There's also a Linux setup program, but macOS is not supported - some have resorted to formatting the flash drive from a Windows virtual machine as a fallback. It will also format the drive as exFAT in the process. The Windows version is a simple app that walks you through picking a drive, and then will write the required bootloader to the drive. You can download the latest version of Ventoy from the official GitHub project. You might need to turn Secure Boot off (temporarily) on some systems, and old PCs might not recognize the boot partition, but compatibility is generally excellent. The initial drive creation process works best on Windows, and USB drives created with Ventoy don't work on 100% of computers. That could be a lifesaver if you're trying to fix a dead computer and don't have another PC around. However, with Ventoy installed, I was able to download a Windows 11 ISO on my iPad, plug in the flash drive to the iPad's USB-C port, and copy the file with the iPadOS file manager. Typically, you can't create a bootable flash drive from a smartphone, iPad, or Android tablet, because mobile operating systems don't give apps low-level access to file systems. The ability to add new bootable images with just a regular file manager is fantastic. The divide between USB Type-A and USB Type-C also means some drives won't physically work with all computers without the proper adapter.

That can become annoying after a while, especially if you're regularly helping friends and family with computer problems and need to keep different installers and recovery options on hand. That means if you want to keep around a Windows install USB for recovery purposes, but also have a bootable Linux drive, you either need two flash drives or reformat the same drive every time. However, you're generally limited to just one operating system at a time for each flash drive. Many installers for desktop Linux are also 'live' images - meaning you can test drive the operating system from the USB drive without installing anything.

Microsoft's Media Creation Tool can convert any flash drive into a Windows 11 or Windows 10 install drive, and applications like Rufus and Etcher can create install media for desktop Linux, older Windows versions, and other operating systems. Bootable flash drives are the most common way to install or repair an operating system on a computer.

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