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Windows 10Run Windows 10 from USB without Installing

How to Run Windows 10 from USB without Installing

By Achilles Hill | Last Updated

What if you often work on a computer at home and at the company, but both need your files and software? At this point, a removable and small USB drive that enables a portable Windows system is the first thing that you need. Just put your operating system on a USB device, take it with you, and plug it into your computer when you need it to use without installing. Even for business trips, you only need to bring a USB device instead of a heavy computer and then use it on another computer. In this guide, I will show you how to run Windows 10 from USB without installing it.

  1. Option 1: Create Another Portable Windows 10 Duplicated from the One You Currently Own.
  2. Option 2: Create a New Copy of Windows 10 from an ISO

how to run Windows 10 from USB

Option 1: Create Another Portable Windows 10 Duplicated from the One You Currently Own.

1. Create a Portable Windows 10 to USB with iSunshare WinToGo Genius

You would put your current Windows 10 onto your USB device through iSunshare WinToGo Genius, a tool that creates potable Windows on USB within simple clicks. Then you can carry it around like a portable Windows 10 OS and run Windows directly from the USB drive. Unlike reinstalling a Windows 10 on a new computer, it is more convenient and the software and files of Windows 10 copied to USB are original.

First, you need to prepare a USB port that is 3.0 or above and the capacity of it must be at least 32G for quickly clone your Windows 10 on your USB. After that, you can run your original Windows 10 from USB on another computer. These steps of creating a portable Windows 10 system are as follow:

Step 1: Download and install iSunshare WinToGo Genius to your Windows 10 PC and launch it step by step.

Step 2: Plug your USB Flash drive into your computer and then select your USB by clicking the drop-down button.

select the usb flash drive

Step 3: In the "Use native system" section, there are two options: Use the PE file on your computer and Use the PE file you downloaded..

If there is PE file on your computer, choose "Use the PE file on your computer" and then click the "Start" option. If not, you need to download it to your computer and select the PE file you downloaded from your computer and click "Start" to make PE.

start to make PE with PE file

Step 4: Next, a pop-up message will display prompting that this operation will format the USB drive, click "Yes".

allow to format the USB drive

Step 5: Minutes later, the PE production is completed. Click "Yes" and continue to restart your computer.

restart when PE production is completed

Step 6: Your computer will now access to reboot phase. Please quickly press BIOS key (usually F12 or Del) to access BIOS setting before the computer enter the desktop. Afterwards, select your USB device.

select boot device

Step 7: After setting a computer boot from the USB drive, you need to wait for iSunshare WinToGo Genius to create the portable system.

Step 8: When the program prompts you to create the portable system successfully, click "Ok". In this way, the Windows 10 has been put on your USB completely. Safely remove the USB from your PC.

successfully create the portable system

If you want to know how to run the Windows 10 from the USB drive, just plug it into another computer by setting it up to boot from the USB and then boot into the desktop directly to use without reinstalling.

2. Create a Windows To Go Workspace in Windows 10

In Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education edition, there is Windows To Go in there and you can create a Windows To Go workspace and then run a portable Windows 10 system from a USB drive without installing. Since it has certain limitations to USB, you need a USB certified by Microsoft or at least a USB 3.0.

Step 1: Connected your USB drive to your computer and go to Windows>>Settings>>search "Windows To Go" on the search bar.

Step 2: Choose the USB drive you plugged into this computer and then click "Next".

select the usb drive

Step 3: Click "Add search location" at the right-bottom corner to select a Windows 10 Enterprise image you download to your computer. Note that the image contains the operating system and app files so you'd better extra the image. After that, click "Next" to perform the next step.

add location search

Step 4: You can choose to set a BitLocker password or not. If not, click "Skip" to continue next step.

set a BitLocker password as you need

Step 5: Click "Create" to ready to create your Windows To Go workspace. This might take a while.

ready to create Windows To Go workspace

Step 6: Your Windows To Go workspace has been created. Click the "Yes" button to allow to boot your Windows 10 from USB. Now, click "Save and restart" to restart and run your Windows 10 from the USB without installing.

save and restart your computer

Option 2: Create a New Copy of Windows 10 from an ISO

If you do not have Windows 10, but you need to run the system on another computer. You could use it on the virtual machine. However, the VM runs slowly for many reasons. Hence, I recommend you to create a copy of Windows 10 to USB from an ISO using iSunshare WinToGo Genius and then run the Windows 10 from the USB without installing.

Similarly, you need to prepare a USB port that is 3.0 or above and iSunshare WinToGo Genius. Furthermore, you need an ISO image file. Now, let's see how to do it!

Step 1: Plug your USB into the computer and click "Use the Windows iso image files" option next to "Use native system".

select usb the Windows iso image file

Step 2: Click the "Folder icon" to upload the Windows 10 ISO image file you downloaded to your PC in advance.

upload the Windows iso image file

Step 3: Select Windows 10 ISO file and then click "Open".

select Windows 10 iso image file you downloaded

Step 4: Wait until the file is decompressed.

wait for decompressing the image file

Step 5: Select which operating system you need to use and then click "Start".

select which operation system you want to use

Step 6: If it prompts a tip that "This operation will format the USB drive", click "Yes" and then takes a while to create a portable system.

the USB will be formatted

Step 7: When the "Portable System Created Successfully" dialog box pops up, click "OK". Now, Your USB has a Windows 10 operating system in it, you can run Windows 10 from the USB on any working computer.

successfully create a clean Windows 10 on USB

That' s how to put and run Windows 10 from USB without installing. That what this guide is all about. Now, try the options listed above!

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