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Windows 10 ISO from the media creation tool is too big for my USB

Created the ISO fine but copying it to a FAT32 stick fails on the install.wim file. Trying to reinstall an older laptop. Do I need a different format or a different tool to make it bootable?
windows iso media
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kate.pratt Nov 12, 2026
patchlucifermornings
if you do go the Rufus route with the ISO, it'll pick NTFS for you when the file's too big for FAT32 and set it up so it still boots on UEFI. just leave its defaults.
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D
devh Oct 16, 2026
patchlucifermornings
how big is the stick? the ISO is somewhere around 5-6GB now so a 4GB one won't do, you need 8GB minimum. if it's 8GB or bigger and you're dragging the ISO onto it, that's a different problem. sticks come formatted FAT32 which can't hold a single file over 4GB. easiest fix is to skip the ISO completely: run the media creation tool again and pick the USB flash drive option, it makes the bootable stick for you. otherwise a tool like Rufus will write the ISO properly.
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