How to create a bootable UBS drive for Windows 11 arm64 using a non-arm64 computer

Robert Stewart 0 Reputation points
2026-10-14T21:26:32.58+00:00

I have 3 Surface laptops. 2, 5, and 7 versions.

My 7 version, ARM64 Snapdragon processor, took a dive and will not boot.

I need to create a bootable media (USB) device to be able to get Windows reinstalled on it.

According to the posting on MS, you cannot use the media creation tool to create one for ARM.

I tried to do it on Rufus, but I cannot get it to run because the computer I am using is Intel.

How can I get this accomplished?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Recovery and backup
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  1. AI answer

    2026-10-14T21:26:46.4933333+00:00

    Use one of these supported paths:

    1. Best option for Surface: use the Surface factory recovery image for the specific Surface model.
      • On a working Windows PC, download the recovery image .zip for that exact Surface device.
      • Insert a USB drive. Microsoft states 32 GB is large enough for any recovery image, it must be FAT32, and USB 3.0 or higher is recommended.
      • In Windows, open Start and search for Recovery Drive.
      • Select Create a recovery drive.
      • Clear Back up system files to the recovery drive.
      • Select the USB drive, then Next > Create.
      • When it finishes, open the downloaded recovery image .zip, copy all files to the USB recovery drive, and choose Replace the files in the destination.
      This is the recommended approach because Surface recovery media already includes the correct drivers tested for that device.
    2. If using a Windows 11 Arm ISO instead of Surface recovery media:
      • Create the USB from the Arm64 ISO with Rufus by selecting the ISO and the USB drive, then clicking Start.
      • The documentation states the Windows Media Creation Tool does not currently support creating Arm64 bootable media.
      • For Snapdragon X Series devices, Windows can boot from the ISO without extra manufacturer drivers, but full functionality is restored only after installing remaining drivers from Windows Update, typically using an Ethernet dongle or dock, then rebooting.
      • For previous generations of Snapdragon processors, manufacturer drivers must be injected into the image or the device might fail to boot or input may not work.

    For the described Surface 7 ARM64 device, the most reliable method is the Surface recovery image USB, created on the Intel PC. The PC used to create the USB does not need to be Arm64 according to the documented Surface recovery process.

    Important: creating the recovery drive erases everything on the USB drive.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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