How to create bootable Windows 11 26H2 USB install media

Windows 11 26H2 bootable USB drives can be created with Rufus, Ventoy, or Command Prompt.
Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool isn’t available yet because Windows 11 26H2 remains in preview.
Rufus offers the easiest experience and includes options to bypass hardware requirements.
Ventoy allows storing and booting multiple ISO files from a single USB drive.

If you want to install Windows 11 26H2 (2026 Update) on a computer that meets the hardware requirements, you’ll need to create a bootable USB installation media. In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to get it done. While there are several ways to upgrade or reinstall Windows 11, using a bootable USB drive remains the most reliable option for fixing persistent issues and performing a clean installation. It’s also the only practical method for installing Windows 11 26H2 on a brand-new or fully formatted drive.

To create the installation media, you can use the Media Creation Tool, which is the official utility. However, since this new version of the operating system is still in preview, Microsoft’s tool is still not available for version 26H2.

Alternatively, third-party tools like Rufus and Ventoy offer more flexibility for customizing bootable drives. For advanced users, Command Prompt also provides a manual way to build offline installation media without relying on external tools.

In this guide, I will teach you multiple ways to create a USB bootable media to perform an in-place or clean install of the Windows 11 2026 Update.

Prerequisites to create a bootable USB
Create Windows 11 26H2 bootable USB using Rufus
Create Windows 11 26H2 bootable USB using Ventoy
Create Windows 11 26H2 bootable USB using Command Prompt
Pureinfotech’s Take

Important: I’m not including the Media Creation Tool or the ISO download option for Rufus because the new version of Windows 11 is not yet officially available.

Prerequisites to create a bootable USB

Before you begin, you’ll need a Windows 11 26H2 ISO file. Since the update is still in preview, the installation files aren’t available through Microsoft’s official download channels. Currently, the only way to obtain the ISO is by using the UUP Dump script, which downloads the necessary files directly from Microsoft and builds a custom ISO image.

You’ll also need a USB flash drive with at least 8GB of storage. While you can use virtually any USB drive, make sure to back up any important data first, as the process will erase all existing contents on the device.

Create Windows 11 26H2 bootable USB using Rufus

To create a bootable USB to install Windows 11 26H2 using Rufus, connect a USB flash drive with 8GB of space, and then follow these steps:

Open the Rufus website.
Click the link to download the latest version under the “Download” section.
Double-click the rufus.x.xx.exe file to launch the tool.
Select the USB flash drive from the drop-down menu under the “Device” section to create Windows 11 bootable media.
Click the Select button.
Select the Windows 11 26H2 ISO file.
Click the Open button.
Select the “Standard Windows 11 Installation” option under the “Image option” setting.
Select the GPT option under the “Partition scheme” section.
Choose the UEFI (non-CSM) option under the “Target system” section.
Specify a descriptive name for the bootable USB drive in the “Volume label” section—for example, “Windows 11 26H2 Setup”.
Use the default settings for the File system and Cluster size options.
Check the Quick format option.
Check the “Create extended label and icon files” option.
Click the Start button.
Clear all the checked options if the computer is compatible with Windows 11.

Quick note: Check the “Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0” and “Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account” options to create a USB media for unsupported hardware.
Click the Start button.
Click the OK button to confirm the deletion of the USB drive and the creation of the bootable drive.

Once you complete the steps, the tool will begin creating a bootable media containing the Windows 11 26H2 installation.

Create Windows 11 26H2 bootable USB using Ventoy

To create a Windows 11 26H2 bootable USB with Ventoy, follow these steps:

Open the Ventoy GitHub page.
Click the ventoy-x.x.xx-windows.zip file under the “Assets” section and download it to your computer.

Quick note: You may need to force and keep the file, as the browser may detect it as malicious.
Open File Explorer.
Open the Zip folder location.
Double-click to open the ventoy-x.x.xx-windows.zip file.
Click the Extract all button from the command bar.
Click the Browse button.
Select a location to extract the files.
Click the Select Folder button.
Click the Extract button.
Open the ventoy-x.x.xx folder.
Double-click the Ventoy2Disk.exe file to launch the installer.
Choose the USB flash drive from the “Device” setting.
Click the Install button.
Click the OK button.
Click on This PC from the left pane of File Explorer.
Open the Ventoy drive.
Copy and paste the Windows 11 26H2 ISO files to make them bootable.

After completing the steps, you can use the USB flash drive to boot a device with Ventoy, allowing you to choose to start it from the Windows 11 26H2 ISO file.

Create Windows 11 26H2 bootable USB using Command Prompt

To create a Windows 11 26H2 USB flash drive from an ISO with Command Prompt, follow these steps:

Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select Run as Administrator.
Type the following command to open Diskpart and press Enter:
```
diskpart
```
Type the following command to determine the USB flash drive and press Enter:
```
list disk
```
Type the following command to select the storage and press Enter:
```
select disk 1
```
Quick tip: The select disk 1 command as an example, but you have to replace 1 with the flash drive you want to use.
Type the following commands to delete everything from the USB flash drive and press Enter:
```
clean
```
Type the following command to create a primary partition and press Enter:
```
create partition primary
```
Type the following command to select the new partition and press Enter:
```
select partition 1
```
Type the following command to make the USB flash drive bootable and press Enter:
```
format FS=NTFS quick
```
Type the following command to assign a volume and a drive letter for the USB flash drive and press Enter:
```
assign letter=X
```
Change X for any available letter you want to use in the command.
Type the following command to quit the tool and press Enter:
```
exit
```
Type the following command to mount the Windows 11 26H2 ISO file and press Enter:
```
PowerShell Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath "C:pathtoWindows11.iso"
```
In the command, update the path with the location where you have stored the Windows 11 26H2 ISO file.
Type the following command to relaunch Diskpart and press Enter:
```
diskpart
```
Type the following command to determine the drive letter for the mounted Windows 11 26H2 ISO file and press Enter:
```
list volume
```
Type the following command to exit Diskpart and press Enter:
```
exit
```
Type the following command to access the ISO file and press Enter:
```
E:
```
Type the following command to open the “boot” folder and press Enter:
```
cd boot
```
Type the following command to update the volume boot code for the USB flash drive and press Enter:
```
bootsect /nt60 X:
```
Type the following command to open the root of the mounted drive and press Enter:
```
cd..
```
Type the following command to copy all the Windows 11 2026 Update installation files to the USB flash drive and press Enter:
```
xcopy E:*.* X: /E /F /H
```
In the command, change the “E” and “X” letters with the correct drive letters for the ISO image file and the USB flash drive, respectively.

After you complete the steps, you can use the bootable USB to perform a clean install of Windows 11 26H2 on any supported computer.

Pureinfotech’s Take

I still consider a bootable USB drive the best way to install Windows 11, especially when dealing with a major feature update. Over the years, I’ve seen upgrade processes fail for all kinds of reasons, and having installation media ready often turns a frustrating recovery process into a quick fix.

For most people, Rufus remains the easiest option because it simplifies the process and adds flexibility that the Microsoft Media Creation Tool doesn’t always offer. Ventoy is also a great choice if you regularly test different versions of the operating system and want to keep multiple ISO files on a single drive. The Command Prompt method is useful, but it’s really geared toward enthusiasts who prefer a manual approach.

The fact that Microsoft’s own tool isn’t available yet for Windows 11 26H2 isn’t surprising. This tends to happen with preview releases, and third-party tools usually fill the gap. If you’re planning to test the update early or prepare for a clean installation, creating a bootable USB now is a practical step rather than waiting for the company to release an updated version of its own tool.

What method do you use to create Windows installation media? Let me know in the comments.

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