How to Install Windows 11/10 on an External Hard Drive [Two Methods]

Updated by

Linda 

Written by

Linda 

Updated on April 22, 2024

Have you ever dreamed of using your own Windows 11/10 operating system wherever you go? If so, follow this page, and you'll discover two practical methods to guide you through installing Windows 11/10 on an external hard drive:

# 1. Install Windows 10/8/7 on an External Hard Drive using OS2GO tool
# 2. Install Windows 10 (Enterprise/Education Edition) on an External Hard Drive

By doing so, you can take your Windows with you anywhere and boot Windows 11/10 on any computer via the external hard drive.

Yes, it is possible to install Windows 11 or 10 on an external hard drive. This can be useful for various reasons, such as having a portable operating system, testing a new version of Windows, or using the same OS on multiple computers without re-installing. Here's a brief overview of the process: 1. **Prepare the External Hard Drive:** - Ensure the external hard drive has at least 25 GB of free space for Windows 10 and more for Windows 11. - Backup any important data on the external drive as the installation process will format it. - Format the drive using the NTFS file system, as it's compatible with Windows. 2. **Download the Windows Installation Media:** - Visit the official Microsoft website and use the Windows Media Creation Tool to download the ISO file for Windows 11 or 10. 3. **Create a Bootable USB Drive:** - Insert a USB drive into your computer and use the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable Windows installation media. 4. **Boot from the USB Drive:** - Change your computer's BIOS settings to boot from USB. This varies by manufacturer, but typically involves accessing the BIOS during startup (e.g., by pressing F2, F10, or Del). 5. **Install Windows on the External Hard Drive:** - During the installation process, when prompted to choose the installation location, select the external hard drive. Make sure you don't accidentally choose your internal drive. 6. **Post-Installation Configuration:** - After installation, you may need to configure your computer's boot settings again to ensure it boots from the external hard drive. 7. **Using the External Windows:** - Connect the external hard drive to any compatible computer, and configure the BIOS settings to boot from it. You should now be able to use Windows installed on the external drive. Remember that running an operating system from an external hard drive might result in slower performance compared to an internal SSD or HDD, especially if the external drive is USB-powered.

"I have a Seagate 2TB Expansion Desktop External HDD. It seemed cool to have an operating system on an external drive, so I wanted to install Windows 10 on this external HDD. However, every time I attempt to directly install Windows 10 on the external disk, I receive an error message stating that Windows cannot be installed on a USB drive or an IEEE 1394 drive."

"I was merely wondering if it's feasible to install Windows on an external hard drive. If yes, how can I go about installing the Windows 10 operating system?"

As you may know, while it's possible to install Windows on an external hard drive, it's not a straightforward process with the default settings. Installing Windows 10 on an external hard drive can be quite a challenging task for regular users.

Typically, Windows acknowledges and displays the USB hard drive on the installation screen but doesn't permit installation of Windows on it. If you try, you'll encounter an error message stating "Windows cannot be installed to this disk."

No worries! Here, you'll find two comprehensive solutions to install Windows 10 on an external hard drive and carry Windows wherever you go.

Where to Install Windows and How [2023 Updated]

In this article, the editor will concentrate on this topic and assist you in determining the ideal location for installing Windows, along with the reasons behind it. Let's delve into the learning process.

How to Install Windows 11/10 on an External Hard Drive (Two Methods)

Installing Windows 10 on an external hard drive involves just two steps. Firstly, prepare the external hard drive by backing up its data and deleting all partitions on it. Secondly, proceed with the installation of Windows 10 on the external hard drive.

To install Windows 10 on the external hard drive, you have two options: 1. Utilize the system clone feature with tools like Todo Backup; 2. Use Windows To Go. Both options enable you to perform the installation and ensure it's bootable from the external hard drive.

Follow the instructions provided here to install Windows 10 on the external hard drive and configure it to be bootable on your system:

Method 1: Utilize Todo Backup Tool

Applies to: all Windows operating systems, including Windows 11/10/8/7, etc.

Pros: The created Windows USB drive can be booted on any computer.

# 1. Delete All Partitions on the External Hard Drive To delete all partitions on an external hard drive in English, follow these steps: 1. **Connect the External Hard Drive**: Plug in your external hard drive to your computer using a USB cable or any compatible connection. 2. **Open Disk Management**: On Windows, right-click the Start button and select "Disk Management" from the context menu. On macOS, open "Disk Utility" which can be found in the Utilities folder within the Applications folder. 3. **Identify the Drive**: In Disk Management (Windows) or Disk Utility (macOS), locate the external hard drive. It will usually be listed below the internal硬盘 with a different drive letter or name. 4. **Backup Data**: Before proceeding, ensure that you have backed up any important data on the drive as this process will permanently remove it. 5. **Delete Partitions**: - **Windows**: Right-click on each partition of the external hard drive and select "Delete Volume." Confirm the prompt to proceed. - **macOS**: Select the partition(s) you want to delete, then click the "–" button at the bottom of the window. Confirm the deletion when prompted. 6. **Format the Drive**: - **Windows**: After deleting the partitions, right-click the unallocated space and choose "New Simple Volume." Follow the wizard to format the drive, selecting the desired file system (e.g., NTFS) and allocation unit size. Click "Finish" when done. - **macOS**: Choose the unpartitioned space, then click the "Format" button. Enter a name for the drive, select the file system (e.g., ExFAT for compatibility with both Windows and macOS), and click "Erase." 7. **Verify the Process**: Once the formatting is complete, the external hard drive should now appear as a single, unpartitioned volume. Double-check to ensure the partitions have been deleted. 8. ** Safely Remove the Drive**: After verifying, safely eject the external hard drive from your computer before physically disconnecting it to prevent data loss or damage. Remember, this process will erase all data on the external hard drive, so always backup your files beforehand.

