8 Portable Tools to Make a Full Image Backup of USB Drives
TL;DR
This guide explains how to create full backup images for USB drives and other external devices using nine free, portable tools. You’ll learn the difference between imaging and file backups, step-by-step instructions for each tool, and tips to reduce backup sizes by wiping free space.
Introduction
Creating a complete backup of your Windows system or external media isn’t just for experienced users—it’s a crucial safety net in case of crashes or hardware failures. Unlike traditional file backups that copy selected folders, imaging makes a complete sector-by-sector duplicate of your drive or partition, preserving the file system and structure.
Whether you’re using the built-in Windows Imaging Tool, Acronis TrueImage, EaseUs Todo Backup, or Macrium Reflect for full system images, sometimes you need a more portable solution for USB drives, digital cameras, MP3 players, or other flash-based devices. In this article, we review nine free and portable imaging tools to help you create and restore backup images with ease.
Why Use Imaging Tools?
- Complete Duplication: Imaging creates a full copy of the drive, including partitions and boot sectors.
- Portability: Many imaging tools are portable and don’t require a full installation.
- Flexibility: Some tools allow you to create backup images of external devices that typical system imaging software may not support.
- Restoration Simplicity: If your system or device fails to boot, you can restore your entire setup from an image using rescue media.
Best USB Image Backup Tools
1. PassMark ImageUSB
PassMark ImageUSB is a straightforward utility designed to create identical USB images.
PassMark ImageUSB lets you back up a USB drive to a single image file. It supports drives from 32MB to 2TB, and works across both FAT and NTFS file systems.
Pros
- Simple interface and easy to use
- Supports large USB drives
- Can create and restore multiple images at once
Cons
- Limited advanced options
- Lacks comprehensive encryption features
2. Rufus
Rufus is widely known for its speed and versatility in creating bootable USB drives. However, it also offers image backup features.
Rufus can create a bootable USB from an ISO file, but it also includes functionality to backup USB drives as virtual hard disk (VHD) files, providing a reliable image backup solution.
Pros
- Fast and lightweight
- Supports multiple file systems
- Ability to create VHD backups
Cons
- Primarily designed for bootable drives
- Not ideal for non-bootable USBs
3. USB Image Tool
USB Image Tool is a free, portable software tool that creates backup images of USB flash drives.
USB Image Tool provides an intuitive interface for creating and restoring full backups of USB drives. It supports USB 1.0 through 3.0 and can work with a wide range of USB devices.
Pros
- Free and portable
- Lightweight and easy to use
- Supports all USB types
Cons
- Limited to USB devices
- Can be slow for large backups
4. HDD Raw Copy Tool
HDD Raw Copy Tool is an easy-to-use tool for making sector-by-sector backups of your USB drives.
This tool allows you to create a complete image of your USB drive, including all partitions. It’s useful for cloning drives or making exact copies for backup purposes.
Pros
- Sector-by-sector cloning
- Can handle USB drives and other storage devices
- Easy interface
Cons
- Lacks some advanced options
- Slow process for large drives
5. USB Flash Tools
USB Flash Tools is an excellent choice for creating backups of USB drives, with several additional features for managing storage devices.
USB Flash Tools makes it easy to back up your USB drive, but also offers features like partition resizing and formatting, which make it a well-rounded tool for USB management.
Pros
- Multiple functions beyond backup
- Can resize and format partitions
- User-friendly interface
Cons
- Not as focused on image creation as other tools
- Limited support for large drives
6. RMPrepUSB
RMPrepUSB is a versatile tool with advanced features for creating bootable USBs and backups.
This tool provides a variety of options for managing USB drives, including image creation, formatting, and partitioning. It’s ideal for tech-savvy users who need more control over their backup process.
Pros
- Wide range of features
- Highly customizable options
- Excellent for advanced users
Cons
- Steep learning curve
- Interface may feel overwhelming
7. Roadkil’s DiskImage
Roadkil’s DiskImage is a simple and lightweight tool for creating backups of USB drives.
DiskImage is a basic tool with minimal features, focused on providing a straightforward backup process for USB drives.
Pros
- Simple and easy to use
- Fast backups
Cons
- Lacks advanced options
- Not suitable for complex tasks
8. Win32 Disk Imager
Win32 Disk Imager is a popular choice for creating bootable images and backups for USB drives.
Win32 Disk Imager lets you create image files from your USB drives, which can be restored if needed. It’s a no-frills option that’s simple to use for basic image creation tasks.
Pros
- Fast and reliable
- Good for basic backups
- Simple interface
Cons
- Lacks advanced features
- Not suitable for large-scale backups
Conclusion
Each of the tools listed here offers unique features tailored for different user needs. Whether you’re a casual user looking for simplicity or an advanced user needing more control, there’s an option for everyone. For seamless USB backups, consider your preferences for speed, ease of use, and additional features to choose the best tool for your tasks.
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use ImageUSB by passmark to backup my ipod classic, is there anything similar that would do incremental backups thanks
My issue with all/most of these tools is that you have to have the same size or larger flash drive when you recreate the drive.
I’m going to look into the Easeus ToDo again.
Yes, their main purpose is to backup and restore onto the same drive, not different drives.
Hiya all just FYI – found a way using UltraISO to create a backup image of a USB, extract only the boot sector data, then you just need the file system contents + boot sector data to re-create to other USB. The boot sector data is much smaller than the backup image itself, but I found the image creation was required before I could target then extract the boot sector data, as I couldn’t grab it from live USB. Hope this helps, I thought for sure I’d see UltraISO on this list when I saw the title, been using that for a while!
You can actually extract the boot sector data from live USB:
1. You may need to run the program as Administrator
2. Choose Bootable> Extract boot sector from Floppy/HDD drive… (yes, it doesn’t mention USB but you can still choose it)
3. UltraISO will then extract and save the data in a strange extension .bsf file, but it’s actually a .bin file, just rename the file extension and you can use it normally.
try image Usb by passmark
Minitool Partition Wizard Free can resize the partition to fit the USB drive. I used it yesterday with good result.
I also tried Rufus, and I didn’t get an error right away, but when the smaller drive was full, I got a misleading message about it being in use.
Hi, Thanks for this wonderful article. Rufus does it very well for me.
@Maxime: are you using backup or clone? Because clone asks for a drive as target (which I am not interested to), not creating an image, so I guess backup. As backup I see Disk or Partition backup seem to answer the question, but both ask to buy a license. AOMEI Backupper Standard, labelled as Free, but is it really free?
I’ve just installed AOMEI Backupper Standard and it doesn’t ask to buy a license for a disk or partition backup. It’s possible you may be trying to use a Pro feature somewhere while using the backup option. Not 100% sure of that, just a guess.
PassMark ImageUSB make ISO , why do you say it can be done it has only save as .bin NOT iso
Read the article again, it says you can create a bin file from usb or write a bin/iso onto USB. Where does it say you can create iso files?
You can delete .bin and write .iso manually. It will work.
I can delete any file extension and write in another file extension. Does that change the actual file?
Nope.
because it saves and restores a BIN file
These tools are indeed very interesting. My specific need is to copy the folders and files on a USB flash memory stick, where one folder is specifically for “shortcuts”, i.e. hyperlinks to various folders, which works as a kind of table of contents. Everything else that I need to back up works using copy and paste, but not the hyperlinks, which link to the old drive and not the new drive. Is there a solution to this, other than imaging? I mean is there a solution that does not tie up so much empty disk space? If not, then I will work with the limitations of imaging.
I did not like any of these flash drive imaging utilities as they only save the complete flash drive image which I do not like as they all create a very large full drive image regardless how small data you have on your flash drive.
Let me explain, if I have a large 256 GB flash drive and I only have a 10 GB data on this drive, all of the above mentioned programs will save the full and complete 256 GB image instead of just the 10 GB data, a complete waste of unnecessary space as they create a very large backup image file.
Unfortunately the popular Macrium Reflect imaging program does not recognize flash drives so this program will not work.
Luckily, the latest Acronis True Image 2018 build 12510 will successfully backup only the 10 GB data image and this backup image file will be much smaller than taking the full (unnecessary) 256 GB flash drive like all the above listed programs do.
Acronis TI is not free but it is the only one I found to do exactly what I want and need.
If you do know of another program that will do exactly what Acronis TI can do and is FREE then please share it here with us all.
