Win32 Disk Imager

A Windows tool for writing raw disk images to USB drives and SD cards, or backing them up.

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About Win32 Disk Imager

Win32 Disk Imager writes a raw disk image file to a removable device such as a USB stick or an SD or CF card, and can also read a device back into an image file for backup. It is popular for embedded and Arm projects, such as preparing SD cards for single-board computers.

The current release targets Windows 7, 8.1 and 10, with an older version available for XP and Vista. The developers recommend doing a test read before writing to unusual USB devices.

Strengths

  • Writes and reads raw images on SD cards and USB drives
  • Can back up a card or stick to an image file
  • Simple single-window interface

Limitations

  • Windows only
  • Reported issues with USB floppy drives and some other devices
  • Plain raw imaging only, no image download or verification extras

Details

Pricing
FreeFree and open source.
License
GPL-2.0
Developer
The Win32 Disk Imager contributors
Platforms
Windows
How it runs
Downloadable app
Account
Not required
Works offline
Yes
Best suited for
Flashing and backing up SD cards for single-board computers on Windows
Last verified
Added
Provenance
Facts checked against the developer's own pages and store listings, 1 sources on file.

Alternatives to Win32 Disk Imager

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Software that can replace Win32 Disk Imager for an important use case, and what changes if you switch.

  • USBImager

    A minimal cross-platform app that writes compressed disk images to USB drives.

    USBImager is open source like Win32 Disk Imager but also runs on Linux and macOS and writes compressed images without unpacking them first.

  • balenaEtcher

    Writes an OS image to a USB stick or SD card, verifies every byte, and refuses to target your hard drive.

    balenaEtcher runs on Windows, macOS and Linux and verifies writes by reading them back, but it does not back up a card to an image file.

  • Raspberry Pi Imager

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    Raspberry Pi Imager is the official cross-platform tool for writing Raspberry Pi OS and other images to SD cards and USB drives, focused on Raspberry Pi use.

  • Rufus

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    Rufus stays on Windows and adds bootable BIOS or UEFI drive creation, filesystem formatting and image checksums, while writing one image per drive.

  • ImageUSB

    A free PassMark utility that writes an image to many USB flash drives at the same time.

    FreeProprietaryWindows

    ImageUSB is closed-source PassMark freeware for Windows that writes one image to many USB drives at once and can zero drives.

  • Popsicle

    A Linux utility from System76 that writes a disk image to several USB drives at once.

    Popsicle runs only on Linux and flashes several USB drives in parallel, with GTK and command-line interfaces.

  • Impression

    A simple GNOME app for writing disk images to USB drives to make them bootable.

    Impression is a minimal GNOME app for writing images to USB drives, so moving to it means switching to Linux.

  • GNOME Disks

    A graphical disk utility for GNOME that partitions, formats, benchmarks and images drives on Linux.

    GNOME Disks moves the job to Linux, combining image writing with partitioning, formatting, SMART health data and a basic benchmark in one window.

Similar software

Related functionality, not necessarily a direct replacement.

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