Rufus vs Flyoobe vs Media Creation Tool: Which One to Use

Short answer: Use Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool for a clean install on a PC that meets Windows 11’s requirements. It is the supported route and needs no extra software. Use Rufus when you need more control over the USB drive: a Microsoft ISO you already downloaded, Arm64 media, Linux images, or setup options that skip the TPM, Secure Boot and RAM checks. Use Flyoobe only for one job: an in-place upgrade from Windows 10 on a PC that fails the Windows 11 checks. The last two routes put Windows 11 on hardware Microsoft does not support, and Microsoft says such a PC “won’t be entitled to receive updates.”

Rufus vs Flyoobe vs Media Creation Tool at a glance

Each tool solves a different problem.

Media Creation Tool: the supported default

Microsoft’s Windows 11 download page offers three options. The Media Creation Tool is the one for a “reinstall or clean install of Windows 11 on a new or used PC.” It downloads Windows 11 and writes a bootable USB drive or saves an ISO file.

What Microsoft asks for before you start:

• A license to install Windows 11, or a Windows 10 device that qualifies for the upgrade.
• An internet connection and a blank USB flash drive with at least 8 GB. Anything on the drive is deleted.
• Administrator rights to run the tool.
• A 64-bit PC. The tool “creates installation media only for x64 processors.”

The Media Creation Tool does not bypass anything. That is a feature: a PC installed this way gets 25H2 the supported way, with no watermark and no update doubts.

For an upgrade on the PC you are sitting at, Microsoft points to a different tool, the Installation Assistant. It needs Windows 10 version 2004 or later, a Windows 10 or 11 license and 9 GB of free disk space. It does not run on Arm-based PCs.

Before you blame your hardware, check it. Many PCs that fail PC Health Check only have TPM or UEFI switched off in firmware. Our guide to PC Health Check requirements covers each failure and what is fixable.

Rufus: control over the USB drive

Rufus is a small, portable utility that formats a USB drive and writes a bootable image to it. You supply the ISO: Windows from Microsoft, a Linux distribution or a firmware tool. Pick Rufus over the Media Creation Tool when:

• You already have Microsoft’s ISO. The Rufus FAQ goes further and discourages Media Creation Tool ISOs. It says they are “reconstructed ISOs” that differ each time, so they “can not even be validated for corruption.” Its advice is a genuine, unmodified retail ISO.
• You need setup options. After you press START with a Windows 11 ISO, Rufus’s “Windows User Experience” dialog offers to remove the requirement for 4 GB+ RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0, to remove the online Microsoft account requirement and to create a local account. The developer says these bypasses were added to the installer by Microsoft; Rufus applies them without patching Microsoft’s signed files.
• You need Arm64 media. Rufus ships an Arm64 build of itself, and its FAQ describes creating Arm64 boot media on an x64 PC. Microsoft publishes a separate Windows 11 Arm64 ISO on the same download page.
• You want an upgrade on unsupported hardware from a USB drive. Rufus 4.6 (October 21, 2024) added “a new setup.exe wrapper to bypass Windows 11 24H2 in-place upgrade restrictions.”

Rufus erases every partition on the target drive. It needs Windows 8 or later, and the bypass options are not offered on Windows 7. Our Rufus download page links to the official release and lists the SHA-256 hashes for 4.15.

Flyoobe: the in-place upgrade tool

Flyoobe began as Flyby11, a tool to get Windows 10 PCs through the Windows 11 hardware checks during an upgrade. Version 3, released on September 18, 2026, rebuilt it as a broader setup tool. Its release notes describe “the isolated Flyby11 upgrade path for Windows 10 PCs that do not meet every Windows 11 requirement,” with read-only checks of TPM, Secure Boot, memory, architecture, storage and Windows version before anything starts.

Flyoobe does not make installation media. It runs inside your existing Windows 10 and starts the upgrade from there, so your files and apps come along. It needs .NET Framework 4.8.

Three caveats matter. The 3.x source code is not published yet; the developer says it “is still being prepared for publication.” The executable is not code-signed. And fake copies exist: the developer names flyoobe.com and the GitHub account github.com/flyoobe as unaffiliated. Our Flyoobe safety check covers the details, and the Flyoobe download page links only to github.com/builtbybel/Flyoobe.

Clean install or in-place upgrade?

This decision picks the tool more than any feature list does.

