Install GRUB2 on USB from Windows: Need a reliable way to create a USB stick that boots from both BIOS and UEFI? This guide will show you how to install the Grub2 bootloader onto a USB flash drive directly from Windows. Using the grub-install.exe utility, you’ll prepare a highly compatible bootable USB device.
Create a GRUB2 BIOS & UEFI Bootable USB Stick
By following these steps, your Grub2 USB bootable USB drive should work on most 32-bit and 64-bit systems. You can also use this method to replace older Syslinux chainloaded Grub2 versions on tools like YUMI-UEFI. Though nowadays you should be using YUMI-exFAT.
Before proceeding, ensure you have the following:
- A USB flash drive (preferably formatted as FAT32 for maximum compatibility).
- Access to Windows with administrative rights.
- A copy of the grub-2.06-for-windows.zip package or an equivalent Grub for Windows release.
An important note on Grub2 filesystem compatibility:
- Grub2 for BIOS (i386-pc) can be installed on exFAT, NTFS, or FAT/FAT32.
- Grub2 for UEFI (i386-efi / x86_64-efi) must be installed on a FAT/FAT32 partition but can chainload files from other formats like NTFS.
Installing Grub2 on USB from Windows
Here is the simple step-by-step process of installing Grub2 on USB from Windows:
Step 1: Download and Extract Grub2 for Windows
- Download Grub2 for Windows GNU package.
- Extract the contents of the zip file to your Windows desktop.
- Alternatively, you can download the a1ive Grub2 version for additional features.
You should now see a folder named grub-2.06-for-windows containing grub-install.exe and other related files.
Step 2: Open a Command Prompt
You’ll need to use a command line to run grub-install.exe.
- From the Windows ⌕ Type here to search box, type cmd.exe.
- Click Run as administrator.
Step 3: Change to the Grub2 Directory
In the Command Prompt, type the following and press Enter:
cd %UserProfile%\Desktop\grub*for-windowsStep 4: Identify USB Drive and Disk Number
Open the Windows Disk Management Tool to determine your USB drive letter and disk number:
diskmgmt.mscFrom the Disk Management Window, make a note of the Disk Number and Volume Drive Letter for your USB device.
Step 5: Install Grub2 for BIOS
In the Command Prompt, type the following command, replacing X with your drive letter and # with your disk number:
grub-install.exe --force --no-floppy --target=i386-pc --boot-directory=X:\boot //./PHYSICALDRIVE#Step 6: Install Grub2 for UEFI (32-bit)
Type the following command:
grub-install.exe --force --removable --no-floppy --target=i386-efi --boot-directory=X:\boot --efi-directory=X:\Step 7: Install Grub2 for UEFI (64-bit)
Finally, type this command:
grub-install.exe --force --removable --no-floppy --target=x86_64-efi --boot-directory=X:\boot --efi-directory=X:\Step 8: Verify Installation
If all went well, your USB Flash drive should now be bootable with Grub2. It will support BIOS and UEFI across 32-bit and 64-bit systems.
If you used this tutorial on a YUMI-UEFI prepared drive, the Syslinux bootloader should now have been replaced with Grub 2 and you should now be utilizing a Grub USB bootloader, instead.
If you enjoyed this post, you might also be interested in learning how to manually create an exFAT bootable USB drive from Windows.