3 Ways to create USB bootable media to install Windows 8.1 (2026)

To create a Windows 8.1 bootable USB drive, you can use third-party tools such as Rufus and Ventoy.
You can also manually download the official Windows 8.1 ISO and use Command Prompt to create the bootable media.

UPDATED 1/3/2026: You can still create a bootable USB flash drive to install Windows 8.1. In this guide, I will outline three ways to complete this process. Windows 8.1 reached the end of support in January 2023. Although it’s recommended to use a supported version (such as Windows 11), which no longer receives security updates or support, you may still have valid reasons to install it.

For example, in my case, because of the nature of my work, I sometimes need to run older versions of Windows to test software compatibility, access legacy features, and track the operating system’s evolution across versions. In your case, you may need to install Windows 8.1 for compatibility with specific hardware that doesn’t support a newer version.

If you need to create a bootable USB flash drive to install Windows 8.1, you have multiple options, including Rufus, Ventoy, and Command Prompt.

In this guide, I will teach you how to create a bootable USB drive to install Windows 8.1 on older hardware or in a virtual machine.

Create Windows 8.1 bootable USB from Rufus
Create Windows 8.1 bootable USB from Ventoy
Create Windows 8.1 bootable USB from Command Prompt

Create Windows 8.1 bootable USB from Rufus

To create a bootable USB of Windows 8.1 with Rufus, connect a flash drive with enough space (4GB or more) and use these steps:

Open the Windows 8.1 page.

Quick note: Microsoft no longer offers a public download of the Windows 8.1 ISO. As a result, you now have to rely on third-party hosting sites. Currently, there’s a download option on the Archive.org website, but you should use it at your own risk, as the file doesn’t come from Microsoft’s servers.
Choose the Win8.1_English_x32.iso or Win8.1_English_x64.iso option from the right pane, depending on the version of Windows 8.1 to download.
Save the Windows 8.1 ISO file onto your computer.
Open the Rufus website.
Click the link to download the latest version under the “Download” section.
Double-click the executable to launch the tool.
Click the Select button.
Select the Windows 8.1 ISO file.
Click the Open button.
(Optional) Continue with the default settings after the download.
(Optional) Specify a name for the drive, such as “Windows 8.1 Setup,” in the “Volume label” setting.
Click the Start button.
Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the tool will create bootable media containing the Windows 8.1 installation files.

Create Windows 8.1 bootable USB from Ventoy

Ventoy is a third-party tool that installs on a USB drive and makes any ISO file bootable from virtually any platform, including Windows 8.1.

To create a Windows 8.1 bootable USB with Ventoy, connect a flash drive with enough space (4GB or more) and use these steps:

Open Ventoy GitHub page.
Under the “Assets” section, click the ventoy-x.x.xx-windows.zip file 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 the 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.

Quick tip: If you have any important files in the flash drive, creating a backup is recommended, as this process will erase everything on the external drive.
Click the Install button.
Click the OK button.
Open the Ventoy drive with File Explorer.
Open the Windows 8.1 page.
Choose the Win8.1_English_x32.iso or Win8.1_English_x64.iso option from the right pane, depending on the version of Windows 8.1 to download.
Save the Windows 8.1 ISO file onto your computer.
Copy and paste the ISO file into the Ventoy USB flash drive to make it bootable.

After completing the steps, you can use the bootable USB flash drive to start a device with the Ventoy application, from which you can launch the Windows 8.1 Setup.

Create Windows 8.1 bootable USB from Command Prompt

If you don’t want to use third-party tools, you can still use commands to create a bootable flash drive and then transfer the installation files onto the USB storage.

To create a bootable USB flash drive to install Windows 8.1 with Command Prompt, use these steps:

Open the Windows 8.1 page.
Choose the Win8.1_English_x32.iso or Win8.1_English_x64.iso option from the right pane, depending on the version of Windows 8.1 to download.
Save the Windows 8.1 ISO file onto your computer.
Open Start.
Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as Administrator option.
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 must 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=FAT32 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 8.1 ISO file and press Enter:
```
PowerShell Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath "C:\path\to\Windows8.1.iso"
```
In the command, update the path with the location where you have stored the Windows 8.1 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 8.1 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 Windows 8.1 ISO file and press Enter:
```
E:
```
Type the following command to enter 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 copy all the Windows 8.1 installation files to the USB flash drive and press Enter:
```
xcopy E:*.* X: /E /F /H
```
In the command, change the E and X drive letters with the correct drive letters for the Windows 8.1 ISO image and the USB flash drive, respectively.

Once you complete the steps, you can install Windows 8.1 using the bootable flash drive.

Although it’s still possible to create a bootable USB flash drive, you should understand that Windows 8.1 is no longer supported, meaning there are no more security updates. Also, using an unsupported operating system exposes your computer and files to security risks from malware, viruses, and other exploits, and you will encounter compatibility problems with newer applications.

If the hardware is supported, you should consider installing the latest version of Windows 10. You can also use these instructions to upgrade from Windows 8.1 to 10.

It’s important to note that I’ve used a computer running Windows 11 for this set of instructions, but the tools mentioned in this guide should work on Windows 10 and 8.1.

Finally, you can use bootable media as a recovery drive to start and repair the installation of your device.

Update January 3, 2026: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.