UNetbootin can also be used to load various system utilities, including:

Installing Other Distributions Using UNetbootin

Download and run UNetbootin, then select the 'disk image' option and supply it with an ISO (CD image).


UNetbootin doesn't use distribution-specific rules for making your live USB drive, so most Linux ISO files should load correctly using this option. However, not all distributions support booting from USB, and some others require extra boot options or other modifications before they can boot from USB drives, so these ISO files will not work as-is. Also, ISO files for non-Linux operating systems have a different boot mechanism, so don't expect them to work either.

FAQs

Distribution X isn't on the list of supported distributions, will it work?

» Maybe, see Installing Other Distributions Using UNetbootin.

UNetbootin isn't able to download the distribution, what should I do?

Download the ISO straight from the website, then provide it to UNetbootin via the diskimage option.

Mac

My USB stick isn't booting, what should I do?

Reformat the USB drive as FAT32, then use UNetbootin again to put your distribution on the USB stick.

My USB stick/hard drive isn't detected, what should I do?

Reformat the USB drive as FAT32, then use UNetbootin again. If it still isn't showing up, use the targetdrive command line option. Mac app store microsoft office.

How do I use UNetbootin from the command line?

» See UNetbootin Command Line Options.

How does UNetbootin work, and what does it do?

» See How UNetbootin Works.

» See USB Drive and Hard Disk Install Modes.

Where can I report bugs, submit patches, etc?

First, make sure you are using the latest version available on this website.

» See Github Issues to file a bug report.

» See Github Pull Requests to submit a patch.

Does UNetbootin have any spyware, viruses, trojans, or other malware?

No; though some anti-virus products may raise 'Trojan.generic' warnings due to the auto-uninstall feature, these are false positives. Just make sure you obtain UNetbootin from this site, not some shady third-party source. If you're absolutely paranoid, you can check the source code and compile it yourself.

What translations are available, and how can I use them?

A number of translations are included in the latest UNetbootin release. See the Translations Page for the status of each.

If a translation corresponding to your system's native language has already been included into UNetbootin, it should automatically load the corresponding translation. Alternatively, you can force the language to use via the lang=es command-line option, where you substitute es with the the 2-letter ISO 639-1 code for your language.

Can I help translate?

If you'd like to help translate this website, join the project on Transifex, then edit translations either on this website or on Transifex.

If you'd like to help translate the UNetbootin program itself, please use Launchpad Translations. If you are new to Launchpad, you will first have to join the corresponding Ubuntu Translators group for the language you intend to translate. For information on using the Launchpad Translations system, see the translations help page.

» See UNetbootin Translations

Removal Instructions (Applicable only to Hard Disk installs)

If using Windows, UNetbootin should prompt you to remove it the next time you boot into Windows. Alternatively, you can remove it via Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel.

If using Linux, re-run the UNetbootin executable (with root priveledges), and press OK when prompted to uninstall.

Removal is only required if you used the 'Hard Drive' installation mode; to remove the bootloader from a USB drive, back up its contents and reformat it.

Uninstalling UNetbootin simply removes the UNetbootin entry from your boot menu; if you installed an operating system to a partition using UNetbootin, removing UNetbootin will not remove the OS.

To manually remove a Linux installation, you will have to restore the Windows bootloader using 'fixmbr' from a recovery CD, and use Parted Magic to delete the Linux partition and expand the Windows partition.

Where's the source code, and how can I compile or modify it?

Source code is on Github, though you may prefer a tarball of the latest release.

» See Compiling UNetbootin.

» See UNetbootin Command Line Options.

» See Building a UNetbootin Plugin.

» See Using a UNetbootin Plugin.

» See Building a Custom UNetbootin Version.

» See List of Custom UNetbootin Versions and Plugins.

License

UNetbootin was created and written by Geza Kovacs (Github: gkovacs, Launchpad: gezakovacs, contact info).

Translators are listed on the translations page.

UNetbootin is licensed under the GNU General Public License (GPL) Version 2 or above. Site materials, documentation, screenshots, and logos are licensed as Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike 3.0.

Other open-source projects from the creators of UNetbootin

HabitLab

A Chrome extension to help you waste less time online (on sites like Facebook, Youtube, etc) by experimenting with different interventions (news feed blockers, comment hiders, and more) to find the ones that work best for you.
Donate via Bitcoin
There are hundreds of Linux distributions, ranging from the friendly Ubuntu and Linux Mint to the powerful Arch Linux. What they all have in common is that we download an ISO file, and must then create a Linux Installation Disc or USB. In this guide, you will find the best free applications to create Linux installation media, with or without persistence.
Unblock any international website, browse anonymously, and download movies and Mp3 with complete safety with CyberGhost, just for $2.75 per month:
Table of Contents

How to create a Linux installation USB Flash Drive

The use of optical discs is on a steady decline; it's a matter of time before they go the way of the floppy disks. USB thumb drives offer a faster and more convenient alternative, especially when it comes to Linux installation.
You see, most distributions allow us to run Linux as a 'live environment' straight from the installation media. This way we can check out the distro, and any possible incompatibilities, before committing to installing it on the hard drive.
For this live environment, a CD or DVD will work, but it will be woefully slow, and noisy while reading the disc. By creating a Linux installation USB, we gain not only in speed but on some distributions we can have the so-called 'persistence.'

