What is this?
Ventoy is an open source tool that creates a bootable USB drive which can boot directly from ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files without extracting or reformatting them.
Ventoy is an open source tool that creates a bootable USB drive which can boot directly from ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files without extracting or reformatting them.Is this a one-time formatting tool or something I run every time I add an OS?You install Ventoy on the USB drive once, then just copy image files onto it afterward; no reformatting or reinstalling Ventoy is needed for new ISOs.
You install Ventoy on the USB drive once, then just copy image files onto it afterward; no reformatting or reinstalling Ventoy is needed for new ISOs.How do I get it running?Download the Ventoy release, install it onto your USB/local disk/SSD/SD card, then simply copy your ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files onto the drive and boot from it.
Download the Ventoy release, install it onto your USB/local disk/SSD/SD card, then simply copy your ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files onto the drive and boot from it.Do I need any extra software to make multiple images bootable at once?No, Ventoy itself handles everything; you just drop image files on the drive and it shows a boot menu to pick one, with an optional GUI plugin configurator (VentoyPlugson) for advanced tweaks.
No, Ventoy itself handles everything; you just drop image files on the drive and it shows a boot menu to pick one, with an optional GUI plugin configurator (VentoyPlugson) for advanced tweaks.Does every ISO actually boot and install correctly?Most OSes work, with 1300+ ISOs tested, but it's not guaranteed for every single distro and some features (like persistence or auto-install) only apply to certain OS types.
Most OSes work, with 1300+ ISOs tested, but it's not guaranteed for every single distro and some features (like persistence or auto-install) only apply to certain OS types.Does it support both old BIOS machines and modern UEFI/Secure Boot systems?Yes, it works across x86 Legacy BIOS, IA32 UEFI, x86_64 UEFI, ARM64 and MIPS64EL UEFI, with both MBR and GPT partition styles, and supports Secure Boot.
Yes, it works across x86 Legacy BIOS, IA32 UEFI, x86_64 UEFI, ARM64 and MIPS64EL UEFI, with both MBR and GPT partition styles, and supports Secure Boot.Can I still use the USB drive for normal file storage?Yes, Ventoy preserves normal USB usage; the drive still works as regular storage alongside the bootable images.
Yes, Ventoy preserves normal USB usage; the drive still works as regular storage alongside the bootable images.Can I keep changes when booting a Linux live system?Yes, Ventoy supports Linux persistence so you can save changes across reboots on supported distros.
Yes, Ventoy supports Linux persistence so you can save changes across reboots on supported distros.Can Ventoy also automate OS installation instead of just booting the ISO?Yes, it supports auto-installation scripts with variable expansion for both Windows and Linux images, not just booting into the live/installer menu.
Yes, it supports auto-installation scripts with variable expansion for both Windows and Linux images, not just booting into the live/installer menu.Will upgrading Ventoy wipe my existing ISOs and data on the USB drive?No, data is preserved across version upgrades, and you typically don't need to update Ventoy when a new Linux distro is released.
No, data is preserved across version upgrades, and you typically don't need to update Ventoy when a new Linux distro is released.What are similar projects?rufus, darwin-xnu, libfyaml, serenity, Wind-Waker-Recomp, winutil-cn, ReBarUEFI, tmux
rufus, darwin-xnu, libfyaml, serenity, Wind-Waker-Recomp, winutil-cn, ReBarUEFI, tmux