Open Source v1.0.10 ✓ Checksum Published

Download USBImager for Windows PC v1.0.10 for Windows PC

Name: USBImager for Windows PC
Availability: InStock
Author: bzt (bztsrc)

USBImager is a tiny open-source tool from bztsrc on GitLab that writes raw and compressed disk images to USB drives and SD cards, verifies every write...

⬇ Direct Download (0.2 MB)

Technical Specifications & System Requirements

Developer bzt (bztsrc)

Platform & OS Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit)

Package Size 0.2 MB

Architecture x64 (64-bit)

Package Format ZIP Archive

Security Verification SHA-256 checksum published

SHA-256 Cryptographic Checksum Computed from the file we serve

              87784e8034facba1e47263b5569f2d26a1f1e236f85a87dc2e52b30d1abc2c52
            

              $ Get-FileHash .\usbimager-pc.exe -Algorithm SHA256
            

Software notes

The Bottom Line: Start with the name, because two different products share it. This listing is the free, MIT-licensed USBImager written by bzt and hosted at gitlab.com/bztsrc/usbimager; it has nothing to do with the unrelated commercial product of the same name sold by Secu-Design, and the GitLab project is the only official source. Once that is clear, the appeal is obvious: where balenaEtcher asks for a download well over 100 MB, USBImager does the same core job, writing an operating system image to a stick or card and proving it wrote correctly, from a ZIP of about 200 KB with no account, no adverts and no telemetry. The trade-offs are the flip side of that minimalism. The window is four controls and a progress bar, there is no catalogue of downloadable images, no Ventoy-style multi-boot and no hand-holding if you pick the wrong device, although it does block the system disk. Two download details confuse people: the Windows build is 32-bit i686 code, which runs perfectly on 64-bit Windows and keeps the file tiny, and the project also offers a cut-down '_wo' write-only variant; the standard full build listed here is the one most people want, since it can also read drives back into compressed backups. For Raspberry Pi cards, retro images and quick one-off writes, nothing this small does it better.

Features

The Windows download is only about 212 KB with zero dependencies, no installer and no Electron runtime, so it runs instantly even on old PCs.
It writes compressed images directly, understanding .gz, .bz2, .xz, .zst, .zip and several archive formats without a separate decompression step.
An optional verify pass compares the written device against the image, and synchronised writes guarantee data is physically stored at 100 percent.
Built-in safeguards refuse to overwrite the system disk, which removes the most dangerous mistake in tools of this kind.
It also works in reverse, backing up a drive or card to a raw or ZStandard-compressed image file for safekeeping.

Considerations

The interface is extremely bare, with no image downloads, no multi-boot support and no guidance for first-time users.
Writing requires administrator rights on Windows, and a wrong target selection is still possible for non-system drives.
It writes images sector by sector only, so it cannot repair awkward ISOs or build Windows installation media the way Rufus can.

About & Overview: USBImager for Windows PC

USBImager is a deliberately tiny, open-source disk imaging tool by developer bzt (bztsrc), hosted on GitLab. It writes disk images to USB drives and memory cards and reads them back into backup files, handling raw formats such as .img, .iso, .bin and .dd plus compressed images in .gz, .bz2, .xz, .zst and .zip form without decompressing them first. Writes are synchronised so data is physically on the device when the progress bar finishes, an optional verify pass compares the device against the image byte for byte, and safeguards stop you selecting the system disk. The Windows download is a ZIP of around 200 KB containing one portable executable with no dependencies, no adverts and no telemetry.

How to Install & Verify USBImager for Windows PC

STEP 1

Download the Windows ZIP from GitLab

Get usbimager_1.0.10-i686-win-gdi.zip (about 212 KB) from the binaries branch of the official gitlab.com/bztsrc/usbimager project. This is the standard full-interface Windows build.

STEP 2

Extract the ZIP anywhere

Unzip the archive to a folder such as C:\Program Files\USBImager or a tools folder on a USB stick. There is no installer; the folder contains usbimager.exe plus desktop integration files.

STEP 3

Run usbimager.exe as administrator

Right-click usbimager.exe and choose Run as administrator, since raw disk access needs elevation. Select an image file, pick the target device carefully, optionally tick verification, and press Write.

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Frequently Asked Questions & Verification Guide

Is USBImager for Windows PC free and open source?

Yes. USBImager for Windows PC is completely free and open-source software. You can download and use it at no cost, and its source code is publicly available.

How do I install USBImager?

There is nothing to install. USBImager ships as a ZIP of around 200 KB containing a single portable executable — extract it and run it. It has no dependencies, no adverts and no telemetry.

Does copying ISO to USB make it bootable?

No. Dragging an ISO file onto a USB drive just stores the file; the drive's boot structures are never written. An imaging tool like USBImager writes the image itself to the device, which is what makes it bootable.

What is a free tool for creating bootable USB drives?

USBImager is free and open source. It writes raw images (.img, .iso, .bin, .dd) and even compressed images (.gz, .bz2, .xz, .zst, .zip) to USB drives and memory cards without decompressing them first, and it can read a device back into a backup file.

How do I create a bootable USB image?

In USBImager, select the image file, choose the target USB device — safeguards prevent you selecting the system disk — and start the write. Writes are synchronised so the data is physically on the device when the progress bar finishes, and an optional verify pass compares the device against the image byte for byte.