YUMI Py: The Cross-Platform Multiboot USB Creator

YUMI Py: The Free Cross Platform Multiboot USB Creator for Windows and Linux: Create a multiboot USB drive with Windows installers, Linux distros, antivirus rescue disks, and recovery tools ~ all on one exFAT flash drive. YUMI Py is a complete Python rewrite of YUMI that runs natively on Windows and Linux, adding automatic ISO downloads, batch installation, built-in QEMU testing, and VirtualBox drive testing.

What Is YUMI Py?

YUMI Py is a free multiboot USB creator for Windows and Linux. Whether you’re building a Windows installation drive, testing Linux distributions, assembling a portable repair toolkit, or carrying rescue and recovery utilities, YUMI Py lets you organize everything on a single exFAT-formatted USB flash drive through one easy-to-use interface.

Unlike the original Windows-only YUMI, the new Python version shares one codebase across both operating systems, so new features, bug fixes, and distro support ship to Windows and Linux users at the same time.

YUMI Py Overview

• Create multiboot USB drives on Windows and Linux from one shared app
• Install multiple ISO and IMG files for Linux distros, rescue disks, and utilities
• Boot Windows directly from VHD/VHDX images (Windows-only feature)
• Enable persistence for supported Linux distributions
• Automatically download current Linux releases with resume support
• Queue multiple installations in a single batch operation
• Test boot installed images with built-in QEMU integration
• Boot and test an entire USB drive in VirtualBox
• Clone, back up, restore, and flash complete USB drives with byte-level verification
• Flash a standalone ISO or IMG file directly to a drive, byte-for-byte, for a single-purpose bootable USB instead of a multiboot menu
• Work alongside existing Ventoy installations instead of overwriting them
• Use exFAT so file sizes aren’t capped at 4 GB like FAT32

Why Choose YUMI Py?

Most USB creation tools erase the drive every time you write a new operating system. YUMI Py is built to be a persistent, multiboot workspace: add Windows installers, Linux distributions, rescue disks, and other bootable utilities to the same drive without starting over, while getting persistence, automatic downloads, built-in virtualization, and verified backups on both Windows and Linux.

• Build a true multiboot USB instead of re-flashing your drive for every OS
• Run natively on Windows and Linux from a shared codebase
• Install ISO and IMG images for hundreds of supported distros and tools
• Download supported Linux distributions automatically, with resume on interruption
• Enable persistence for compatible Linux distributions
• Test boot operating systems in QEMU or VirtualBox without rebooting
• Back up, restore, and clone complete USB drives with optional verification
• Work alongside existing Ventoy installations

If you’ve built a multiboot USB with YUMI before, the core workflow is unchanged – you’re still adding operating systems and utilities to a single drive. What’s different is the cross platform Windows + Linux build foundation and the list of new capabilities below.

What’s New in YUMI Py

True cross-platform support. YUMI Py runs natively on both Windows and Linux from the same shared codebase. On Linux, it automatically requests administrator privileges when needed using pkexec, sudo, or another privilege-elevation method appropriate for your desktop environment.

Ventoy-aware drive detection. If your USB drive already has Ventoy installed, YUMI Py detects it and works alongside it instead of recreating the drive, correctly recognizing Ventoy’s dual-partition layout on both Windows and Linux so files land on the right data partition.

Windows-on-VHD support (Windows only). If you boot Windows directly from a VHD or VHDX file, that workflow is still here, rebuilt for the Python engine. Because VHD/VHDX booting relies on Windows-specific disk APIs (DiskPart, DISM, and the Windows boot manager), this feature is only available in the Windows build – it’s hidden from the interface entirely when running on Linux. Everyday ISO and IMG installs work identically on both platforms.

Smarter drive preparation. Instead of stopping with a warning when you select an unprepared USB drive, YUMI Py offers to prepare it automatically before continuing with whatever you were trying to do.

exFAT by default. USB drives are formatted with exFAT, removing FAT32’s 4 GB file-size limit so today’s larger Windows installers and Linux ISOs can coexist on one multiboot drive.

Batch installation. Queue multiple ISO/IMG files (and VHD/VHDX on Windows) for installation in a single session. Where supported, persistence can be configured individually for each Linux distribution before the queue starts.

Automatic ISO downloads with resume support. Pick a distribution from the built-in list and YUMI Py downloads the current release straight to your USB drive – no separate ISO left sitting on your computer. Downloads run concurrently (one to four at a time), interrupted downloads resume automatically the next time that drive is selected, and each USB drive keeps its own independent download queue.

Built-in virtual machine testing. Test boot installed operating systems without restarting your computer. Run in QEMU quickly launches an installed image; Install to VM installs it to a virtual hard disk stored on the USB drive for repeated testing. QEMU is downloaded and configured automatically the first time it’s needed. To test an entire multiboot drive – bootloader and menu included – the Backup/Restore tab can boot the physical drive in VirtualBox.

