Most guides to installing Linux start with “write the ISO to a USB stick”, which wipes the stick each time. If you test distributions, keep rescue tools handy, or install different systems, that gets old quickly. Ventoy solves it: install it on a USB drive once, then just copy ISO files onto it. At boot, Ventoy shows a menu of everything on the drive.

If you have never made a bootable USB, our creating a bootable USB guide covers the traditional way, which remains the most compatible.

How it works

Ventoy splits the USB drive into two partitions:

Partition	Contents
Ventoy (large, exFAT by default)	Your ISO files, plus any other files you like
VTOYEFI (small, FAT)	Ventoy’s boot loader, for both legacy BIOS and UEFI

At boot, Ventoy scans the large partition for images (.iso, .img, .wim, .vhd, and more) and lists them. When you pick one, it boots the image directly from the file, without extracting it.

Installing Ventoy on Linux

Download the Linux release from the official site (ventoy.net) or the project’s GitHub releases, and verify its checksum against the published SHA256:

sha256sum ventoy-*-linux.tar.gz
tar xf ventoy-*-linux.tar.gz
cd ventoy-*/

Identify the USB drive carefully. Installing erases it completely:

lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,MODEL,TRAN

Then install, with -s for Secure Boot support:

sudo ./Ventoy2Disk.sh -i -s /dev/sdX

Prefer a window? ./VentoyGUI.x86_64 does the same thing.

Adding ISOs

Mount the large partition (most desktops do it automatically) and copy ISOs onto it:

cp ~/Downloads/ubuntu-26.04-desktop-amd64.iso /run/media/$USER/Ventoy/
cp ~/Downloads/systemrescue-*.iso /run/media/$USER/Ventoy/

Folders work too, so you can organise images into distros/, rescue/, and so on. Before booting, eject the drive properly so all data is written:

sync && udisksctl power-off -b /dev/sdX

Good candidates for a Ventoy stick: a couple of distribution installers, SystemRescue and Clonezilla for recovery, Tails for private sessions, and a memory tester.

Booting

Choose the USB drive from your firmware’s boot menu (often F12, F11, F8, or Esc at power-on). Ventoy’s menu lists your images; pick one and it boots as if you had written it to the stick.

Secure Boot

With Secure Boot enabled, the first boot on each machine shows a MOK management screen. Choose Enroll key from disk, select the ENROLL_THIS_KEY_IN_MOKMANAGER.cer file on the VTOYEFI partition, confirm, and reboot. From then on Ventoy boots normally on that machine.

Updating Ventoy

sudo ./Ventoy2Disk.sh -u /dev/sdX

-u updates the boot loader without touching your ISOs.

Extra features

• Persistence: some live distributions can save changes between boots to a persistence image file, configured with Ventoy’s plugin system
• Plugins (ventoy/ventoy.json on the drive): themes, menu aliases, default image, and auto-install scripts
• Boot modes: if an image fails in the normal mode, Ventoy can retry in GRUB2 mode or memdisk mode from its menu

Where Ventoy does not work

Ventoy handles the vast majority of Linux, BSD, and Windows images, but not every one. A few images use unusual boot methods, and occasionally a new release breaks until Ventoy adds support. If an image will not boot:

1. Try the alternative boot modes in the menu
2. Update Ventoy
3. Fall back to writing the image directly, with the dd bootable USB builder or a tool like GNOME Disks

Trust considerations

Ventoy is open source (GPL v3) and widely used, but some security-minded users have raised concerns about prebuilt binary components included in the project’s repository. For everyday use it is fine. For high-assurance situations, such as installing a system that will hold sensitive data, writing the official ISO directly and verifying its signature removes Ventoy from the chain of trust entirely.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Ventoy?

Ventoy is an open source tool that installs a small boot loader onto a USB drive. After that, you copy ISO, IMG, or similar files onto the drive like normal files, and at boot Ventoy shows a menu of every image so you can pick which to start. There is no need to rewrite the USB stick for each ISO.

How do I install Ventoy on Linux?

Download the Linux release archive from the official Ventoy site or GitHub releases, extract it, and run sudo ./Ventoy2Disk.sh -i /dev/sdX with your USB device in place of sdX. A graphical VentoyGUI is also included. Installing erases the USB drive.

Does Ventoy work with Secure Boot?

Yes, with a one-time setup. Install Ventoy with Secure Boot support, and the first time you boot it on a machine with Secure Boot enabled, enroll Ventoy’s key through the MOK manager screen that appears. After that it boots normally on that machine.

Can I still use the USB drive for files?

Yes. The main partition, formatted exFAT by default, holds your ISOs and any other files you want. Ventoy only uses a small separate partition for its boot files.

Why does an ISO fail to boot from Ventoy?

A small number of images use unusual boot methods that Ventoy does not support, and some need a different boot mode, such as GRUB2 mode or memdisk mode, which Ventoy can try from its menu. When an image will not boot, writing it directly to a USB stick with dd or a similar tool is the reliable fallback.

Is Ventoy safe to use?

Ventoy is widely used and open source under GPL v3. Some security-minded users have raised concerns that the project includes prebuilt binary components in its repository. Download it only from the official site or GitHub releases and verify the checksum, and for high-assurance installs, write the ISO directly instead.