---
title: "Ventoy — Multi-Boot USB Tool"
domain: opensource
category: dev-tools
tags: [ventoy, usb, boot, iso, linux, tools]
status: published
created: 2026-04-02
updated: 2026-04-02
---

# Ventoy — Multi-Boot USB Tool

Ventoy turns a USB drive into a multi-boot device. Drop ISO files onto the drive and boot directly from them — no need to flash a new image every time you want to try a different distro or run a recovery tool.

## What It Is

[Ventoy](https://www.ventoy.net/) creates a special partition layout on a USB drive. After the one-time install, you just copy ISO (or WIM, VHD, IMG) files to the drive. On boot, Ventoy presents a menu of every image on the drive and boots whichever one you pick.

No re-formatting. No Rufus. No balenaEtcher. Just drag and drop.

## Installation

### Linux

```bash
# Download the latest release
wget https://github.com/ventoy/Ventoy/releases/download/v1.1.05/ventoy-1.1.05-linux.tar.gz

# Extract
tar -xzf ventoy-1.1.05-linux.tar.gz
cd ventoy-1.1.05

# Install to USB drive (WARNING: this formats the drive)
sudo ./Ventoy2Disk.sh -i /dev/sdX
```

Replace `/dev/sdX` with your USB drive. Use `lsblk` to identify it — triple-check before running, this wipes the drive.

### Windows

Download the Windows package from the Ventoy releases page, run `Ventoy2Disk.exe`, select your USB drive, and click Install.

## Usage

After installation, the USB drive shows up as a regular FAT32/exFAT partition. Copy ISOs onto it:

```bash
# Copy ISOs to the drive
cp ~/Downloads/Fedora-43-x86_64.iso /mnt/ventoy/
cp ~/Downloads/ubuntu-24.04-desktop.iso /mnt/ventoy/
cp ~/Downloads/memtest86.iso /mnt/ventoy/
```

Boot from the USB. Ventoy's menu lists every ISO it finds. Select one and it boots directly.

## Updating Ventoy

When a new version comes out, update without losing your ISOs:

```bash
# Update mode (-u) preserves existing files
sudo ./Ventoy2Disk.sh -u /dev/sdX
```

## Why It's Useful

- **Distro testing:** Keep 5-10 distro ISOs on one stick. Boot into any of them without reflashing.
- **Recovery toolkit:** Carry GParted, Clonezilla, memtest86, and a live Linux on a single drive.
- **OS installation:** One USB for every machine you need to set up.
- **Persistence:** Ventoy supports persistent storage for some distros, so live sessions can save data across reboots.

## Gotchas & Notes

- **Secure Boot:** Ventoy supports Secure Boot but it requires enrolling a key on first boot. Follow the on-screen prompts.
- **exFAT for large ISOs:** The default FAT32 partition has a 4GB file size limit. Use exFAT if any of your ISOs exceed that (Windows ISOs often do). Ventoy supports both.
- **UEFI vs Legacy:** Ventoy handles both automatically. It detects the boot mode and presents the appropriate menu.
- **Some ISOs don't work.** Heavily customized or non-standard ISOs may fail to boot. Standard distro ISOs and common tools work reliably.

## See Also

- [linux-distro-guide-beginners](../../01-linux/distro-specific/linux-distro-guide-beginners.md)