确保目标外部硬盘的容量大于启动和系统分区的总大小。

You can use Disk Management to delete the external hard drive partition. If you encounter difficulties in deleting partitions, you can seek assistance from a free partition manager.

Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, and click “Partition Manager”.

Ensure that you have backed up important data before deleting any partition on your disk.

Step 2. Choose to delete a specific partition or delete all partitions on the hard drive.

• Delete single partition: Right-click on the partition you wish to delete and select "Delete".
• Delete all partitions: Right-click the hard drive from which you want to delete all partitions, and choose "Delete All".

Step 3. Click "Yes" to confirm the deletion.

Step 4. Click "Execute xx Task", then click "Apply" to save the changes.

0:00 - 0:26 Remove individual volumes; 0:27 - 0:53 Erase all partitions.

After the operation, the external hard drive will become unallocated space without a drive letter. Now, the external hard drive is ready for Windows 10 installation.

Further Reading:

# 2. Install Windows 10 on an External Hard Drive

Essentially, OS2GO simplifies the process of installing the Windows system on an external hard drive compared to using Windows To Go. To proceed, follow this guide to clone your system using the tool Todo Backup:

Preparation:

1. Check the amount of disk space used on the system C drive. Then, prepare a qualified USB drive with a size larger than the used space.
2. Ensure that the USB drive is empty, as the system clone will completely overwrite its data.
3. Connect the USB drive to your computer and verify that it is detected.

遵循整体流程来创建一个可移动的Windows USB驱动器并从中启动：

Step 1. On the main page, locate and click on "Tools", then select "System Clone".

Step 2. The boot and system partition will be selected automatically. You just need to choose the target disk and click "Next."

*System clone does not support cloning an MBR disk to a GPT disk or vice versa. Please ensure that the partition style of the source disk and the target disk are identical.

Step 3. Click on "Advanced options" and select "Create a portable Windows USB drive".

Step 4. Click "Proceed". Todo Backup will start creating the portable USB.

Step 5. How to boot from the portable USB drive.

Connect your portable USB drive to the computer. Restart the computer and press "Del/F2/F12/F10" to enter BIOS. Set the PC to boot from the portable USB by changing the boot order in BIOS under the "Boot" tab. Save the changes, and you will see your system booting up from the USB drive.

Once connected, wait for the computer to configure system settings, and you will eventually reach the desktop screen identical to that of the cloned system. Enter the "username" and "password" of the cloned system. Done. You should now successfully access the cloned system.

Method 2: Use Windows To Go

Applies to: Windows 10 Enterprise Edition and Education Edition.

Pros: Allows Windows 10 to boot from the external hard drive. (Works only on the host computer.)

Please note that Windows To Go is only available in Windows Enterprise and Education editions. This means that if your current system is neither of these two editions, you won't be able to use Windows To Go for this purpose. Additionally, you will require a certified USB drive to use Windows To Go.

Here are the steps in English:

Step 1. Verify if your external hard drive is one of the certified USB drives approved for use as a Windows To Go drive:

• IronKey Workspace W700
• IronKey Workspace W500
• IronKey Workspace W300
• Kingston DataTraveler Workspace for Windows To Go
• Spyrus Portable Workplace
• Spyrus Secure Portable Workplace
• Spyrus Worksafe
• Super Talent Express RC4/RC8 for Windows To Go
• Western Digital My Passport Enterprise

Step 2. Connect your external hard drive to the computer, back up the external hard drive to another device, and format the drive to NTFS.

Step 3. Download the Windows 10 Enterprise ISO file.

Step 4. Right-click the Windows icon and select "Search". Type Windows To Go and press Enter.

Step 5. Select your external hard drive and click "Next".

Step 6. Click "Add search location" to browse for the Windows 10 ISO file that you downloaded earlier on your computer.

Click "Next" to proceed.

Step 7. Enable BitLocker Encryption on the external hard drive. (This is an optional choice.)

Step 8. Click "Create" and wait for Windows to Go to transfer the Windows 10 image to the USB drive.

Read Also: Windows 10 Won't Install on SSD

Wait for the creation process to finish, which can take 20-30 minutes. When a completion page appears, your Windows To Go workspace is ready to use.

You can now set up a host computer using the Windows To Go startup options and boot from your Windows To Go drive. Either method will allow you to install Windows 10/11 on an external hard drive. Share this article to assist more users in need right now.

Conclusion

This page provides two methods to assist Windows users in installing Windows 10 on an external hard drive and making it bootable. Using these solutions, you can also install Windows 10 without a product key.

If you prefer to create a Windows To Go USB drive on any Windows operating system, tools like Todo Backup, with its system clone feature as recommended in Method 1, is your best option.

If you just want to create an emergency disk to make your own Windows 10 bootable on an external hard drive and use it on the host computer, the Windows To Go feature in Way 2 is worth a shot.