Rufus Like Tool For Mac

Creating a bootable USB from an ISO file is easy if you have the right tools.

Why You Need a Bootable USB Drive

Rufus 3.0 is out; the new version of the popular utility for Windows is one of the easiest options on PCs running Windows to create bootable USB devices using ISO images. I used Rufus for a long time to create USB installation media for Linux or Windows, but did not review the software before 2017. Create a bootable flash drive for installing Windows. On a Windows computer, you can use either a tool from Microsoft, or the Rufus software; using the Microsoft tool is generally simpler, while Rufus has some additional features. If your Mac has an optical. Popular Alternatives to Rufus for Windows, Linux, Mac, Android, Android Tablet and more. Explore 25+ apps like Rufus, all suggested and ranked by the AlternativeTo user community. Rufus Portable creates a bootable USB drive that can help you recover your system when very bad things happen to it. When your PC won't start, the bootable disk. Rufus by akeo.ie is a simple tool that allows you to format and create bootable USB flash drives. Since Rufus for Mac hasn't been officially released yet, you can try alternative applications, including the ones on this list. Download Rufus tool create bootable Windows 10, 8, 7, XP, Mac OS X, Linux, GPT, UEFI, DOS, USB boot installation drive from ISO Image, CD or disk. Download Rufus Tool to Create Bootable USB Drives Easily. But, possible with a CD burning application, like ImgBurn and CDBurnerXP. Download Rufus Tool. Download Rufus portable version 2.7 from.

Installations from a USB flash drive have become one of the easiest ways to update your computer with a new operating system. A USB installation is quick, extremely portable, and has the bonus of reverting to a storage device following the install. See our introduction to using flash drives on Windows 10How to Use a Flash Drive on Windows 10How to Use a Flash Drive on Windows 10Got a new USB flash drive but not sure how to use it? Here's everything you need to know about how to use a flash drive.Read More if you need some background.

You’ll find a fair few ISO to USB tools out there, and they feature a range of tools for beginners and advanced users. Let’s take a look at the burn time, and the resources available to each software. For science!

Note: To keep this test fair, I’m going to burn a copy of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17713 x64 to an 8GB Integral USB flash drive, formatting the drive between each burn.

A Mini-Glossary of ISO-to-USB Tool Terminology

Before we plow into the testing phase, there are a handful of acronyms I’d like to spell out, and a few other bits of ISO to USB jargon we’ll clear up.

  • Bootloader Options: The bootloader loads the operating systemHow to Solve Most Windows Boot ProblemsHow to Solve Most Windows Boot ProblemsIs your Windows computer not booting up? It could be because of a hardware, software, or firmware error. Here's how to diagnose and fix these problems.Read More. Some ISO burners allow you to choose the bootloader you’ll need for your desired operating system installation.
  • Grub4dos: A bootloader package designed to allow users to select between multiple operating systems installed on a single systemHow to Create a Bootable Multiboot USB for Windows and LinuxHow to Create a Bootable Multiboot USB for Windows and LinuxA single USB flash drive is all you need to boot, install, and troubleshoot multiple operating systems. We'll show you how to create a multiboot USB, including Windows and Linux installers and recovery tools.Read More.
  • Syslinux: A lightweight bootloader package designed to allow users to select between multiple Linux or Unix installations.
  • QEMU: Short for Quick Emulator, is a hardware virtualization tool. In this context, it allows users to test their USB before proceeding with the burn process.
  • Cluster Size: Defines the smallest available space for storing dataHow to Format a USB Drive and Why You Would Need ToHow to Format a USB Drive and Why You Would Need ToFormatting a USB drive is easy. Our guide explains the easiest and fastest ways to format a USB drive on a Windows computer.Read More. Instead of assigning individual disk sectors, the file system assigns contiguous groups of sectors, called clusters.
  • File System: Controls how data is accessed and stored. Without it, your data would lump together with no beginning or end. A file system defines easy access. There are different file systems available, though your burning tool should discern your requirements via the ISO you use.
  • Bad Sector: Some ISO to USB tools allow you to perform a bad sector check. Before the burn commences, your USB will be scanned, fixing any irregularities to ensure your installation is smooth. Somewhat like defragmenting your desktop, but on a much smaller scale.

Now, in no particular order, here are the ISO to USB burning tools with their respective times.

Want the TL;DR? Check out the best ISO to USB comparison video below!

1. Rufus

Features: Partition schemes, file systems, automatic ISO detection, target system type, mode of bootable, bad sector checks, ISO write mode

First up, Rufus. Rufus is a very small executable that has consistently improved its offerings over the years. Along with standard ISO to USB options such as cluster size and file system, Rufus now automatically detects settings for the ISO you select and fills in the optimal settings. Furthermore, Rufus has a hidden Advanced Mode with a bunch of extra options.

Rufus clocked in at 21m12s which is definitely not the fastest. Regardless, Rufus is an excellent ISO to USB tool.

