When you're planning to install a fresh copy of Windows 10 from USB, one of the requirements involves creating media to boot your computer into the setup wizard. However, if you have newer hardware, it's likely that you're using Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI), instead of the legacy Basic Input/Output System (BIOS). If this is the case, you also have to ensure that the bootable media supports the firmware type before you can proceed with the installation.

Fortunately, if your device features a UEFI firmware, you have multiple ways to create a USB bootable media to install Windows 10. You can use the Media Creation Tool, which is an easy-to-use utility made by Microsoft that downloads and copies the installation files onto a removable drive with support UEFI and BIOS. Or you can use Rufus, which is a freely available third-party tool that allows you to quickly create a media with support for UEFI firmware.

In this Windows 10 guide, we'll walk you through the steps to create a bootable USB flash drive with support for UEFI using the Media Creation Tool and Rufus.

How to create a Windows 10 UEFI boot media using Media Creation Tool

If you're planning to upgrade or install a fresh copy of Windows 10 on a system using UEFI, you can use the Media Creation Tool to create a compatible bootable media. Just insert a USB flash drive with at least 4GB of storage to your computer, and then use these steps:

  1. Open the official Download Windows 10 page.

  2. Under "Create Windows 10 installation media," click the Download tool now button.

  3. Click the Save button.
  4. Click the Open folder button.
  5. Double-click the MediaCreationToolxxxx.exe file to launch the utility.
  6. Click the Accept button to agree to the Microsoft terms.
  7. Select the Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC option.

  8. Click the Next button.

  9. Select the correct language, architecture, and edition of Windows 10 if the default selection doesn't reflect the desired options.

    Quick Tip: Under "Architecture," you can select the Both option to create a bootable media that will work for devices using 64-bit and 32-bit processors. Also, if you're unable to change these settings, make sure to clear the Use the recommended options for this PC option.

  10. Click the Next button.

  11. Select the USB flash drive option. (If you don't see the drive, click the Refresh drive list option.)

  12. Click the Next button.

  13. Select the removable drive from the list.

  14. Click the Next button.

Once you've completed these steps, the wizard will download the Windows 10 installation files, and it'll create the bootable media with support for UEFI as well as legacy BIOS.

How to create a Windows 10 UEFI boot media using Rufus

Alternatively, if the Media Creation Tool isn't working, you can download the Windows 10 ISO file from a different source and then use the Rufus tool to create an installation media with UEFI support.

To create a Windows 10 install media with support for UEFI, connect a USB flash drive with at least 4GB of space, and then use these steps:

  1. Open the official Rufus page.

  2. Under "Download," click the latest release of the tool.

  3. Click the Save button.
  4. Click the Open folder button.
  5. Double-click the Rufus-x.x.exe file to launch the tool.
  6. Under "Device," select the USB flash drive with at least 4GB of space.

  7. Under "Boot selection," click the Select button on the right.

  8. Navigate to the Windows 10 ISO file.
  9. Select the .ISO image.
  10. Click the Open button.
  11. Use the "Image option" drop-down to select the Standard Windows installation option.
  12. Use the "Partition scheme and target system type" drop-down to select the GPT option.
  13. Use the "Target system" drop-down to select the UEFI (non CSM) option.
  14. Under the "Show Advanced drive properties" section, leave the default settings.
  15. Under the "Volume label" field, enter a descriptive name for the drive. For Example, "win10_install_usb."
  16. Under the "File system" and "Cluster size" section, leave the default settings.
  17. Click the Show advanced format options button, and make sure that "Quick format" and "Create extended label and icon files" options are selected.
  18. Click the Start button.
  19. Click the OK button to confirm that the USB flash drive will be wiped out.

After completing the steps, the Rufus tool will create a bootable media, which you can then use to install Windows 10 on devices using UEFI.

Wrapping things up

Once the USB bootable with support for UEFI has been created, you can start your device with the installation media to perform an upgrade or clean installation of Windows 10.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources: