To update an existing Ventoy USB safely, use Ventoy’s Update operation—not a new installation. On Windows, open Ventoy2Disk.exe, select the USB drive, and click Update. On Linux, run Ventoy2Disk.sh -u /dev/XXX with the verified device path. Ventoy documents that an upgrade leaves files on the drive’s first partition unchanged, while a fresh installation formats the drive and removes its data.
What a Ventoy update changes—and what it does not
Ventoy is a boot utility that lets you copy ISO images and other files to a USB drive, then boot those images without rewriting the USB for every new operating-system release. An update refreshes Ventoy’s own boot components on a drive where Ventoy is already installed; it is not the same operation as installing Ventoy for the first time.
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The Ventoy project describes the upgrade operation this way: “It should be noted that the upgrade operation is safe, all the files in the first partition will be unchanged.” That statement appears in the project’s official getting-started documentation. Your ISO files, documents and other files stored in that main partition should therefore remain available after a normal upgrade.
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A fresh installation has a different outcome. Ventoy warns that installation formats the USB drive and loses existing data. Selecting an install or force-install command when you intended an update can erase the very files you are trying to preserve.
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Before you start: requirements and a safe preparation checklist
Use the package for your operating system
Download the current Ventoy package from the project and extract it. Windows uses Ventoy2Disk.exe; Linux uses Ventoy2Disk.sh. The official instructions for both utilities are on the Ventoy getting-started page.
Make a separate backup of irreplaceable files
A normal upgrade is designed to preserve the first partition, but no disk operation should be treated as a substitute for a backup. Copy unique photos, work files, recovery keys and any ISO that would be difficult to download again to another disk or storage location before proceeding. Ventoy’s guidance for disk operations says, “Ventoy will try to ensure the safety of existing data, but it is strongly recommended to back up first for very important data.” See the project’s non-destructive installation documentation for that warning.
You do not need to buy new hardware for a routine update. If you have no other destination for important files, arrange temporary storage first; the backup itself is the protection, not a particular drive model or capacity.
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Close file-copy windows, ISO-writing tools, virtual machines, antivirus scans that have locked files, and any terminal whose working directory is on the Ventoy drive. Safely eject the drive from the operating system after making the backup, then reconnect it so you begin with a stable mount.
Record identifying details
Note the USB drive’s approximate capacity, label and current drive letter on Windows, or its device name on Linux. Capacity alone is not proof of identity, but it helps you distinguish the target from an internal disk or another removable drive.
Update Ventoy on Windows with Ventoy2Disk.exe
1. Connect only the drive you intend to update
Plug in the existing Ventoy USB. If several removable drives are connected, disconnect the ones you do not need for this operation. This reduces the chance of selecting the wrong disk in the utility.
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2. Start the Ventoy utility with appropriate permissions
Open the extracted Ventoy folder and run Ventoy2Disk.exe. If Windows asks for administrator approval, confirm it. The utility displays available USB devices by default.
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3. Identify the correct device in the list
Check the model, capacity and drive details shown by the utility against the USB you recorded. Do not rely only on a drive letter: disk utilities may present devices differently from File Explorer.
Ventoy’s FAQ warns that enabling Show all devices makes disks beyond ordinary USB drives selectable. That option can expose internal disks and other devices, so leave it disabled unless you have a specific reason to use it. If you enable it, recheck the target immediately before changing anything. The warning is documented in the Ventoy FAQ.
4. Choose Update, not Install
With the existing Ventoy drive selected, click Update. Read any confirmation dialog and verify the device one more time. Do not click Install or use a force-install option for this task. Ventoy’s installation warning applies because a new installation formats the USB and destroys its existing data.
5. Wait for completion
Do not unplug the USB, close the utility or allow the computer to sleep while the update is running. The utility replaces Ventoy’s boot components; interrupting a disk operation can leave a drive needing repair even when the normal update path is designed to preserve files.
6. Check the files after Windows reports success
Open the USB’s main partition in File Explorer. Confirm that several known ISO images and ordinary files are still present, and safely eject the drive before using it to boot. If the expected files are missing, stop using the drive and check the backup rather than attempting repeated installations.
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Update Ventoy on Linux with Ventoy2Disk.sh
1. Extract the Linux package
Download and extract the Ventoy package intended for Linux. Open a terminal in the extracted directory containing Ventoy2Disk.sh. The project’s command form is:
sh Ventoy2Disk.sh { -i | -I | -u } /dev/XXXIn that form, -u is the update operation. The -i and -I options are installation operations and are not substitutes for an update.
2. Find the USB’s whole-disk device path
Use your distribution’s disk utility or a command such as lsblk to identify the USB. Look for the removable device, its size and its existing Ventoy partitions. The target should be the whole device, such as /dev/sdb, not a partition path such as /dev/sdb1. Device letters can change when drives are added or removed, so do not reuse an old path without checking.
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If the desktop automatically mounted the USB, unmount its partitions in the file manager or disk utility. Unmounting makes the storage available for the disk operation; it does not delete the files. Keep the physical USB connected.
4. Run the update with the verified path
Substitute the actual whole-device path for /dev/XXX. For example, if your inspection confirms that the Ventoy disk is /dev/sdb, the command form is:
sudo sh Ventoy2Disk.sh -u /dev/sdbUse your own verified path, not this example blindly. Running the command against an internal disk or another USB can modify the wrong device. Follow the confirmation prompts and stop if the displayed device does not match your notes.
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5. Let the script finish, then remount and inspect
Keep the terminal open until the script reports completion. Reconnect or remount the USB through the desktop environment, then verify that known ISO files and other data are visible on the main partition. Eject it cleanly before testing a boot menu.
