Rufus icon
Rufus icon

Rufus

Formats USB drives to FAT, NTFS, exFAT, and more, while creating bootable USBs from diverse ISOs. Supports MS-DOS/FreeDOS with no external files and offers BIOS or UEFI mode, including bad block check. Ideal for systems lacking an OS or flashing BIOS and lightweight, ad-free.

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+2
Rufus screenshot 3

Cost / License

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Platforms

  • Windows  Windows 8 or later.
  • PortableApps.com
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  • humble-advisor liked Rufus
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Comments and Reviews

   
Comment summary: Rufus is generally praised for its speed and ease of use in creating bootable USB drives. It is described as lightweight, portable, and reliable. Users value its open-source nature and support for multiple operating systems. However, some criticize the lack of EXT3/EXT4 formatting and its Windows-only compatibility. Negative feedback includes experiences with developer interactions and occasional functionality issues. Overall, Rufus is considered highly effective for its intended purposes.
Top Positive Comment
avert
8

Pros:

  • Open source!
  • Great for creating bootable USB disks.
  • GPT/UEFI support is a lifesaver.
  • Quick, reliable and effective.

Cons:

  • Hash sum information for installation files are not provided.
Top Negative Comment
saint23thomas
0

completely bricked the usb drive i was trying to use

Andrei030x
Replying to @saint23thomas

These reports aren't isolated. BUT, the drive isn't actually broken; it's a rare error with the partition table. Open Disk Management, find your flash drive, and delete all volumes on it. Then create a simple volume there. And let me know if it helped. If not, I can suggest an even more effective method.

Can Stand
0

Used to use it frequently.

Review from a new or low-activity account — shown here, but not counted in the app rating.
Evix
0

Many would say its better than official tools

very_unfortunate
0

We need Rufus for linux!

Andrei030x
-1

The issue with network activity has been fixed. Otherwise the program is good.

very_unfortunate
Replying to @Andrei030x

https://github.com/pbatard/rufus/issues/2781#issuecomment-3133363222

It's a Windows-only certificate check. No user data is sent, no analytics.

Review from a new or low-activity account — shown here, but not counted in the app rating.
c17s5qhu
0
DataProtectionOfficer at Self-Employed

My savior for years. Has advanced functionality. is a solution for every flash

7 of 80 comments

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AppStores & Other Links

Install from the command line

  • winget install -e --id Rufus.Rufus

Be careful what you paste into a terminal. Check what a command installs before running it.

What is Rufus?

Rufus is a utility that helps format and create bootable USB flash drives, such as USB keys/pendrives, memory sticks, etc.

Features:

  • Formats USB memory sticks to FAT/FAT32/NTFS/exFAT/UDF/ReFS
  • Creates bootable USB drive from a wide range of ISOs
  • Creates MS-DOS/FreeDOS bootable USB memory sticks, with no external files required
  • Creates BIOS or UEFI bootable drives
  • Checks for bad blocks
  • Modern UI, with UAC elevation for Windows Vista and later
  • Fully Open Source (GPL v3)

It can be be especially useful for cases where:

  • you need to flash a BIOS or other firmware from DOS
  • you need to install an Operating System or run a Live CD from USB
  • you need to work on a system that doesn't have an OS installed
  • you want to run a DOS low-level utility

Despite its small size, Rufus provides you with everything you need!

Rufus information

AlternativeTo Categories

OS & Utilities, CD/DVD Tools

GitHub repository

  •  37,991 Stars
  •  3,176 Forks
  •  8 Open Issues
  •   Updated  
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Our users have written 80 comments and reviews about Rufus, and it has gotten 1657 likes

Rufus was added to AlternativeTo by WhiteTiger on and this page was last updated .