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, focusing on their features, tutorials on how to use them (Please note that this article only describes Windows To Go software that offers a free version, and does not provide any description of Windows To Go software that only offers a paid version.), and will compare them, including the following sections:

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

Overview of Windows To Go (WTG)

Windows To Go (WTG) is a feature introduced by Microsoft for Windows enterprise users, which allows us to install a full Windows system into a USB drive as a Portable Windows so that we can boot from the USB drive to Windows. Microsoft's official Windows To Go Creator Wizard only allows us to create Windows To Go using Windows Enterprise and a certified USB drive, which can be very useful for some users, especially for those who need to work in different locations. However unfortunately Microsoft has announced in 2019 that it has stopped further development of this feature.

Although Microsoft has stopped further development of Windows To Go and removed the Windows To Go Creator Wizard from Windows altogether, there are still some third-party Windows To Go creation software (such as Hasleo WinToUSB, Rufus) that can be used to create Windows To Go, and these third-party tools allow for the creation of Windows To Go using 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 2024 by Hasleo. It supports creating Windows To Go directly from ISO/WIM/ESD files or optical discs, and can also clone an existing system to a USB device as 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:

• Extremely fast write and cloning speeds.
• It supports the creation of Windows To Go USB drives for ISO/WIM/ESD/VHD(X).
• It supports the creation of Windows To Go from system backup images generated by Hasleo Backup Suite.
• It supports cloning the currently running Windows to a USB drive as Windows To Go.
• It supports creating BitLocker encrypted Windows To Go.
• It supports adjusting the destination partitions.
• It supports the creation of Windows installation USB drives and WinPE 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 then launch Hasleo WinToUSB, then click "Windows To Go USB".
• Click "Select installation source", then click "Browse image file" to choose the installation source.
• Click "Select destination drive" and select the destination drive from the pop-up drive list, and 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 the creation to finish.

Rufus

Rufus is a free, lightweight and open source software designed to create bootable USB drives. It's widely used for installing operating systems (Windows, Linux, etc.) or running diagnostic tools, offering fast performance and support for various file systems. For Windows users, it can easily help you create a Windows installation USB drive, a Windows To Go USB drive or a bootable WinPE USB drive.

Key features of Rufus:

• Extremely fast write speeds.
• It supports the creation of Windows To Go USB drives for ISO/WIM/ESD/VHD(X).
• It supports a variety of ISOs, including DOS, Windows, Linux, etc.
• It supports the creation of Windows installation USB drives and WinPE USB drives.
• It supports formatting drives to 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 then launch the Rufus app.
• Rufus will detect and automatically select a USB drive. If you have more than one USB drive, you need to select the correct USB 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 according to your needs, such as partition scheme, volume label, etc.
• Click the "START" button and follow the prompts to complete the other settings, then wait for the creation to finish.

 

AOMEI Partition Assistant Free

AOMEI Partition Assistant Free‌ is a free, non-destructive partition management tool developed by AOMEI Technology, compatible with Windows systems (including Win10/11 and Server editions). It offers core features like partition resizing, merging/splitting, and disk cloning, with a user-friendly interface and data security. In addition, it provides the feature of creating Windows To Go.

Key features of AOMEI Partition Assistant Free:

• It supports the creation of Windows To Go USB drives for ISO/WIM/ESD.
• It supports cloning the currently running Windows to a USB drive 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 then launch the AOMEI Partition Assistant 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, and then select, and select the creation options according to your needs by click "Advanced" button.
• Click the "Proceed" button to start creating Windows To Go, then wait for the creation to finish.

 

Features Comparison

Below is a comparison of the features of the three free Windows To Go creation software, in addition we have listed the main features of these software that are not related to creating Windows To Go.

	Hasleo WinToUSB	Rufus	AOMEI Partition Assistant Free
Write Speed	Faster	Faster	Normal
Creation of WTG from ISO/WIM/ESD
Creation of WTG from VHD(X)
Creation of WTG from System Backup File
Clone Windows to USB Drive as WTG
Create BitLocker Encrypted WTG
Create VHD(X)-based WTG
Creation of Windows installation USB Drive (Not related to creating WTG)
Creation of Linux installation USB Drive (Not related to creating WTG)
Creation of WinPE USB Drive (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 software on the market (Hasleo WinToUSB, Rufus and AOMEI Partition Assistant Free), gives an overview of their features and usage, and provides a comprehensive comparison of the features they offer. As you can see from our description above, Hasleo WinToUSB offers the most comprehensive set of features to create Windows To Go, and it has to be said that it is the most professional free Windows To Go creation software on the market.