Linux Usb Installer For Mac Windows 10

Persistence means that whichever changes we do in the live environment will remain even after a reboot. In effect, we have a completely portable Linux installation, which can run on the majority of systems.
We can even have multiple different Linux distributions on the same USB flash drive. Since many diagnostic tools and antivirus rescue discs are based on Linux, a single thumb drive can be our diagnostic multi-tool for any computer malady.

UNetbootin: Create a Linux installation USB with persistence

UNetbootin is probably the most convenient way to create a Linux installation USB.
The reason is that we don't even have to have downloaded an ISO beforehand. UNetbootin will download the ISO for us, for the most popular Linux distros.
UNetbootin also allows us to create persistence on Ubuntu, and most of the Ubuntu-based distributions: Linux Mint, Lubuntu, etc. The persistence file can be up to 4GB, the limit of the FAT32 filesystem.
Last but not least, UNetbootin is very straightforward and easy to use. There are no perplexing choices for beginners, we just choose the distribution or an ISO file, select the USB drive and click OK. UNetbootin will do the rest.

Rufus: The fastest way to create a Linux installation USB

We have seen Rufus before, here on PCsteps. It was our app of choice for the creation of a Windows Installation Disc or USB.
Contrary to UNetbootin, Rufus can create any Boot USB from an ISO, Linux or Windows.
This makes it a more complicated program than UNetbootin. It gives us a choice between MBR for BIOS/UEFI, MBR just for UEFI, or GPT partition scheme, four types of filesystems (FAT32, NTFS, UDF, and exFAT), and the Cluster size.
Those options can very well overwhelm a beginner. Even so, the default settings (MBR and FAT32) are good enough to create a Linux installation USB for most uses.
Also, Rufus claims to be the fastest boot USB creation tool, according to the app's homepage. However, their test is admittedly a bit dated. They apparently haven't bothered to re-run it since 2011.
If we don't care about persistence or the automatic downloading of the distro's ISO, Rufus is an excellent choice to create a Linux installation USB.

YUMI: Multiple Linux installation ISOs on the same USB

YUMI allows us to have multiple different Linux live environments on the same USB. Those can include Linux distributions, antivirus rescue discs, diagnostic tools, partitioning apps, disk cloning tools, and more.
Like UNetbootin, YUMI has the option to download the ISO for our distribution of choice, and it also includes Antivirus Tools and System Tools.
After we have selected the drive, we can check the 'Download Link' checkbox to download the ISO of our choice, before we proceed to the creation.
For distributions based on Ubuntu, we can also choose to create persistence.
Even though the purpose of YUMI is to create a Multiboot USB, it won't allow us to add multiple ISOs from the beginning. We need to wait for the first ISO to install on the USB, to add the second, and so on.
Also, according to YUMI's creators, YUMI was designed to create multiboot live environments, not for a Linux installation.
Of course, it won't stop us from starting the installation through the live environment, and it should work in most cases.
If, however, we are more interested in creating a Linux installation USB than a Linux Live USB and don't care about multiboot, UNetbootin or Rufus are better choices.

How to create a Linux installation CD / DVD

Many older systems won't support boot from USB. This is not a problem, though, since creating a Linux installation CD or DVD is as simple as burning the ISO image to a disc.
On Windows 7, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10, we can just right-click on the ISO and select the 'Burn disc image' option.
If, however, this is unavailable, every good CD/DVD Burning software has the 'burn disc image' option. One of our favorites it InfraRecorder, which is available as a portable app that doesn't need installation.
Just make sure to select 'Write Image,' and not a data disk containing the full .iso file. That won't work for a Linux installation.
Apart from that, there are no special settings to make a Linux installation CD / DVD bootable. The ISO already contains the proper configuration for the disc to boot.

Do you have a favorite app for creating a Linux installation USB, CD, or DVD?

Apple latest update for mac. If you prefer one of the above apps or you like an app we didn't mention to create Linux installation media, let us know in the comments below.

Support PCsteps

Do you want to support PCsteps, so we can post high quality articles throughout the week?
You can like our Facebook page, share this post with your friends, and select our affiliate links for your purchases on Amazon.com or Newegg.

Linux Usb Installer For Macos

If you prefer your purchases from China, we are affiliated with the largest international e-shops: