# Win32 Disk Imager — win32diskimager.app

> Reference guides for Win32 Disk Imager, the free GPL-2 Windows utility that writes raw disk images (.img) to SD cards and USB drives, reads devices back into images, verifies writes and calculates MD5/SHA-1/SHA-256 hashes. win32diskimager.app is not affiliated with the software's developers.

Key facts:
- Original Qt-based program: SourceForge project "win32diskimager", latest release 1.0.0 (installer, binary ZIP, source ZIP).
- Native Win32 rewrite (WTL, no Qt): https://github.com/znone/Win32DiskImager — source archive https://github.com/znone/Win32DiskImager/archive/refs/heads/master.zip; builds with Visual Studio 2010+, WTL and Windows SDK 7.0; runs on Windows XP to 11; can target a whole USB device or one partition.
- Windows only. Needs administrator rights. Does not write compressed images or create Windows installer USBs.

## Main pages
- [Home](https://win32diskimager.app/): overview, features, installation, compatibility, troubleshooting, requirements, safety, FAQ
- [Guide index](https://win32diskimager.app/guide/)
- [Win32 Disk Imager Portable: Run It From a USB Stick Without Installing](https://win32diskimager.app/guide/win32-disk-imager-portable/): How to run Win32 Disk Imager portable from a USB stick or a tools folder, which build to use, where settings go, and how to keep a portable kit reliable on any Windows PC.
- [Win32 Disk Imager on Windows 11: Setup, Permissions and Reliable Writes](https://win32diskimager.app/guide/win32-disk-imager-windows-11/): Run Win32 Disk Imager on Windows 11 without surprises: installation choices, UAC and SmartScreen, Smart App Control, Windows on ARM, drive locking and the settings that affect raw writes.
- [Win32 Disk Imager on SourceForge: The Official Files and How to Verify Them](https://win32diskimager.app/guide/win32-disk-imager-sourceforge/): What the official Win32 Disk Imager SourceForge project contains, which of the 1.0.0 files to download, how to check them, and how the SourceForge release relates to the GitHub native build.
- [Win32 Disk Imager on Windows 7: Getting Reliable Writes on a Legacy PC](https://win32diskimager.app/guide/win32-disk-imager-windows-7/): Running Win32 Disk Imager on Windows 7 SP1: which build to choose, runtime and certificate pitfalls, USB 3 drivers, card reader quirks and safe habits on a system that no longer gets updates.
- [Win32 Disk Imager on Windows 10: A Complete Read, Write and Verify Workflow](https://win32diskimager.app/guide/win32-disk-imager-windows-10/): A complete Win32 Disk Imager workflow on Windows 10 22H2: installing, writing and verifying images, reading backups, reclaiming cards, Defender and indexing interference, and support after end of life.
- [Win32 Disk Imager Alternative: Rufus, Etcher, Raspberry Pi Imager, dd and More](https://win32diskimager.app/guide/win32-disk-imager-alternative/): A practical comparison of Win32 Disk Imager alternatives — Rufus, balenaEtcher, Raspberry Pi Imager, USBImager, dd and Disk Management — by task, platform, verification and backup ability.
- [Win32 Disk Imager Wiki: Every Field, Button and Option Explained](https://win32diskimager.app/guide/win32-disk-imager-wiki/): A reference wiki for Win32 Disk Imager covering every control in the window — Image File, Device, Hash, Read Only Allocated Partitions, Read, Write, Verify Only — plus file types, messages and history.
- [Win32 Disk Imager Not Opening? Causes and Fixes That Actually Work](https://win32diskimager.app/guide/win32-disk-imager-not-opening/): Win32 Disk Imager not opening, closing straight away or stuck as not responding? Work through UAC, missing files, drive scanning, cloud and virtual drives, Smart App Control and crash logs to get it running.

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