This guide shows you how to install Parted Magic on a USB flash drive or DVD so you can boot it on any computer. First, choose the method that fits your operating system. Then, follow the steps below and you’ll have a working Parted Magic boot disk in just a few minutes.

If none of this makes sense, start here: Why Your Flash Drive Won’t Boot

What You’ll Need to Install Parted Magic

Before you begin, gather the following items:

ItemDetails
Parted Magic ISOThe .iso file downloaded from partedmagic.com after purchase
USB Flash Drive4 GB minimum — will be completely erased
Blank DVDDVD-R or DVD+R disc (only for the DVD method)
DVD BurnerInternal or external DVD writer (only for the DVD method)

⚠️ Warning: When you install Parted Magic to a USB flash drive, the process will erase all existing data on that drive. As a result, you should back up any important files first. Furthermore, double-check you’ve selected the correct drive.

Install Parted Magic on a USB Flash Drive

Install Parted Magic on Windows with Rufus

Rufus is a free, portable tool. Moreover, it’s the recommended way to install Parted Magic on a USB drive from Windows.

  1. First, download and run Rufus from rufus.ie. No installation needed — just run the .exe.
  2. Next, insert your USB drive. Rufus will detect it in the Device dropdown. However, if multiple drives are connected, make sure you pick the right one.
  3. Then click SELECT and browse to your Parted Magic .iso file. After that, Rufus will auto-configure the settings.
  4. Partition scheme: Choose MBR or GPT depending on your target computer (see the note below).
  5. Click START. If prompted, select “Write in ISO Image mode (Recommended)”. Then confirm the warning and wait for it to finish (1–3 minutes).
  6. Finally, eject the drive and boot the target computer from USB. Press F12, F2, Esc, or Del at startup to access the boot menu (varies by manufacturer).
Rufus settings to install Parted Magic on a USB flash drive

⚠️ MBR vs. GPT: The partition scheme you choose in Rufus determines which systems can boot the drive. For example, MBR works on legacy BIOS systems and most UEFI systems with CSM (Compatibility Support Module) enabled. In contrast, GPT works on modern UEFI systems but will not boot on older BIOS-only machines. Unfortunately, neither option is guaranteed to work on every computer — it depends entirely on the target machine’s firmware. Therefore, if the drive doesn’t appear in the boot menu, try recreating it with the other partition scheme. When in doubt, MBR is the safer first choice because it’s compatible with the widest range of hardware.

Install Parted Magic on macOS & Linux with balenaEtcher

balenaEtcher is free and works on macOS and Linux. In addition, it offers the simplest way to install Parted Magic on those platforms with a clean three-step interface.

  1. First, download and install balenaEtcher for your platform.
  2. Next, launch Etcher and click “Flash from file”. Then browse to your Parted Magic .iso file.
  3. After that, click “Select target” and choose your USB flash drive. Also, double-check the drive name and size to avoid selecting the wrong disk.
  4. Click “Flash!” and enter your password if prompted. Then wait for the write and verification to complete.
  5. Eject the drive. Of course, macOS may show a “disk not readable” dialog — this is normal, so click Eject (not Initialize).
  6. Finally, boot: Insert the USB into the target computer. On a Mac, hold Option (⌥) at startup. However, on a PC, press the boot menu key (F12, F2, etc.).

⚠️ Why not dd? Although the dd command can write the ISO to a flash drive, it creates a read-only image of the disc. As a result, the Parted Magic “Save Session” feature will not work because the drive has no writable space. On the other hand, tools like Rufus and Etcher handle this correctly. Therefore, we strongly recommend using them to install Parted Magic on USB flash drives instead of dd.

Install Parted Magic with Ventoy (Multi-ISO USB)

Ventoy is a free tool that turns a USB drive into a multi-boot launcher. Instead of dedicating an entire flash drive to a single ISO, you install Ventoy once and then simply copy ISO files onto the drive. Afterward, select which one to boot from Ventoy’s menu at startup.

  1. First, download and install Ventoy from ventoy.net onto your USB flash drive. As a result, this formats the drive with a small Ventoy boot partition and a large data partition.
  2. Next, copy the Parted Magic .iso file onto the Ventoy data partition. You can place it in the root of the drive or in a subfolder — either way, Ventoy will find it.
  3. Finally, boot from the USB drive and select Parted Magic from Ventoy’s boot menu.

