What is Ventoy?

Ventoy is an open source tool to create bootable USB drive for ISO/WIM/IMG/VHD(x)/EFI files.

So what does all of that mean?

In the free software/open source world users can create a live USB and write a single image file to the thumb drive using bootable USB creation tools  like Rufus or Balena Etcher. Because many computers don't have CD-ROM drives today placing a ISO image on a USB drive is the only way try out an operating system, troubleshoot an existing installation, or install windows or Linux distribution onto the system’s hard drive. 

The problem with using traditional bootable USB creation tools, you can only install one image at a time. Plus it will completely erase any content that is currently on the flash drive. In other words if you put a 1.4 GB bootable iso image on a 512 GB flash drive You waste hundreds of gigabytes of free space. 

What sets Ventoy apart from say Rufus or Balena , is Ventoys alternative approach to the process. Ventoy does not extract the image file(s) to the USB drive, but uses them directly. It is possible to place multiple ISO images on a single device and select the image to boot from the menu displayed just after Ventoy boots. You can add as many iso, .wim, .img, .vhd(x), or .efi file(s) as you want to a single USB flash drive, local disk, SSD (NVMe), or SD Card. It will present you with a boot menu to select one of these files. 

Ventoy has Persistent storage which allows you to store other types data along side your operating systems on the same USB drive. 

One thing to keep in mind about ventoy. You have to make double sure sure that the iso, .wim, .img, .vhd(x), or .efi file(s) that you put on  your storage of choice is fully copied. I have a Ventoy USB which I copy ISOs to and, when I copy it using my file manager It tells me 100% copied  but sometimes it is not. The image will not boot if it is not 100% copied on your drive. My recommendation: use USB sticks with a built-in activity light. That blinking activity light gives the user visual feedback the activity is occurring on the device. Don't unplug the device until the activity light stops. And last but not least, always make sure the ISO size is the size it is supposed to be.

Conclusion

Ventoy is a GPL3  (free and open source) program.

With Ventoy You don't need to format your USB over and over again. It can be installed on a USB flash drive, local disk, SSD (NVMe), or SD Card and it will directly boot from selected .iso, .wim, .img, .vhd(x), or .efi file(s) added. Simply copy the ISO file to your drive and boot it.

Ventoy can be installed on a USB flash drive, local disk, SSD (NVMe), or SD Card and it will directly boot from the selected .iso, .wim, .img, .vhd(x), or .efi file(s) added. Ventoy does not extract the image file(s) to the USB drive, but uses them directly. It is possible to place multiple ISO images on a single device and select the image to boot from the menu displayed just after Ventoy boots.

You can easily try out several distro on a machine if needed and have a live CD iso of Gparted in there just in case. 

Ventoy supports over iso, .wim, .img, .vhd(x), or .efi file(s). You can even update even update Ventoy on the fly should that be necessary.