How to Create a Windows 11 Bootable USB on Mac with M1 Chip – A Beginners Guide

Crafting a Windows 11 Bootable USB Drive on an M1 Mac: A Detailed Guide

In this digital age, while many of us rely on Macs for work and leisure, the versatility of Windows remains indispensable. Creating a Windows 11 bootable USB drive enables you to install the Windows OS on your M1 Mac.

Delving into detailed forum discussions across authoritative communities, we’ve gathered the most effective solutions to build a fully-functional Windows 11 installer from scratch on an Apple silicon-powered Mac. Let’s get started!

Prerequisites Before Creating the Windows 11 Bootable USB

Before creating the Windows 11 bootable drive, ensure you have the following:

• A blank USB flash drive with at least 8GB of storage space. We recommend using a high-quality USB 3.0 drive from a reputable brand.

• The Windows 11 ISO image downloaded directly from Microsoft. Verify the authenticity of the image through the SHA-256 hash provided on Microsoft’s website.

  How do I create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive?

  It’s possible to create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive using Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool. It handles everything from formatting the USB drive with the correct format to downloading and setting up the files required to boot into the Windows 11 Setup. A USB stick with at least 8 gigabytes of storage space.

  How do I create a Windows 11 installation drive?

  To create a Windows 11 installation drive, you’ll need an empty 8GB USB drive, a Windows PC and up to a few hours of your time. You can download the system image using a Linux computer or Mac, but we’re going to focus on using a PC for this guide. Below are the steps you’ll need to follow.

• An M1 Mac running macOS Big Sur or later. Avoid using Intel-based Macs, as the process differs.

• Patience and time. Creating a bootable drive involves complex terminal commands and folders/file management.

Method 1 – Using Apple’s Boot Camp Assistant (Easiest but Unreliable)

The pre-installed Boot Camp Assistant application provides a streamlined way of building a Windows 10 or earlier bootable USB drive. Although designed for assisting dual-boot Windows installations on Mac, it can also create bootable media.

Here is how to leverage Boot Camp Assistant:

1. Launch Boot Camp Assistant on your M1 Mac.

2. Click the "Create a Windows 10 or earlier install disk" button.

3. When prompted, select the downloaded Windows 11 ISO image and continue.

4. Choose the USB flash drive you wish to use from the list of available volumes.

5. Finally, click "Create" and let the Assistant format the drive and transfer Windows install files.

The main limitation is that Boot Camp Assistant does not officially support Windows 11, often resulting in a non-bootable USB drive. But when successful, it enables a seamless Windows 11 install experience rivaling dedicated Windows PCs.

How do I install Windows 11 on a USB flash drive?

1. Connect a USB Flash drive to your PC. It must be at least 8GB and have no data on it you want to keep. This process will overwrite the whole disk. 2. Navigate to Microsoft’s Windows 11 Download page. 3. Click Download Now under Create Windows 11 Installation Media to download the Media Creation Tool. 4. Launch the Media Creation Tool. 5.

How do I download Windows 11 ISO?

To download the Windows 11 ISO image you’ll need to create a USB bootable drive. First, visit the Download Windows 11 page. You’ll see a few other options for installation, but you’re looking for Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO). Scroll down the page until you see a dropdown labeled Select Download.

Can I install Windows 11 on a USB drive?

You can install Windows 11 on a device with a USB drive, so long as you meet a few requirements. Readers like you help support How-To Geek. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.

Method 2 – Using Terminal Commands (Most Reliable but Complex)

Tech-savvy users can leverage the Mac terminal to create a bootable Windows 11 drive with Folder Management and Disk Utility commands.

Follow these meticulous steps to achieve a fully bootable Windows 11 USB installer:

1. Insert your USB drive and launch Terminal on your Mac.

2. Typediskutil listand note your USB drive’s identifier (such as/dev/disk2).

3. Enterdiskutil eraseDisk MS-DOS "WINDOWS" MBR /dev/diskXreplacingXwith your drive’s number. This erases and formats the USB drive.

4. Mount your Windows 11 ISO through Terminal usinghdiutil mount /path/to/windows.iso.

5. Usecp -rp /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9/* /Volumes/WINDOWS/to copy all files/folders from the mounted ISO to the USB drive.