Thank you
Easeus ToDo Backup Free is free and can do the same: an image of the only data-filled part of the drive
Failed to backup linux SD card, not even when doing sector by secotr copy, still fails ( all other programs handle that). Lots of popups asking to buy all the time… feel like scam program.
Stay away I say.
Experienced users will also achieve a MUCH smaller image by first deleting large or excess files: (ALL of these will be regenerated upon next BOOT)
Pagefile.sys
c:\windows\prefetch
c:\windows\temp
Other TEMP folders
Other TEMPORARY folders
Useless .BAK; .TMP; .OLD files
OFFLINE WEB PAGES
SOFTWAREDISTRIBUTION
INSTALLER
OFFLINE WEB PAGES
SOFTWAREDISTRIBUTION
I know your comment is now 2 years old, but I hope my suggestion will be helpful to those finding this article –
Today (June 2020), AOMEI Backupper just does that on Windows, for free.
I succeeded in backuping a 32 GB flash disk into a 586 MB image, and another 32 GB flash disk to a 6.55 GB image.
The first flash disk was a Dell Restore & Recovery USB media, made with Dell Direct Key Creator (used to restore Dell machines to their factory state).
The second one was a standard Windows 10 Installation disk, made with Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.
Each time, I made the backup image, formatted the drive, and restored the image back to the same drive. Everything was OK, and all restored disks were both bootable and working.
I did not test any other schemas, such as restoring on a smaller or different drive.
The free (Standard) version of AOMEI Backupper is said to be slower than the paid version, but my 32 GB stick (USB 2.0) was backuped quite quickly, as well as my USB 3.0 32 GB stick (Patriot Memory Supersonic). The Patriot (containing the Windows 10 image) was backuped in 1 minute, and restored in two minutes.
On Linux, you could use the classic dd command with the conv=sparse option.
Flash drives have gotten so large and cheap that it is common to have a little 500 MB bootable image on a 32 GB flash drive. Since these tools make uncompressed image files, imaging such a flash drive can waste a LOT of space. So the obvious solution is to compress the image files.
What tool(s) would you recommend for that? Which tools happily work with such enormous files, and which are fast enough to not be overly painful to use?
One other thought: to make an image file which is maximally compressible, you should first zero-out the free-space on your flash drive, before making the image file. The easiest way to do that is with Mark Russinovich’s SDelete tool.
For example, if your flash drive is F: then do this from an administrator-level command prompt:
sdelete64 -z f:
You can download SDelete (which includes both 32-bit and 64-bit versions) here:
docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/sdelete
Great tip, thanks!
I’ve been looking for a way to make smaller images. I also suspect that the longer way(without the zeroing part) causes much more wear and tear on the flash drive’s memory.
Dave,
Thanks for the info.
I know this is old but hopefully you are still tracking it. It is not working for me. I am probably missing something. I ran sdelete prior to PassMark ImageUSB as indicated, but still got an image file as big as the flash drive total size. This is the process I am using. Could you please help?
1- run sdelete on the flash drive
2- create image with PassMark ImageUSB
thanks,
sdelete is to make the compressed file smaller, you have to compress the image file with for example 7zip or WinRAR, the resulting file will be smaller than the file without running sdelete first because those clusters might be different from zero ( when you delete data you only delete the MBR entry but the data still remains so it’s possible to recover as long as you don’t add more data that can overwite it ).
Hi All, Thanks RAY for another wonderful article, System Image of USB drives was beyond my thinking ! I tried the robust option : USB Image Tool ( RMPrepUSB for future ) but it takes considerable time to image even a 8gb pendrive on a quite speedy system ! I would like to ask what will be the Best + Fast + Versatile way to image a single vs multiple partitioned USB drive ? In the meantime i would like to explore the installed Macrium Reflect Free for the purpose ! Thanks & Regards.
As always, we are accustomed to your good articles. Thank you.
Thank u very much. But as u said the image files are as big as the flash drives no matter how much data they contain. Is there any app that will create image files sizing according to the size of the contents in the flash drive?
Which one (if any) can copy a GPT partitionned USB key ?
I failed with ImageUSB.
I would think options 3 or 4 can do that as they copy the whole drive starting from sector 0.
Really useful as usual,
many thanks
marvelous ray!
Another great tool. Thanks!
Thanks Raymond.