Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to transfer your laptop's Windows to another one and you end up wondering how to copy Windows 10 to USB? If you're looking for a step-by-step guide to the solution, you're at the right place! Copying your old copy of Windows or installing a new one is straightforward and risk-free if you know the basics. While you could do it through various tools and methods, we've gathered a few of the best ways to get your job done. Let's take you through the process of how to copy the operating system to USB.
Part 1. Why Do You Need to Copy Windows 10 Operating System (OS) to USB Flash Drive?
Part 2. Benefits of creating a Windows 10 Portable and Bootable USB
Part 3. How to Copy Existing Windows 10 to USB?
- Method 1: Copy Windows 10 to USB drive via PassFab 4EasyPartition
- Method 2: Copy Windows 10 to USB drive via Windows To Go
Part 4. Bonus tip: How to boot Windows 10 from the USB Drive
Part 5. FAQs about Copying Windows 10 to a USB Flash Drive
- Q1: Can I copy my operating system to a USB?
- Q2: How Can I Transfer Windows 10 From My Computer To USB Flash Drive?
- Q3: What format should a bootable USB be for Windows 10?
- Q4: How to boot from a USB flash drive?
Final words
Part 1.Why Do You Need to Copy Windows 10 Operating System (OS) to USB Flash Drive?
Taking your laptop with you all the time can sound impractical, right? What if you could compress your operating system into a portable hard drive or a USB pen drive? With the whole system copied into a USB, you'll eliminate the hassle of carrying your laptop all the time. And when you need to access your system, all you need is a working laptop or computer, and you’ll be able to use your system through the computer's boot sequence-which can be configured in the BIOS or UEFI.
Part 2. Benefits of creating a Windows 10 Portable and Bootable USB
Though there are several benefits of creating a portable and bootable USB, the most important ones are explained below:
- To Install Windows 10 on USB or Portable Hard Drive
- To Install Windows 10 on Your Laptop/Computer
- Upgrade Your Old Version of Windows to Windows 10
- Safely Recover Your System After a Crash
A bootable USB of Windows 10 can be used to install Windows 10 on a portable hard drive (also called Windows To Go). By doing so, you'll be able to use that particular hard drive as a full-fledged system. Also, it'll be more convenient to carry around as you'll just be carrying a single portable hard drive rather than a laptop. But, to use this portable Windows 10, you'll always need a laptop or computer which you'll be putting your hard drive into.
Windows 10 bootable USB is also used to do a fresh installation of Windows 10. All you need to do it to plug in the USB, turn your computer or laptop on, press the boot hotkey, and boot from the bootable USB drive. It saves costs by eliminating the hassle of taking your laptop or computer to a technician.
Bootable USB can also be used to upgrade your old version of Windows (Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8) to Windows 10.
Has your computer or laptop ever started to act weirdly? Or have you ever felt like your system's speed is decreasing? Bootable recovery USB contains the troubleshooting tools and can also be used to recover a crashed system using a system restore point-saving your precious data from being damaged.
Part 3. How to Copy Existing Windows 10 to USB?
Method 1: PassFab 4EasyPartition: Copy Windows 10 to USB drive via PassFab 4EasyPartition
PassFab 4EasyPartition is an easy-to-use tool to copy Windows 10 to a USB. Compared to other tools, PassFab 4EasyPartition is more user-friendly, and less complicated; therefore, ideal for anyone even if they're tech-savvy or not without losing their precious data. Step by step guide to putting Windows 10 on a USB using PassFab 4EasyPartition is explained below.
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Open PassFab 4EasyPartition application and press "Start" to initiate the process.
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Select the "Source Disk". This is the disk where you'll be copying your Windows from.
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Once you have made sure there's nothing important in the USB (where the Windows is being copied), press "Sure"
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PassFab 4EasyPartition will then show you the "Expected Migration Results". This basically shows how your USB's partition table will look like after the migration. Click "Start" to proceed with the OS migration process.
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Operating System Migration is underway. Sit back and relax as it may take a while depending on your system resources and the size of your source disk.
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Once the migration has finished, press "Finish" to end the process. The USB can now be used as a portable Windows 10 bootable USB.
Method 2: Windows To Go: Copy Windows 10 to USB drive via Windows To Go
While many tools can copy Windows 10 to your USB, Windows To Go is often the most used. Following is a step-by-step guide on how to copy existing Windows 10 to USB using Windows To Go feature via the Win2USB tool.
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Open Win2USB and choose "Windows To Go USB" option.
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Select the installation source as "Current Windows OS".
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Select your USB as the destination drive.
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Make sure you do not have any important data in your USB as it'll be formatted.
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Once you're all set, sit back and wait as the migration process may take a while depending on your Windows drive size and your system resources.
Part 4. Bonus tip: How to boot Windows 10 from the USB Drive
Well... we have learned a lot about copying Windows 10 to USB but we haven't yet learned about how to boot from a bootable USB. Here is a step-by-step guide to doing so.
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Turn off your laptop or computer.
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Plug in your bootable USB.
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Restart your computer and hit the "Boot Menu" key until the boot menu appears.
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Once the boot menu is in front of you, select the USB drive and hit "Enter" key to boot from it.
Boot keys may differ for different manufacturers. Here's a comprehensive guaide where you can find yours:
Part 5. FAQs about Copying Windows 10 to a USB Flash Drive
Can I copy my operating system to a USB?
Yes! To copy your operating system to a USB, you can use third-party software as it'll make your process of OS migration simple and easy.
How Can I Transfer Windows 10 From My Computer To USB Flash Drive?
You can use third-party software like PassFab 4EasyPartition to transfer Windows 10 to USB. And if you want to create a bootable USB containing Windows 10 installation media, you'll first have to download Windows 10 ISO and then burn it to a USB using bootable media creation tools.
What format should a bootable USB be for Windows 10?
If it's a bootable Windows 10 recovery USB, FAT32 should work fine. But if it's a Windows To Go USB, NTFS is the option you should choose.
How to boot from a USB flash drive?
First, you need to turn off your computer/laptop, insert your bootable USB, and turn it on while pressing the boot key until you see the boot menu. The boot key is usually either Esc, F9, or F12. After entering boot menu, select the USB and hit Enter to the boot from that USB.
Final Words
In summary, having a portable bootable Windows 10 USB is always a wise choice. And as complicated as it sounds, making a portable Windows 10 USB or copying your existing Windows 10 system into a USB flash drive is fairly easy. To further simplify the process of OS migration and copy Windows 10 to USB, PassFab 4EasyPartition is always the option you should go for! Because in the end, being proactive is always better than losing your date to system crashes-the decision is yours!