How to Boot Windows from SD Card [A Step-by-Step Guide]

In most cases, booting from an SD card is for getting a portable Windows system. This post will explain that in detail.

However, if you want to make a bootable SD card to install Windows on another PC, this short video may help you.

Besides, if you want to create a bootable rescue SD card to recover data, manage partitions, or clone disks, MiniTool Partition Wizard bootable media can help you.

MiniTool Partition Wizard DemoClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1. Create a Portable Windows on an SD Card

Microsoft restricts systems from booting from USB drives or SD cards, so ordinary system migration or disk cloning methods will not work.

To create a bootable Windows on the SD card that is recognized by the BIOS, you can follow the guide below.

#1. Connect the SD card to your PC.

• If your PC has an SD card slot, just place the SD card into the slot.
• If your PC doesn’t have an SD slot, connect the SD card to the PC’s USB port via an SD card reader.

#2. Burn the Windows ISO into the SD card using Rufus Windows To Go.

1. Download the Windows ISO file from Microsoft.
2. Download Rufus and launch it. It will detect the SD card automatically.
3. Under Boot selection, click SELECT to choose the Windows ISO file.
4. Under Image option, select Windows To Go.
5. Click Start.

Step 2. Disable Secure Boot

Secure Boot may prevent your computer from booting from a system on a USB drive or an SD card, so you need to disable it first.

1. Power on the PC and press the BIOS key (F2, Esc, Del, F12, F11, F8, etc.) immediately when the PC logo appears.
2. Once in BIOS, look for the Security, Boot, or Authentication tab.
3. Find the Secure Boot or Secure Boot Control option and set it to Disabled.

Step 3. Boot From SD Card

In BIOS, go to the Boot tab and then select the SD card as the boot device or place it at the top of the boot order. Then, press F10 to save changes and exit.

Troubleshooting

#1. No SD Option Visible

If you can’t find the SD card option in BIOS, the reason may be that the BIOS doesn’t have the driver for the SD card. Try updating the BIOS. After that, if the issue persists, plug the SD card into a standard USB-SD adapter to force the PC to recognize it as a standard USB boot drive.

#2. Slow Performance

SD cards have slower read/write speeds compared to SSDs. Expect a longer boot time and occasional lag. For a smoother experience, use an A2 SD card.

Here is a post talking about how to boot from SD card. If you want to boot your PC from an SD card, you can read this post to know whether you can do that and how to do that.Click to tweet

Bottom Line

Is this post helpful to you? Do have questions about this post? Do you have other ideas about how to boot from SD card? Please leave a comment in the following zone. In addition, if you have difficulty in migrating OS, please feel free to contact us via [email protected]. We will get back to you as soon as possible.

Boot from SD Card FAQ