UNetbootin icon
UNetbootin icon

UNetbootin

 749 likes

Cross-platform tool for making bootable USB and Live USB drives, featuring a built-in downloader for Linux ISO images and rescue disks, supporting BSD and various utilities. No installation required, it runs directly and offers compatibility and community support for many distributions.

Welcome screen

License model

  • Free • Open Source

Application type

Country of Origin

  • CA flagCanada

Platforms

  • Mac
  • Windows
  • Linux
  • PortableApps.com
Distributions list
Using ISO file
UNetbootin alternatives  
Discontinued

Last commit to the repository was on Jun 28, 2023, and latest version is from Feb 4, 2021.

3.4 / 5 Avg rating (25)
749likes
20comments
54alternatives
0news articles

Features

Suggest and vote on features

Properties

  1.  Privacy focused
  2.  Lightweight

Features

  1.  Create bootable USB
  2.  Persistent Linux
  3.  Automatic downloading
  4.  Download ISO Images
  5.  Portable
  6.  Windows To Go
  7.  Ad-free
  8.  Portable Linux
  9.  Burn iso

 Tags

  • Linux
  • arch-linux
  • opensuse
  • linux-mint
  • centos
  • create-vhd
  • dos
  • freedos
  • Live USB
  • slackware
  • mandriva
  • freebsd
  • gentoo
  • mepis
  • netbsd
  • fedora
  • ubuntu
  • live-cd

UNetbootin News & Activities

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UNetbootin information

  • Developed by

    CA flagGeza Kovacs

  • Licensing

    Open Source and Free product.

  • Written in

  • Rating

    Average rating of 3.4 (25 ratings)

  • Alternatives

    54 alternatives listed

  • Supported Languages

    • English

AlternativeTo Categories

OS & Utilities, CD/DVD Tools

GitHub repository

  •  2,383 Stars
  •  311 Forks
  •  258 Open Issues
  •   Updated Aug 7, 2024 
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Our users have written 20 comments and reviews about UNetbootin, and it has gotten 749 likes

UNetbootin was added to AlternativeTo by Kahlil88 on Jan 29, 2010 and this page was last updated Feb 13, 2025.

Comments and Reviews

   
 Post comment/review
Comment summary: UNetbootin has received mixed reviews. While some users appreciate its ease of use and utility for legacy systems, many comments highlight its shortcomings with UEFI support and unreliable performance with USB booting, particularly with newer operating systems like Windows 10 and macOS Catalina. Alternative tools like Rufus and Etcher are often recommended for better results. A major drawback cited is the lack of recent updates and support for newer Linux and macOS versions.
Top Positive Comment
Nancie L Beckett
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Jun 29, 2022
0

I'm using UNetbootin for a decade and it is very useful to improve my workflow.

Top Negative Comment
Paul
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Apr 10, 2018
7

UNetbootin was fine at one point but it rarely works anymore. I'd recommend using balenaEtcher icon balenaEtcher or Rufus icon Rufus for booting Linux distributions or using Boot Camp icon Boot Camp on macOS icon macOS in order to boot Windows.

takami9871
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Sep 18, 2023
1

the last update for this software was from 2021, two years ago (as i write now). for ubuntu users (22.4 or later), you can't add its ppa directly from your terminal because unetbootin doesn't support your current version

IStoleYourOnions
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Jun 18, 2023
0

This used to be quite handy, but it is only really useful on system with a legacy BIOS or CSM. If you need something that works on UEFI / Secure Boot, you'll need to look elsewhere. The bug asking for UEFI support was filed back in 2015, so it seems unlikely this will ever be fixed.

TBayAreaPat
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Apr 15, 2023
0

Interesting options, but most of the downloads fail, and when Arch Linux installed, it didn't boot properly. UNetbootin downloads the setup to a local temp file on harddrive, extracts it, and automatically installs it to the USB. It is all very automated.

OrdinaryAlien
Apr 25, 2020
1

I'm always having problems with UNetbootin. I do recommend MultiBootUSB or Rufus.

pitou
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Jan 27, 2020
0

Easy to install almost any distros from local and from the internet

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7 of 20 comments

What is UNetbootin?

UNetbootin (Universal Netboot Installer) is a cross-platform utility that can load Linux and other distributions to a partition or USB drive. It loads distributions either by downloading listed Linux and BSD like distributions, a variety of system utilities and rescue disks ISO file, or by using an ISO file you've already downloaded.

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