Save Session on Ventoy: Parted Magic fully supports Save Session when booted from a Ventoy drive. At boot time, Parted Magic automatically detects the Ventoy environment. Then it mounts the writable data partition for session storage. As a result, your saved settings, installed packages, and file changes will persist across reboots — just like a dedicated Parted Magic USB drive.

In addition, Ventoy supports both MBR and GPT installation modes. Furthermore, you can keep Parted Magic alongside other bootable ISOs (Linux installers, rescue disks, etc.) on the same drive.

Install Parted Magic from a DVD

Burn the Parted Magic ISO on Windows

Fortunately, Windows 10 and 11 have a built-in ISO burner — so no extra software is needed to install Parted Magic on a DVD.

  1. First, insert a blank DVD-R into your disc drive.
  2. Next, right-click the Parted Magic .iso file and select “Burn disc image”. However, if that option is missing, use Right-click → Open with → Windows Disc Image Burner.
  3. Then select your DVD drive, optionally check “Verify disc after burning,” and click Burn.
  4. Finally, boot from the disc on the target computer via the boot menu (F12 or F2 on most systems).

Alternative: On older Windows versions, ImgBurn (free) also works well — use the “Write image file to disc” mode.

Burn the Parted Magic ISO on macOS

  1. First, insert a blank DVD-R into your optical drive.
  2. Next, burn the ISO using one of these methods:
    • Finder: Right-click the .iso → “Burn to Disc…”
    • Disk Utility: File → Open Disk Image → select ISO → click Burn
    • Terminal: hdiutil burn /path/to/pmagic.iso
  3. Finally, boot: Hold C during startup to boot directly from the disc.

Burn the Parted Magic ISO on Linux

  1. First, insert a blank DVD. Your optical drive is typically /dev/sr0. To verify, run: lsblk | grep rom
  2. Next, burn the ISO:
    sudo growisofs -dvd-compat -Z /dev/sr0=/path/to/pmagic.iso
    Or with wodim: sudo wodim dev=/dev/sr0 -v -dao /path/to/pmagic.iso
    In addition, graphical options include Xfburn, Brasero, or K3b (use “Burn Image”).
  3. Finally, boot from the disc via the BIOS/UEFI boot menu.

BIOS / UEFI Boot Configuration

After you install Parted Magic to your USB or DVD, the computer should boot from it automatically. However, if it doesn’t, press the boot menu key immediately after powering on:

ManufacturerBoot Menu Key
DellF12
HPF9 or Esc
LenovoF12 or Fn+F12
ASUSF8 or Esc
AcerF12
MSIF11
Apple MacOption (⌥)

Then select the entry matching your USB drive name, “USB HDD,” “Removable Devices,” or your DVD drive.

Secure Boot: Parted Magic ships with a signed bootloader. Therefore, it works fully with Secure Boot — there is no need to disable it. Simply select your USB or DVD from the boot menu and Parted Magic will load normally on Secure Boot–enabled systems.

Verifying Your Download (Optional)

Before you install Parted Magic, you can also compare the ISO’s checksum against the value on the Parted Magic download page. As a result, you’ll confirm the file didn’t get corrupted:

Windows (PowerShell):
Get-FileHash .\pmagic_*.iso -Algorithm SHA256 | Format-List

macOS / Linux:
sha256sum pmagic_*.iso

Troubleshooting Your Parted Magic Install

USB drive not detected at boot

  • First, try a USB 2.0 port (black) instead of USB 3.0 (blue) — they’re more compatible at boot time.
  • Also, check that USB boot is enabled in BIOS.
  • In addition, try enabling CSM/Legacy mode if the system doesn’t show the USB in the UEFI boot menu.
  • Finally, if you used Rufus to install Parted Magic, try recreating the drive with the other partition scheme (MBR instead of GPT, or vice versa). However, not all firmware supports both.

DVD fails to burn or verify

  • First, use quality media (Verbatim, Taiyo Yuden).
  • Also, burn at a slower speed (4x–8x) for better reliability.
  • Finally, try a different burning application if the default one fails.

“Boot device not found” or blank screen

  • The ISO was likely copied as a file rather than written as a disk image. Therefore, use a proper ISO writing tool — do not drag the .iso file onto the drive.
  • In addition, re-download the ISO and verify the SHA-256 checksum.

Parted Magic boots but doesn’t detect a disk

  • Some NVMe or RAID controllers need specific drivers. Try switching the SATA mode from RAID to AHCI in BIOS before booting.
  • If that doesn’t help, contact us via the support page.