How do I install Ubuntu from an USB drive / create a live USB-stick in Windows?

Well you can create a Live-USB disk that can be used for installing the operating system with unetbootin. Here is the official documentation on USB installation.

Make sure that you boot the USB disk at system startup, i.e. when you on your computer. That means the BIOS of your computer has to be set to try to boot from USB before it boots from hard drive and the stick has to be inserted before hard drive booting takes place.

The usual procedure from within Ubuntu is to use Startup Disk Creator. With that you just select the Ubuntu image or LiveCD and the USB-Media and go ahead. See picture below:

Startup Disk Creator usage


I like the Universal USB installer. Download it from here

Then run the program double-clicking it with admin privilege. The program will run and you have to direct it to the downloaded iso file. Here is a screenshot below (credit goes to the site owner)

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Please take caution to select the actual drive letter of the USB drive.

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Now restart your PC to boot from the USB drive


There are lot of programs, My personal Fav:

  • LILI

  • Universal usb installer

  • Unetbootin

All does same to create the usb from windows machine.

You point to the ISO, choose the usb and start. They will prepare the USB in 5-10 min.