2. Windows USB/DVD Download Tool

Features: None

Such an eloquent name. You select your ISO. You select your media type; USB or DVD. You click Begin Copying, and off it goes. In what is the most basic of basic UIs, and with only two options, the Windows USB/DVD Download Tool is almost sublimely simple, comparable only to ISO to USB. This makes it a fine tool when installing Windows 10 from a USB driveHow to Install Windows 10 From a Bootable USB DriveHow to Install Windows 10 From a Bootable USB DriveNeed to install a fresh copy of Windows? Learn how to make a bootable USB stick with UEFI support.Read More.

Windows USB/DVD Download Tool came home in 17m51s which puts it toward the top of the ISO to USB timings board.

3. RMPrepUSB

Features: Bootloader options, file systems and overrides, grub4dos, syslinux, QEMU

RMPrepUSB is one of the most complete ISO to USB packages on this list. Aside from the features above, it comes packed with a host of other bootloaders, DiskDoctor, Speed Tests, and individual user configurations for frequently prepared drives.

RMPrepUSB clocks in with a 21m38 putting it firmly toward the top of the timings board but, like Rufus, the features more than make up for the slightly slower time.

4. YUMI

Features: Multiboot, ISO auto-download

YUMI (Your Universal Multiboot Installer) is another multiboot ISO to USB installer with settings for a vast range of Linux, Windows, and system utilityBoot Multiple Live CDs From One USB Disk With YUMI [Windows]Boot Multiple Live CDs From One USB Disk With YUMI [Windows]Put multiple bootable tools onto one USB drive, then pick which one you want to boot when your computer starts up. Whether you want to try out various Linux environments at once or put together...Read More ISOs. YUMI is easy to use. You scroll down the distribution list and check for the ISO you want, then select the corresponding ISO on your system from the box below. Don’t have the ISO? YUMI will take care of that for you.

YUMI clocked in at 17m46—slower than the first time I ran these tests some five years ago (it was 14m50s back then!), but still ahead of the rest.

5. Novicorp WinToFlash [No Longer Available]

Features: Multiboot, grub4dos, bootloader options, burning wizard, file systems, burning profiles, ISO auto-download

Novicorp WinToFlash is a popular ISO to USB utility that features a handy burning wizard. The wizard guides you through the burning process, although it isn’t unique to the utility (Rufus fills in all the information you need, for example). WinToFlash also allows you to create multiboot USBs as well as an auto-downloader for any ISO files you’re missing.

WinToFlash clocks in at 22m01, decent speed for a tool that guides you through the ISO to USB process.

Rufus

6. UNetbootin

Features: grub4dos, ISO auto-download (Linux only), syslinux

UNetbootin is primarily a Linux LiveUSB burning tool, but it works sufficiently well with Windows that it deserves inclusion in this list. The UNetbootin utility isn’t flashy, but it does come with a few nifty features. For instance, it has an auto-download feature for Linux distributions, letting you select from a range of popular distros and system utility tools.

UNetbootin came home in 22m01, exactly the same as WinToFlash and again, a decent time for a useful tool.

The ISO-to-USB Winner Is…

The winner regarding speed is YUMI. The winner regarding features and ease of use is Rufus, which was only 3 minutes slower than YUMI. Furthermore, both burning tools cater to slightly different markets; Rufus is for one-off ISO to USB creation whereas YUMI is excellent for multiboot tools.

Let’s not discount the other USB to ISO tools. The range of burn times didn’t vary much, so it really boils down to the features you need and find in a specific utility.

Other ISO-to-USB Tools We Tested…

I tested many more ISO to USB tools for the sake of competition—and to bring you the best overall picture possible. There were a few tools that didn’t make the grade, for one reason or another. Here are the fallen few:

  • XBoot is another multiboot tool featuring an inbuilt download, but other options were faster and somewhat easier to use. However, XBOOT’s QEMU function is excellent.
  • WinToBootic fits comfortably into the basic features category and clocked a decent time, too.
  • Passcape ISO Burner is a multifunction burning tool, but it wouldn’t work for me. I have read other positive reviews, so it could be worth a look for other individuals.
  • ISO to USB is another very basic tool. However, it didn’t make the cut through a slow time and lack of features.
  • FlashBoot has a decent UI and a burning wizard to guide you through, but I gave up on the test as it had not even hit 50% after nearly 40 minutes.
  • UltraISO burned the ISO to USB at a reasonable speed and has the bonus of being able to mount ISOs before burning to check their files.

What’s Your ISO-to-USB Tool of Choice?

Hopefully, you now have a better overview of the best ISO to USB tools available to you. Furthermore, you can pick your tool based upon its raw speed, its functionality, or a combination of both. If you need a guide to creating a bootable USB to install Windows from an ISO fileHow to Make a Bootable CD/DVD/USB to Install WindowsHow to Make a Bootable CD/DVD/USB to Install WindowsNeed installation media to reinstall Windows? Our tips show you how to create a bootable CD, USB, or DVD with an ISO from scratch.Read More, look no further:

For macOS users, we’ve also looked at how to boot your Mac from USB.

