Universal USB Installer
Universal USB Installer (UUI) is a free, portable tool by Pen Drive Linux that creates bootable USB drives from Linux ISO images. It runs on Windows without installation. Select a Linux distribution from a dropdown list, point it at an ISO file, choose your USB drive, and click Create. The tool handles bootloader configuration automatically.
What it does
The workflow is a simple three-step process. Step 1: pick a distribution from a categorized list of over 100 options including Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, Linux Mint, Arch, Kali Linux, and many others. Step 2: browse to the downloaded ISO file on your computer (or check the download box to open the official download page). Step 3: select your USB drive letter and optionally format it to FAT32 before writing.
Beyond Linux distributions, UUI also supports system rescue tools like GParted, Clonezilla, DBAN, and Hiren's Boot CD. For Ubuntu based distributions, a persistence slider lets you allocate space so that changes made during a live session survive reboots. The tool configures Syslinux for legacy BIOS booting or GRUB for UEFI depending on what the selected distribution requires.
Advantages
- Free and portable - no installation needed
- Supports over 100 Linux distributions out of the box
- Persistent storage option for Ubuntu based live sessions
- Simple three-step interface with no technical knowledge required
Drawbacks
- Windows only - cannot create bootable drives from Linux or macOS
- Only one ISO per USB drive - Ventoy supports multiple ISOs on one drive
- Persistence only works with select Ubuntu based distributions
- Slower write speeds compared to Rufus or Balena Etcher
Who it is for
I use UUI when I need to quickly boot a Linux distro from USB and do not want to think about bootloader settings. If you try Linux distributions regularly or need a rescue tool on a USB stick, UUI makes the process straightforward. For Windows ISO installation media, Rufus is a better choice. If you want multiple ISOs on a single drive, look at Ventoy instead.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Universal USB Installer free?
Does it support UEFI booting?
Can I put multiple ISOs on one USB drive?
Does it support Windows ISOs?
Features & How-To Guide
| # | Feature | How to use |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bootable USB with Linux | Launch UUI › Step 1: select a distribution from the list › Step 2: point to the ISO file › Step 3: select the USB drive letter › Create. |
| 2 | Multiple Linux distribution support | Step 1: the drop-down list contains Ubuntu/Fedora/Debian/Mint/Arch/Kali and 100+ other distributions › Select the correct one. |
| 3 | Problematic pendrive formatting | Check the "Format Drive" checkbox in Step 3 › UUI will format the USB drive to FAT32 before writing the ISO. |
| 4 | Bootable USB with Windows 2 | Step 1 › Windows Installers section › Select Windows 10 or Windows 11 › Point to the ISO › Step 3: select the USB drive › Create. |
| 5 | ISO download directly from tool | Check the "Download the ISO" checkbox next to the selected distribution › UUI will open the download page in the browser. |
| 6 | Bootable USB from system tools | Step 1 › System Tools section › Select GParted/Clonezilla/DBAN/Hiren's Boot CD › Point to the ISO › Create. |
| 7 | Persistent Linux USB creation | For selected distributions (e.g. Ubuntu) › Persistent file size slider › Set the size (1-4 GB) › Changes made in the live session are preserved. |
| 8 | UEFI and Legacy BIOS mode support | The tool automatically configures the bootloader (Syslinux for BIOS, GRUB for UEFI) depending on the selected distribution. |
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