Create Windows 11 Bootable USB without Bootcamp?

[kyriedan]

My kid's laptop was infected with virus and suddenly unable to get into the desktop. It keeps saying password incorrect. I can confirm the password is right as well as the input. So I decide to install latest Windows 11 on it and I already got the Windows 11 ISO on my Mac.

However, when I plug in a USB drive and launch Boot camp, strangely it asks me to eject all connected storage devices. Just want to know Boot camp no longer creates bootable USB on Monterey, right? This used to be a very pleasant way to make Windows USB installer on Mac.

 

[Pluselike]

However, when I plug in a USB drive and launch Boot camp, strangely it asks me to eject all connected storage devices. Just want to know Boot camp no longer creates bootable USB on Monterey, right?

Because Boot Camp no longer provides the feature to create Windows 11 bootable USB on macOS Big Sur and later. You can try other tools, like UNetbootin and Terminal app (Its operation is based on text, not recommended for beginners.)

 

[Joeronzk]

@kyriedan, Boot Camp is still working. However, it depends on what kind of Mac you are using. For Apple Silicon Mac, Boot Camp is not available. On Intel Macs, Boot Camp no longer provides support for creating bootable USB. Instead, it only creates boot camp partition since Big Sur as well as Monterey. For old macOS version, it is still good to go.

In your case, you have three options. One is Terminal. You have to type a few commands to format the drive, copy the ISO file and split install.wim file. There are plenty of tutorials on Internet.

The second option is using a third-party app like UUByte ISO Editor. This app works on all modern Macs regardless of the chip and macOS version.

The last option to create a Windows 10 virtual machine on your Mac and use Rufus/Media Creation Tool to create Windows 11 bootable USB from VM.

 

[5aga]

I followed this guide on how to do this via the terminal because I prefer not to install software if unnecessary

 

[kyriedan]

@5aga, I did read the tutorial before posting here when I was plan to get answers from Google. It took me two hours to fully download the required XCode app (14 GB) and it keeps saying 'Xcode quite unexpected while using the libMainThreadCheck plugin'. I tried it again without any help. Fortunately, I managed to create a Windows 11 bootable USB on Monterey with UUByte ISO Editor.

@Joeronzk, thanks for UUByte suggestion. ISO Editor worked flawlessly and the steps are straightforward, though it costs a few bucks. Mostly important, it splits the large install.wim by default. Here is a live screenshot taken on my Mac: