Several images on one prepared USB
Ventoy is useful when you regularly switch between operating system installers and recovery environments. After preparing a USB device with Ventoy, you copy supported image files onto its data partition rather than rewriting the whole device for each image. At startup, the computer displays a menu of available images. That makes maintaining a small collection more convenient, but each image still needs to support the destination computer.
The project is free and open source. Version 1.1.18 is the release checked here. Windows and Linux preparation packages are available; this page concerns the Windows workflow. The program's license does not provide a Windows license or permission to redistribute an operating system image. Obtain each image from its publisher and keep a note of the edition and architecture you downloaded.
Prepare the device before copying images
Download the Windows archive through the official Ventoy page and extract its complete contents. Run the included Windows preparation utility with the access needed to modify a disk. The package does not require a conventional installed application for this initial operation. Close windows using the USB and identify the target by its model and capacity, not just a familiar drive letter.
Copy all needed files from that USB to another device before installing Ventoy. Initial installation repartitions and formats the chosen device. Disconnect unrelated removable drives if that reduces the chance of choosing the wrong one. Read the confirmation dialogs and do not assume the program can preserve files during an ordinary first installation. A backup must exist elsewhere before you proceed.
Add images and test the boot menu
After preparation, copy supported ISO or other supported image files to the main data partition. You can keep more than one image if the drive has enough room. Ventoy uses a separate boot structure, so avoid casually deleting its small system partition. Organize filenames so that different versions are recognizable when the boot menu lists them.
Restart the destination computer and select the USB from its firmware boot menu. Check the appropriate legacy BIOS or UEFI path for that machine. Secure Boot behavior depends on firmware and configuration; follow Ventoy's current instructions instead of disabling security settings indiscriminately. Test the images you actually plan to use before relying on the stick during a repair.
Maintenance and sensible limits
Updating an existing Ventoy installation is a different operation from installing it initially. The update workflow is designed to retain image files, but keep important copies elsewhere before changing boot media. Adding a new ISO usually means copying a file, not installing Ventoy again. If an image fails, inspect the project's compatibility notes and the image's own requirements rather than repeatedly formatting the same USB.
For a single dedicated installer, Rufus provides another Windows-oriented workflow. balenaEtcher is useful for writing suitable raw or hybrid images directly to a device. Choose based on the image and the job: a multiboot collection, a dedicated installer and an exact image write are different needs. Ventoy does not repair the contents of a broken ISO or guarantee boot compatibility with every machine.