6. Once the copy finishes, unmount the ISO usinghdiutil unmount /Volumes/CCCOMA_X64FRE_EN-US_DV9/.

7. Safely eject the USB drive, which is now a bootable Windows 11 installer for your M1 Mac!

This terminal approach gives you granular control over the process, leading to higher USB drive reliability. But the complex commands make it only suitable for advanced users.

How to create windows 11 installation media?

Create Windows 11 Installation Media by following the below steps. On your Windows device, press the below button to Download the media creation tool After the download is completed, open the media creation tool file to run it. You need to be an administrator to run this tool. If you agree to the license terms, select Accept.

How to create a bootable USB in Windows 11?

Plug the USB drive into your Windows device to make it available to create a bootable USB with the media creation tool when needed. Create Windows 11 Installation Media by following the below steps. On your Windows device, press the below button to Download the media creation tool

Method 3 – Using Third-party Tools (Balances Simplicity and Success)

For most Mac users, leveraging a dedicated utility for burning ISO images onto drives balances simplicity and success. Our research into user experiences on forums leads us to recommend UUByte ISO Editor.

Follow these simple steps:

1. Download, install, and launch UUByte ISO Editor on your Mac.

2. Click "Burn" then "Add" to select your Windows 11 ISO image.

3. Insert your USB drive and choose it as the target destination.

4. Finally, hit "Burn" to build the bootable drive in minutes!

UUByte ISO Editor yields a highly bootable USB drive through optimized burning algorithms while retaining an intuitive interface. The free trial is feature-complete, enabling smooth Windows 11 installations.

Booting from the USB Drive and Installing Windows 11

With your shiny new Windows 11 bootable USB drive ready, it’s time to boot!

Restart your M1 Mac, hold down the power button at startup to enter the boot menu, and select your drive’s name with "UEFI" appended. This boots from the USB device directly into the Windows 11 installer, from which you can format your drive and proceed with OS installation.

How do I install Windows 11 with command prompt?

To create a bootable USB flash drive to install Windows 11 with Command Prompt, use these steps: Open Microsoft Support website. Under the “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO)” section, select the Windows 11 option. Click the Download button. Select the installation language. Click the Confirm button.

How do I create a bootable install disk?

In order to create a bootable install disk, you will need to get a Windows 11 ISO file that you can write to a USB Flash drive or use as a standalone file if you are installing Windows in a virtual machine.

How do I install Windows 11 on a USB drive?

A bootable Windows 11 USB drive is the best way to install Windows 11. (Who wants to burn a DVD ?) You can easily create one with a flash drive, a free download from Microsoft, and a Windows PC. To use the Media Creation Tool, you need a PC running Windows 10 or 11 as well as a USB drive that is eight gigabytes or larger.

How do I install Windows 11 on a supported device?

You can install Windows 11 on a supported device by downloading and using the ISO file that’s available on Microsoft’s official website. To do this, you’re going to need a flash drive and meet certain requirements. You’re going to need a few things to get started. First, you’ll need a USB drive with at least 8GB of storage space.

Some key pointers during Windows setup:

• Choose custom partitioning to create a dedicated bootable Windows partition.

• Install drivers for Apple hardware using Boot Camp Assistant after Windows is running.

Enjoy your fully-functional Windows 11 experience on Apple Silicon! Dual-booting widens your computing horizons.

Explore Exciting Windows 11 Capabilities on Your M1 Mac

With Windows 11 providing a polished interface, Android app support via Amazon Appstore, and gaming grunt through DirectX 12 Ultimate, your M1 Mac transforms into a flexible Windows powerhouse.

The meticulous process of creating a bootable USB drive is well worth it. Let us know in the comments about your experience installing and using Windows 11 on Apple silicon. What Windows features do you find most useful? How does the performance compare to macOS on M1? We’re eager to hear your experiences and help fellow users!

References

1. https://www.sysgeeker.com/blog/how-to-create-windows-10-11-bootable-usb-on-mac-m1-m2-chip.html
2. https://www.androidphonesoft.com/blog/create-windows-11-bootable-usb-on-mac-m2/