to create a Win11 ISO that already bypasses TPM, then copy that modified ISO to your Ventoy USB drive — Ventoy doesn’t need to be involved in the modification process, it just handles booting.
Ventoy transforms a USB drive from a one-time “disposable disc” into an infinitely reusable “bookshelf” — just put any book you want to read on it.