Create Windows 11 26H2 USB for unsupported PCs using Rufus and Ventoy

• Create a Windows 11 26H2 bootable USB with Rufus or Ventoy to bypass hardware compatibility checks.
• Rufus removes TPM, Secure Boot, RAM, CPU, and Microsoft account requirements during setup.
• Ventoy lets you boot directly from ISO files and automatically applies Windows 11 compatibility workarounds.
• Systems still require TPM 1.2 support and a processor with the POPCNT instruction.

If you want to install Windows 11 26H2 on unsupported hardware, I recommend creating a bootable USB flash drive with Rufus or Ventoy. Both tools can bypass Microsoft’s hardware compatibility checks, making it possible to install the operating system on many computers that don’t officially meet the minimum requirements. In this guide, I’ll show you how to use each method.

If you’re upgrading a computer running Windows 10 or an older version that doesn’t meet the requirements for Windows 11 26H2, Rufus is one of the easiest solutions. It can create custom installation media that removes most of the setup restrictions, including TPM, Secure Boot, memory, and processor checks. It also lets me bypass the internet requirement during setup, making it possible to create a local account instead of signing in with a Microsoft account.

Ventoy takes a different approach. Rather than creating a bootable USB for a single ISO, it converts the flash drive into a multi-boot device where I can simply copy one or more ISO files and boot directly from them. When I launch the Windows 11 26H2 setup through Ventoy, the tool automatically applies the required compatibility workarounds, eliminating the need to modify the installation media beforehand.

Even with these workarounds, there are still a few limitations to keep in mind. Your computer should support at least TPM 1.2, and the processor must include the POPCNT (Population Count) instruction. Without these capabilities, Windows 11 26H2 may fail to boot or complete the installation successfully.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the steps to create a Windows 11 26H2 bootable USB with Rufus and Ventoy so you can install the operating system on virtually any device, even if Microsoft doesn’t officially support the hardware.

• Create a Windows 11 26H2 USB for unsupported PCs using Rufus
• Create a Windows 11 26H2 USB for unsupported PCs using Ventoy
• Pureinfotech’s Take

Related

How to download Windows 11 26H2 ISO file (preview)

Create a Windows 11 26H2 USB for unsupported PCs using Rufus

To create a Windows 11 26H2 bootable USB for unsupported hardware using an existing ISO file, connect a USB flash drive of at least 16GB and follow these steps:

1. Open the Rufus website.

2. Click the link to download the latest version under the “Download” section.

3. Double-click the rufus.x.xx.exe file to launch the tool.

4. Select the USB flash drive from the drop-down menu under the “Device” section to create Windows 11 bootable media.

5. Click the Select button.

   

6. Select the Windows 11 26H2 ISO file.

7. Click the Open button.

8. Select the “Standard Windows 11 Installation” option under the “Image option” setting.

9. Select the GPT option under the “Partition scheme” section.

10. Choose the UEFI (non-CSM) option under the “Target system” section.

11. Specify a descriptive name for the bootable USB drive in the “Volume label” section—for example, “Windows 11 26H2 Setup”.

12. Use the default settings for the File system and Cluster size options.

13. Check the Quick format option.

14. Check the “Create extended label and icon files” option.

15. Click the Start button.

16. Check the “Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0” option to install version 26H2 on unsupported hardware.

    

17. Check the “Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account” option to bypass the internet and Microsoft account requirements and create a local account.

18. (Optional) Check the “Create a local account with username” option and specify an account name to create a local account automatically.

19. Check the “Disable BitLocker automatic device encryption” option to prevent the setup from enabling BitLocker during the installation.

20. Click the OK button.

After you complete the steps, Rufus will create a USB bootable media that bypasses the hardware requirements to install the Windows 11 2026 Update on virtually any computer hardware.

Rufus provides two methods for creating custom USB installation media by downloading and using an existing ISO file. However, the option to download the official image using the tool will become available once the new version of the operating system becomes officially available later in 2026.

Create a Windows 11 26H2 USB for unsupported PCs using Ventoy

To create a Windows 11 26H2 bootable USB with Ventoy, connect a flash drive with enough space (8GB or more) and follow these steps:

1. Open the Ventoy GitHub page.

2. 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.

3. Open File Explorer.

4. Open the ZIP folder location.

5. Double-click to open the ventoy-x.x.xx-windows.zip file.

6. Click the Extract all button from the command bar.

   

7. Click the Browse button.

8. Select a location to extract the files.

9. Click the Select Folder button.

10. Click the Extract button.

11. Open the ventoy-x.x.xx folder.

12. Double-click the Ventoy2Disk.exe file to launch the installer.

    

13. Choose the USB flash drive from the “Device” setting.

14. Click the Install button.

    

15. Click the OK button.

16. Click on This PC from the left pane of File Explorer.

17. Open the Ventoy drive.

18. 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 the Ventoy tool and launch the Windows 11 26H2 installation on computers that don’t meet the hardware requirements and on compatible devices.

Since Ventoy can hold multiple ISO files, you can add images for other versions of Windows and other platforms, such as Linux.

Pureinfotech’s Take

I still think Rufus is the better choice for most people because it gives you more control over the installation media and makes the entire process straightforward. If you only need a USB drive for Windows 11 26H2, it’s hard to beat. That said, I keep coming back to Ventoy whenever I’m testing different builds of the operating system because I don’t have to erase and recreate the flash drive every time I switch to a new ISO. Being able to store multiple operating systems on a single USB drive is a real time-saver, but it also requires a flash drive with large storage capacity. 

I would also remind anyone using these methods that bypassing Microsoft’s hardware requirements doesn’t magically make an unsupported PC compatible. If your hardware is already struggling with Windows 10, installing Windows 11 26H2 probably won’t improve the experience. These tools are best suited for systems that are blocked by Microsoft’s requirements rather than by actual performance limitations.

I’ve been using Rufus to create installation media for years, and it continues to be one of the most reliable utilities for enthusiasts and even network professionals alike. Ventoy has earned a place in my toolkit as well, especially when I need flexibility, but for a one-time Windows 11 installation, Rufus remains my go-to recommendation.

Which tool do you prefer for creating Windows installation media, Rufus or Ventoy? Let me know in the comments.