Creating a Windows install media on Ubuntu

Photo by Panos Sakalakis on Unsplash

Photo by Panos Sakalakis on Unsplash

How to create a windows installation thumbdrive on Ubuntu 24
Updated 10. December 2024

Creating a Windows 10/11 installation thumb drive on an Ubuntu host can be a pain since the official documentation was not updated when this article was written.

Install dependencies

Before you can install WoeUSB you have to install the packages it depend upon.

sudo apt install git p7zip-full python3-pip python3-wxgtk4.0 grub2-common grub-pc-bin parted dosfstools ntfs-3g

Once the dependencies are installed, you can install WoeUSB.

Install WoeUSB

Woe USB is installed using the Python package manager pip3. Run the following command to install it.

sudo pip3 install WoeUSB-ng --break-system-packages

The—-break-system-packages flag will allow you to install the package on your system. Prefixing with sudo is not enough.

Create boot media

Once installed, you can launch WoeUSB and create the desired bootable media. You can run the application from the list of apps by pressing the Windows key on your keyboard and searching for it.

Bilde / Image

Start WoeUSB

Bilde / Image

WoeUSB's GUI

The process may take some time. In my experience, it can hang at several points. The final stage, where the boot record is written, can make the program seem to freeze completely. Be patient, and it should finish.