Got a load of USB flash drives and that you don’t know what to do with? Here are five use you might not have considered7 Uses for a USB Stick You Didn't Know About7 Uses for a USB Stick You Didn't Know AboutYou've used USB sticks to transport files between computers and back up files, but there is much more you can do with a USB stick.Read More, such as installing multiple operating systems on your USB stickHow to Install Multiple Bootable Operating Systems on a USB StickHow to Install Multiple Bootable Operating Systems on a USB StickWant to install and/or run multiple operating systems from a single bootable USB stick? You can with these tools.Read More.

Explore more about: File System, ISO, USB Drive.

  1. Try Etcher

  2. In reply Col. Panek. I use Firefox with Duckgo as my search engine. Type Mint Stick into the search field. You should a list of options. Select mint stick download. Select the second one: Mintstick Download (Deb) - pkgs.org
    From there you can download the deb. package you need.

  3. I am a diehard Linux user. My favorite USB burning tool is mkusb. It is availible from both Ubuntu and Debian. Next Unetbootin, Mint stick and USB Image Writer.

    • I'm running Mint now, and I wondered where MintStick went to. When I type it in the menu search, USB Image Writer comes up, so maybe that's its new name.

      I'm newly enthused about Yumi so I can carry many distros in my pocket.

  4. thanks for this.

  5. We've downloaded Microsoft Windows 10 directly from official sources, the ISO named as 'Win10_1809_English_x64'.
    Now, We've to face with problem occurs when we try to creating bootable media such as USB.
    We tried on many tools like Rufus, WUDPT, ISO2USB etc.
    We also tried by simply copying.
    But, at all no any method will work. We also try different USB Flash drives.
    But, all gets error-ed, and processing stucked.
    Every time I run Rufus, I get the same error. 'Error: ISO image extraction failure'
    We change many of PCs in which some are running on 32-bit and some are on 64-bit. Some have Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 10.
    But, all got failed.
    Any body help me how to get rid, how can we solve our problem.

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  7. Using Etcher on Linux & Win and it ROCKS!

  8. Yes. How can you forget Etcher? It is only the fastest, easiest to use software for making bootable thumbdrives ever.

  9. You forgot Etcher!!!

After last week's article, ' Pro tip: How to create a bootable USB drive to install Windows on OS X,' I received feedback asking why anyone would install Windows on a Mac? This week's entry deals with creating UFDs that allow you to install many other operating systems with the help of a utility called Rufus. But before diving into that, I have a question of my own.

Why would you install any OS—besides OS X—on an Apple computer?

The answer to that is quite simply 'because you can.' Apple hardware is similar to its PC counterparts in many ways except one: PCs can't natively run OS X without any software hacks involved. Macs, on the other hand, have the ability to run Windows and countless Linux distributions alongside OS X or in place of it. Apple hardware supports these operating systems natively, making Macs a versatile choice for production equipment. Simply put, one machine can handle many different uses, as opposed to purchasing dedicated equipment for each supported OS type.

See: Don't just toss old flash drives, download our Media disposal policy (Tech Pro Research)

Rufus system requirements

Rufus Usb Mac

With that out of the way, let's look at the requirements for Rufus:

  • Apple (or PC) running Windows XP or later (preferably Windows 7+)
  • Rufus application
  • ISO (supported operating systems)
  • 8 GB USB flash drive (minimum recommended)

Create a bootable USB drive with Rufus

Now, let's create our first bootable UFD using Rufus, shall we? Follow these steps:

  1. Rufus requires an account with admin access in order to make the necessary changes to hardware. After authenticating, insert the USB flash drive and launch Rufus. It will detect the drive almost immediately. Since Rufus can handle various partition schemes and file structures, ensure that the correct settings are set that match the UFD you're going to build (Figure A).
    Figure A
  2. Click the optical drive button next to the Create a bootable disk using checkbox, and you'll be prompted to search for the ISO image to use (Figure B).
    Figure B
  3. When using ISO images, Rufus will automatically modify the settings to best match it. Once everything is set correctly, click the Start button to begin the process. You'll be prompted with a warning that all data on the UFD will be destroyed. Click OK to proceed with the creation process (Figure C).
    Figure C
  4. Depending on the ISO image size, the process may take several minutes to complete. For the log readout of each step in the process, click the Log button to open a side window and save the output details (Figure D).
    Figure D
  5. The longest part of the entire process is the file copy portion. This is typically the last step and varies depending on file size/number of files to copy (Figure E).
    Figure E
  6. When complete, double-check the external drive to verify the files were copied over (Figure F).
    Figure F

With the process completed, simply eject the UFD, insert it into the device you wish to install the OS on, and boot as you normally would. The days of carrying multiple CD/DVDs with you and dealing with lagging installs are drawing to a close with the ubiquitous use of USB drives—and the storage capacity can't be beat.

There are some links on the site for some helpful tutorials on creating certain types of UFDs, and there's multiple localization support for a variety of languages worldwide.

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