Release-source review — 11 October 2026: This entry now describes Ventoy 1.1.18, published on 9 October. The button, filenames and publisher SHA-256 values below refer to that exact release. Its notes describe experimental SteamOS recovery-image support and fixes affecting Windows/WinPE Secure Boot checks and several Linux images. Those are publisher statements; we have not reproduced them on hardware. Sizes use decimal MB from publisher asset metadata. Hashes for 1.1.17 do not verify 1.1.18 files.
Ventoy is a free, open-source tool for making a bootable USB drive. Instead of writing one image to the drive, you install Ventoy on it once, then copy ISO, WIM, IMG, VHD(x) or EFI files onto it like ordinary files. When you boot from the drive, Ventoy shows a menu of the images it finds and boots the one you pick. The project says more than 1,400 image files have been tested.
When to use Ventoy
- Keeping several installers or rescue tools on one USB drive, for example a Windows 11 ISO and a Linux ISO side by side.
- Trying Linux distributions such as Linux Mint or Zorin OS before you install one. See our guide to alternatives for PCs that can’t run Windows 11.
- Updating a drive’s images without reformatting: copy a new ISO on, delete the old one.
When not to use it
- On a drive with data you need. Ventoy’s documentation warns that the drive “will be formatted and all the data will be lost after install.”
- If you need the Windows 11 setup options. For a single Windows installer with options to skip the TPM, Secure Boot and RAM checks or the online account, Rufus is the more direct tool. Our comparison covers the differences.
- If strict Secure Boot matters to you. Ventoy’s Secure Boot page states: “Ventoy default policy is fully bypass secure boot which means all EFI files can be booted without any check.” You can change that through its Global Control Plugin.
Requirements
On Windows, run Ventoy2Disk.exe from the extracted ZIP. It is a 32-bit x86 program that works on 32-bit and 64-bit Windows; x64, ARM and ARM64 versions are in the altexe folder. On Linux, use Ventoy2Disk.sh. Ventoy boots on x86 Legacy BIOS, IA32 UEFI, x86_64 UEFI, ARM64 UEFI and MIPS64EL UEFI. With Secure Boot enabled, you enroll Ventoy’s key once per computer on first boot; since 1.1.13 a new key is needed because of the UEFI CA 2023 change.
The BLOB discussion
In April 2024, after the xz-utils backdoor, a user opened GitHub issue #2795 asking for pre-built binary files (BLOBs) to be removed from Ventoy’s source tree, arguing they prevent reproducible builds. It was closed as a duplicate of issue #3224, opened in May 2025 and still open. The developer replied that Ventoy “is 100% open source” and that the binaries come from other open-source projects, proposed building them through GitHub CI, and added a BLOB_List.md file documenting each binary’s source and build instructions. These linked discussions concern build verifiability; they are not a malware test or an installation test by Softwares Academy.
Verify your download
Download only from ventoy.net or github.com/ventoy/Ventoy. The Windows executables are not code-signed, so compare the hash: run Get-FileHash .\ventoy-1.1.18-windows.zip and match it with the SHA-256 below. Our guide to fake download sites explains why.
Questions
Is Ventoy free?
Yes. It is open source under the GPL-3.0 license.
Does Ventoy work with Secure Boot?
Yes, since version 1.0.76 by default. On first boot you enroll Ventoy’s key. Ventoy’s docs say that if you see an error instead of the enrollment screen, turn the option off and disable Secure Boot.
How do I update Ventoy on a drive?
Run the new Ventoy2Disk and select the drive. Ventoy says updating works the same way as installing, and Ventoy2Disk prompts you to update when the drive already has Ventoy on it.
Can I install Ventoy with winget?
Yes: winget install Ventoy.Ventoy. The winget manifest can lag behind a new publisher release. Check the installed version and compare each downloaded filename with the hash for that exact release.
Do you need multiboot or one installation image?
Use our Ventoy, Rufus and balenaEtcher task guide to choose the workflow before preparing a drive. It separates multi-image storage, Windows installation media and raw-image writing, with the current Etcher Mac warning.
