BYOD, short for Bring Your Own Device, is an IT policy permitting or encouraging employees to use personally owned devices (laptops, tablets, and smartphones) at work, including accessing enterprise data and systems. The advantages of using BYOD include increased productivity, improved employee satisfaction, and reduced costs. As a result, BYOD has become more and more popular now. To meet this requirement, Microsoft introduced a new feature called Windows To Go (WTG) since Windows 8. This feature allows you to install and run Windows on external hard drives. Unfortunately, this feature is only available in the Enterprise/Education editions of Windows 8 and earlier versions of Windows 10, as Microsoft announced that it discontinued Windows To Go on May 25, 2019.
As previously mentioned, Windows To Go was officially only supported on Windows 8 and earlier versions of Windows 10 Enterprise/Education editions. Can you create Windows To Go with modern Windows 10 versions, including all editions? Yes! You can use a third-party Windows To Go creation tool. We recommend Hasleo WinToUSB for this purpose.
Hasleo released Hasleo WinToUSB in 2014 as the world's first third-party Windows To Go creation tool. It supports creating portable Windows on USB drives without requiring Windows Enterprise or Education editions. Additionally, Hasleo WinToUSB can install or clone Windows 10 on USB drives as Windows To Go. The following guide details how to use it to install Windows 10 on an external drive as a portable Windows 10.
Tutorial to Install Windows 10 on an External Hard Drive as a Portable Windows 10 Using Hasleo WinToUSB.
* Tips: If you don't have a Windows 10 installation ISO, please download it first.
button to initiate drive recognition.
* Tips:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
A: Windows 10 requires at least 20GB of storage space, but we recommend using an external hard drive with at least 64GB for a comfortable experience with Windows updates and applications.
A: We recommend using USB 3.0 or faster external hard drives for optimal performance. USB 2.0 drives will work but may have significantly slower performance. SSD-based external drives provide the best experience.
A: No, unlike Microsoft's discontinued Windows To Go feature, Hasleo WinToUSB supports creating Windows To Go with all Windows editions including Home, Pro, and Enterprise.
A: Yes, Hasleo WinToUSB can clone your existing Windows 10 installation to an external hard drive. This preserves all your applications, settings, and data.
A: Restart the computer and access the boot menu (usually F12, F2, or Delete). Select the external hard drive as the boot device. The process varies by computer manufacturer.
Summary
Following these steps, you can use Hasleo WinToUSB to install Windows 10 on an external hard drive as a portable Windows 10 and clone Windows 10 on USB drives as Windows To Go.