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Ventoy’s documented layout separates user data from the boot files. The large first partition is where ISO images and other files are stored. Ventoy’s official Chinese getting-started page explains that an upgrade replaces boot files in the second partition, named VTOYEFI, while leaving the main partition’s filesystem and existing ISO files unaffected. That page identifies the VTOYEFI partition as 32 MB; the partition-level explanation is from Ventoy’s Chinese documentation at https://www.ventoy.net/cn/doc_start.html.
This design is why choosing Update matters. The update targets Ventoy’s boot environment rather than rebuilding the data partition. It is still a documented behavior for the ordinary upgrade path, not a blanket guarantee for every possible disk layout, damaged device or unrelated partition operation.
Update versus installation: choose the operation that matches your situation
| Situation | Windows action | Linux action | Expected data outcome | Device-selection risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ventoy is already installed and you want a newer Ventoy version | Select the existing USB and click Update in Ventoy2Disk.exe |
Run sh Ventoy2Disk.sh -u /dev/verified-device |
Ventoy documents that files in the first partition remain unchanged | Verify the listed USB device or whole-disk path before confirming |
| Ventoy is not installed and you are preparing a blank or disposable USB | Use the installation control only after backing up anything on the drive | Use the installation option documented for your package | Installation formats the drive and removes existing data, according to Ventoy’s warning | Choosing the wrong disk can erase an unrelated drive |
| You are considering non-destructive installation on a disk without Ventoy | Follow Ventoy’s separate non-destructive-installation documentation, not the update workflow | Use the procedure documented for that feature, if applicable | Ventoy describes this as an installation feature and still recommends a backup for very important data | Partition layout and device identity require extra care |
The key test is simple: if the USB already boots through Ventoy, use the update operation. If it does not have Ventoy, you are discussing installation, with its different data-preservation consequences.
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Check the data partition
Open the main partition and inspect several files from different folders. A quick check should include at least one ISO, one ordinary document and any folder you rely on for boot or recovery work. File names alone are not enough if the drive was already showing errors; open or hash a representative file when its integrity matters.
Test the boot menu on a non-critical computer
After safely ejecting the USB, boot a computer from it and confirm that Ventoy’s menu appears and that a known ISO is selectable. Test with a machine where changing the boot device is safe. A successful boot-menu test confirms that the updated boot files are usable; it does not replace your file backup.
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Keep the old package only as a troubleshooting reference
Do not rerun an installation merely because the version number is not obvious in File Explorer. Record the Ventoy version shown by the utility or boot menu, and retain the extracted package until you have confirmed normal operation. If you later need to investigate a failure, knowing which package was used helps you describe the event accurately.
What to do when the Windows update fails
First, stop and recheck the target
Confirm that the USB is still connected, that the utility lists the expected capacity and model, and that no other program has the drive locked. Close and reopen Ventoy2Disk.exe if the device list looks stale. Do not switch to Install as a workaround.
Try the documented LiveCD fallback
Ventoy documents its LiveCD as a Windows fallback when Ventoy2Disk.exe continually fails. The project’s instructions are at https://ventoy.net/en/doc_livecd.html. This route boots a Linux environment so you can use the Linux package instead. Linux users do not need the LiveCD route; they can use the Linux package directly.
Preserve evidence before attempting another operation
Write down the exact error, Ventoy version, Windows version and USB model. If the files are still visible, copy them to your backup destination before trying again. Repeatedly forcing installation can turn a recoverable update problem into data loss.
Common mistakes and how to avoid them
- Clicking Install instead of Update: installation is for setting up Ventoy, not refreshing an existing installation, and Ventoy warns that it formats the drive.
- Using a Linux partition path: the update command targets the whole device, such as
/dev/sdb, after you have verified it; do not substitute a partition such as/dev/sdb1. - Trusting a drive letter or capacity alone: confirm multiple identifying details, especially when several disks are attached.
- Enabling Show all devices without checking: Windows can then expose non-USB disks in the selection list, as the Ventoy FAQ cautions.
- Unplugging during the update: allow the utility or script to finish and eject the drive normally afterward.
- Skipping a backup for unique data: the documented preservation behavior is valuable, but a separate copy remains the safest recovery option.
- Treating an old report as a current failure rate: a Ventoy forum thread records a historical upgrade problem around version 1.0.21 in September 2020. It is an anecdotal, dated report—not a current success or failure statistic. Find it at https://forums.ventoy.net/showthread.php?pid=1456&tid=603.
When an update is not the right operation
If the USB has serious filesystem corruption, unreadable sectors, a failing connector or missing partitions, updating Ventoy should not be your first repair step. Copy whatever data remains accessible, examine the hardware and filesystem, and decide whether recovery is needed before changing boot components.
Likewise, do not use the update command to move Ventoy to a different disk. A second USB without Ventoy needs an installation workflow, and that workflow has a formatting risk. Treat each physical disk as a separate target and verify it independently.
Final decision checklist
- The USB already contains a working Ventoy installation.
- You downloaded and extracted the package for your operating system.
- You backed up irreplaceable files to another location.
- You identified the correct USB by more than one detail.
- On Windows, you selected the device and clicked Update; if Show all devices is enabled, you checked the target again.
- On Linux, you verified the whole-device path and used
-u, not an installation option. - You waited for completion, inspected the first partition and safely ejected the drive.
Following that distinction—update an existing Ventoy installation, install only on a disk you intentionally want to format—is the practical way to refresh Ventoy while keeping the files stored on your USB.
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