How to Boot Your Surface Pro from USB: 3 Tested Ways

First, make sure you have a working bootable USB drive

Windows 11 » How To

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by Loredana Harsana 

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Booting your Surface Pro using a USB flash drive is a bit complicated but we’ve got you covered. Before diving into the solutions, back up any important data if possible.

Also, create a working bootable USB drive, make sure that the device is charged, and unplug any other USB devices except for the keyboard and mouse. If your Surface Pro is frozen or can’t boot up Windows, press and hold the power button till the Microsoft logo appears. Then, press the Windows logo, followed by the Ctrl + Shift + Win + B key combination.

How do I boot Surface Pro using a USB flash drive?

1. Boot Surface Pro using a USB drive

➡ For Windows 11

  1. Insert a bootable USB flash drive into the USB port.
  2. Press Windows + I to get Settings.
  3. Go to System and choose Recovery.System recovery Surface Pro USB boot

4. Navigate to Advanced startup and click Restart Now.Surface Pro Boot from USB

5. You will see Choose an option screen; click Use a device>USB storage. Choose-an-option

Tip icon Tip
For Windows 11, if you don’t have the keyboard connected, on the login screen, locate the Accessibility icon and click on it. Choose On-Screen Keyboard.

➡ For Windows 10

  1. Press Windows + I to get Settings.
  2. Go to Update & Security.
  3. From the left pane, click Recovery.
  4. Under Recovery, navigate to Advanced startup and select Restart Now.Surface Pro Boot Restart Now

5. You will see Choose an option screen; click Use a device>USB storage.

Tip icon Tip
For Windows 10, if you don’t have the keyboard connected, locate the Ease of access icon on the login screen and click on it. Choose On-Screen Keyboard.

2. Configure the boot device order

  1. Turn off your Surface.
  2. Press and hold the Volume Up button
  3. With the Volume Up button pressed, press & release the Power button.
  4. Keep holding the Volume Up button till you get the Microsoft logo, or the Windows logo disappears.
  5. You will get Surface UEFI.
  6. On Surface Pro UEFI from the left pane, click Boot configuration.Surface pro
  7. Select USB Storage, drag it, and place it on top of the list.Change the order
  8. Click Exit, then Restart Now.

3. Format USB as a bootable drive

  1. Take a USB drive (at least 16 GB) and plug it into your Surface Pro’s USB slot.
  2. Press the Windows key and type CMD and click Run as Administrator.CMD elevated
  3. On the Command Prompt, type the command mentioned below and hit Enter : diskpart
  4. Next, paste the command mentioned below and hit Enter. This will show you all the disks on the computer. list disk
  5. Type the following command and hit Enter (where X is the drive letter or number assigned to the USB drive). select disk X
  6. Type the following commands and press Enter after each of them: clean create part pri select part 1 format fs = fat32 quick active

That’s it. This is how you can make your Surface Pro boot from a USB drive. Try these steps and let us know in the comments section below if the methods worked for you.

Loredana Harsana

Loredana Harsana Shield

Windows Software Expert

Loredana is a passionate writer with a keen interest in PC software and technology. She started off writing about mobile phones back when Samsung Galaxy S II was on top of the world and she fell in love with tech of all sorts. Whenever she’s not at her work desk, you'll find her enjoying refreshing tea flavors, spilling stories on paper, and listening to the radio.