Top 3 Free Windows To Go Creation Software for Windows 11/10/8/7

This article will introduce the top 3 free Windows To Go creation software, comparing their features and providing usage guide covering the following topics. Note that only software with free versions is included; paid-only solutions are not discussed.

• Overview of Windows To Go (WTG)
• Hasleo WinToUSB
• Rufus
• AOMEI Partition Assistant Free
• Features Comparison
• Summary

Overview of Windows To Go (WTG)

Windows To Go (WTG) is a Microsoft enterprise feature that allows users to install a complete Windows system on a USB drive as a portable Windows, which can boot Windows from the drive. Microsoft's official Windows To Go Creator Wizard only allows us to create Windows To Go using Windows Enterprise and certified USB drives. It's a great solution for some users who need to work in different locations. But unfortunately, Microsoft announced in 2019 that it discontinued this feature.

Although Microsoft discontinued Windows To Go development and removing its built-in Creator Wizard, third-party Windows To Go creation tools like Hasleo WinToUSB and Rufus remain effective solutions. These tools support creating Windows To Go from both Windows Home and Professional editions, as well as non-certified USB drives.

Hasleo WinToUSB

Hasleo WinToUSB is the world's first third-party Windows To Go creation tool, released in January 2014 by Hasleo. It supports creating Windows To Go directly from ISO/WIM/ESD files or CD/DVD and cloning an existing system to a USB drive as portable Windows To Go. The software features a simple interface and is compatible with various Windows versions, including Windows 11/10/8/7. Additionally, it provides functionality for creating Windows installation USB drives and bootable WinPE USB drives.

Key features of Hasleo WinToUSB:

• It offers lightning-fast write and cloning speeds.
• It supports creating Windows To Go USB drives from ISO/WIM/ESD/VHD(X) files.
• It supports creating Windows To Go from backup images generated by Hasleo Backup Suite.
• It supports cloning the currently running Windows to USB drives as Windows To Go.
• It supports creating BitLocker-encrypted Windows To Go.
• It supports adjusting the destination partitions.
• It supports creating Windows installation USB drives and WinPE bootable USB drives.
• It is free for personal use.

How to use Hasleo WinToUSB to create Windows To Go?

• Connect the USB drive to your computer and run Hasleo WinToUSB. Click the "Windows To Go USB" option.
• Click "Select installation source", then click "Browse image file" to choose the installation source.
• Click "Select destination drive", then choose the target drive from the pop-up list. Then select the creation options according to your needs, such as partition scheme, whether to encrypt the drive or not, etc.
• Click the "Proceed" button to start creating Windows To Go, then wait for completion.

Rufus

Rufus is a free, open-source, lightweight software designed to create bootable USB drives. It's widely used for installing operating systems (Windows, Linux, etc.) or running diagnostics, offering fast performance with multiple file system support. For Windows users, it easily creates Windows installation USB drives, Windows To Go USB drives, or bootable WinPE USB drives.

Key features of Rufus:

• It offers extremely fast writting speeds.
• It supports creating Windows To Go USB drives from ISO/WIM/ESD/VHD(X) files.
• It supports a variety of ISOs, including DOS, Windows, and Linux, etc.
• It supports creating Windows installation USB drives and WinPE bootable USB drives.
• It supports formatting drives as NTFS/FAT32/exFAT/UDF file systems.
• It does not require installation and can be downloaded and used directly.
• It is free for personal and commercial use.

How to use Rufus to create Windows To Go?

• Connect the USB drive to your computer and run Rufus app.
• Rufus will detect and automatically select a USB drive. If you have more than one USB, select the correct drive from the device list.
• Click the "SELECT" button to choose the installation source.
• Select Windows To Go in the "Image option" drop-down box, and select the creation options as needed, such as partition scheme, volume label, etc.
• Click the "START" button and follow the prompts to complete the other settings, then wait for the process to complete.

 

AOMEI Partition Assistant Free

AOMEI Partition Assistant Free‌ is a free, non-destructive partition management tool developed by AOMEI Technology. It supports Windows systems, including Windows 11/10 and Server Editions. Its core functionalities include partition resizing, merging and splitting, and disk cloning. The tool also ensures data security and offers a user-friendly interface. Additionally, it supports Windows To Go creation.

Key features of AOMEI Partition Assistant Free:

• It supports creating Windows To Go USB drives from ISO/WIM/ESD image files.
• It supports cloning the currently running Windows to USB drives as Windows To Go.
• It is free for personal use.
• It provides comprehensive partition management features.
• It has many other features, but this article focuses on Windows To Go, so I won't go into them here.

How to use AOMEI Partition Assistant Free to create Windows To Go?

• Connect the USB drive to your computer and run AOMEI Partition Assistant Free app.
• Click the "Tools" → "Windows To Go Creator".
• Select "Create Windows To Go for personal computer" and click "Next".
• Select "Create Windows To Go with system disk/ISO" and click "Next".
• Select the destination drive from the pop-up drive list, then select the creation options as needed by click "Advanced" button.
• Click the "Proceed" button to start creating Windows To Go, then wait for completion.

 

Features Comparison

Below is a comparison of the three free Windows To Go creation tools. Additionally, we list their key features unrelated to Windows To Go functionality.

	Hasleo WinToUSB	Rufus	AOMEI Partition Assistant Free
Write Speed	Faster	Faster	Normal
Create WTG from ISO/WIM/ESD
Create WTG from VHD(X)
Create WTG from System Backup File
Clone Windows to USB Drives as WTG
Create BitLocker-Encrypted WTG
Create VHD(X)-based WTG
Create Windows installation USB Drives (Not related to creating WTG)
Create Linux installation USB Drives (Not related to creating WTG)
Create WinPE USB Drives (Not related to creating WTG)
Disk/Partition Management (Not related to creating WTG)

 

Summary

This article describes the top 3 free Windows To Go creation tools on the market (Hasleo WinToUSB, Rufus and AOMEI Partition Assistant Free), giving an overview of their features and usage. Additionally, it provides a comprehensive comparison of the features they offer. As described above, Hasleo WinToUSB provides the most comprehensive feature set for Windows To Go creation, and it is the most professional free Windows To Go creator on the market.