• Clean install (Media Creation Tool or Rufus). You boot from USB and install fresh. No files, apps or settings survive. It clears out years of leftovers, and it is the right choice for a PC you are selling, giving away or rebuilding. Back up first, because the disk gets wiped.
• In-place upgrade (Installation Assistant on supported PCs; Flyoobe or Rufus’s wrapper on unsupported ones). Windows 11 replaces Windows 10 and keeps your files and apps. It is faster to get back to work, but it carries old problems forward. Microsoft’s Go back option under Settings > System > Recovery works only for 10 days after an upgrade.

Supported vs unsupported hardware: what you give up

If your PC meets Microsoft’s requirements, use Microsoft’s tools and stop here. Rufus’s bypass options and Flyoobe exist for PCs that do not.

When setup runs on a PC below the minimum, Microsoft shows a disclaimer. Its published wording: “If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won’t be entitled to receive updates. Damages to your PC due to lack of compatibility aren’t covered under the manufacturer warranty.” Microsoft also says such PCs get a desktop watermark and may show a Settings notice.

No tool gets past one limit. The Rufus FAQ says that if setup reports that the processor lacks PopCnt or SSE4.2, you cannot install 24H2 or later, and that this “cannot be bypassed.” Our unsupported-PC guide covers the steps and limits in full.

If your hardware genuinely doesn’t qualify and you want a supported route, Windows 10 Extended Security Updates keep it patched until October 12, 2027.

Arm64 PCs: a short list of options

Microsoft is explicit that neither the Media Creation Tool nor the Installation Assistant works for Arm-based PCs. For those devices, Microsoft offers Windows 11 ISOs for Arm64 on its download page, and says Arm PCs should otherwise wait for the upgrade notice in Windows Update.

To turn the Arm64 ISO into a USB drive, Rufus is the tool in this comparison that handles it. We found no statement from the Flyoobe developer about Arm64 support, so we do not recommend it on those PCs.

What each tool changes on your PC

• Media Creation Tool changes only the USB drive you give it, until you boot from that drive and install.
• Rufus changes only the USB drive. The setup options it offers take effect later, during Windows setup on the target PC. It runs without installation; the “p” build stores its settings in a rufus.ini file instead of the registry.
• Flyoobe runs on the PC itself. Beyond the upgrade path, version 3 applies settings through rules, many of them registry values, each with Apply and Restore default actions. An optional change log, off by default in 3.02, records what it changed. Turn it on first if you want a record.

What we won’t recommend

• Modified or “pre-activated” Windows ISOs. Use Microsoft’s own ISO with any of these tools. Every tool here still requires a valid Windows license; none of them activates Windows.
• Unsupported installs on a PC you rely on for work, banking or medical records. Microsoft says updates are not guaranteed on such hardware.
• Copies of Rufus or Flyoobe from anywhere except the developers. Lookalike download sites exist for both.

Questions

Is Rufus better than the Media Creation Tool?

Not for a standard clean install on supported hardware. The Media Creation Tool is simpler and fully supported. Rufus is better when you need options: an existing ISO, Arm64 media, Linux, or the setup bypasses.

Can the Media Creation Tool install Windows 11 on an unsupported PC?

It does not bypass any check. If the PC fails the requirements, Microsoft’s warning applies and setup may refuse to continue.

Does Rufus modify Windows?

The developer says Rufus applies setup bypasses that Microsoft built into the installer, without patching Microsoft’s signed binaries. It writes Microsoft’s files to the USB drive.

Can Flyoobe do a clean install?

No. It works from inside a running Windows 10 installation. For a clean install, use the Media Creation Tool or Rufus.

Which tool keeps my files and apps?

An in-place upgrade keeps them: Microsoft’s Installation Assistant on supported PCs, or Flyoobe or Rufus’s setup.exe wrapper on unsupported ones. A clean install does not.

Which tool works on Arm64 PCs?

Rufus, using Microsoft’s Arm64 ISO. Microsoft says its Media Creation Tool and Installation Assistant are x64 only.

Do any of these tools get around the PopCnt or SSE4.2 error?

No. The Rufus FAQ says that requirement cannot be bypassed on 24H2 and later.

Do I still need a Windows license?

Yes. Microsoft’s download page starts with it: “you first need a license to install Windows 11.” None of these tools provides one.

Sources

• Download Windows 11, Microsoft (checked September 26, 2026)
• Installing Windows 11 on devices that don’t meet minimum system requirements, Microsoft Support
• Rufus FAQ, GitHub wiki
• Rufus 4.15 release and Rufus 4.6 release notes, GitHub
• Rufus official site
• builtbybel/Flyoobe repository and README, GitHub
• Flyoobe 3.00.44 release notes and 3.02.72 release, GitHub
• Windows 11 requirements, Microsoft Learn