Verified backup, restore, and cloning. The optional Verify after writing feature re-reads the completed image and compares it byte-for-byte with the source, confirming backup, restore, and clone operations finished correctly.

A polished native interface. YUMI Py includes platform-aware DPI scaling, a Light and Dark theme with in-app switching, adjustable UI scale presets, improved font rendering, desktop integration, and app branding so it feels native on both Windows and Linux instead of running one interface everywhere.

The YUMI exFAT multiboot USB creator served millions of Windows users well for many years, but building and maintaining a complex application entirely in NSIS scripting eventually became limiting. Native Linux support wasn’t practical, and adding new features often meant increasingly convoluted scripting.

Rewriting YUMI in Python with a Tkinter interface solved those limitations and opened the door to real cross-platform development. Windows and Linux now share the same core code, so new features, bug fixes, and supported distributions get added once instead of twice.

A Note About Antivirus Warnings

The Windows release of YUMI Py is compiled with Nuitka and requires administrator privileges to perform low-level USB operations. Because of this, some antivirus products may initially flag newly released builds as suspicious – a common false positive for newly compiled, elevation-requesting applications that haven’t yet built a reputation with antivirus vendors.

Code signing is planned for a future release to reduce these warnings further, and the source code is always available for anyone who wants to verify exactly what the application does before running it.

Installing and Using YUMI Py

Getting started takes a few minutes: download the build for your operating system, launch the app, select a USB drive, and start adding operating systems, utilities, or recovery tools.

If you need a fast, reliable flash drive for a multiboot build, see our Fastest USB Flash Drives guide.

System Requirements

• Windows 10 or Windows 11, or a modern 64-bit Linux distribution
• USB flash drive or external SSD (exFAT-capable)
• Administrator/root privileges for formatting and drive preparation
• Internet connection only for optional downloads, updates, and VM/QEMU setup

Changelog:
07/26/2026 – yumi_py-1.0.4: If a drive letter change is detected after preparation, hold the new drive letter so it doesn’t need to be reselected. Make drive polling quicker and more efficient. Update to use ventoy 1.1.17 bootloader.

07/17/2026 – yumi_py-1.0.3: Tighten layout, improve contrast. Add Light theme & Dark/Light theme switching – accessible from the About tab.

Download YUMI Py for Windows

1. Download the latest Windows version of YUMI Py.
2. Double-click yumi_py.exe.
3. Approve the Windows UAC prompt when administrator privileges are requested.
4. Select your USB drive and begin creating your multiboot USB.

Download YUMI Py for Linux

YUMI Py ships two Linux builds so it runs on both up-to-date and older distributions. If you’re not sure which one you need, start with the standard build – it will simply fail to launch if your system’s glibc is too old, and you can fall back to the legacy build.

• Standard build – for current distributions (Ubuntu 22.04+, Fedora, Debian 12+, and similar) running glibc 2.35 or newer.
• Legacy-compatibility build – compiled against manylinux2014 (glibc 2.17), for older or more conservative distributions such as CentOS 7-era systems, older Debian/Ubuntu LTS releases, or minimal server images.

1. Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T).
2. Download the build that matches your system:

   # Standard build (glibc 2.35+)
   wget https://yumiusb.com/downloads/YUMI/yumi_py-1.0.4
   
   # Legacy Linux compatible build (glibc 2.17+)
   wget https://yumiusb.com/downloads/YUMI/yumi_py-1.0.4-legacy

3. Make it executable:

   chmod +x yumi_py*

4. Launch the application:

   sudo ./yumi_py-1.0.4

   Without sudo, YUMI Py can still copy ISO files to your USB drive, but it will prompt for administrator privileges automatically whenever partitioning, formatting, or another privileged drive operation is required.

Not sure which glibc version your distro ships? Run ldd --version in a terminal – the first line reports it.

A Tour of YUMI Py’s Tabs

YUMI Py organizes its tools into a series of tabs, making it easy to create, manage, download, test, and maintain multiboot USB drives without digging through menus.

Create – Add a Single Boot Image

The Create tab is where most users start. Browse or search the supported distributions and utilities, review the built-in info panel, and add a single ISO or IMG file (or VHD/VHDX on Windows) to your USB drive.

1. Select your USB drive. If it hasn’t been prepared yet, YUMI Py can prepare it for you automatically.
2. Search by name, browse categories, or manually browse to a local ISO, IMG, VHD, or VHDX file.
3. Review the description, homepage link, and download details if you want to double-check your selection.
4. Click Add to USB Drive to begin installation.

Add Multiple – Install Several ISO Images at Once

The Add Multiple tab lets you queue several operating systems and utilities for installation in one session instead of repeating the process one image at a time.

1. Open the Add Multiple tab.
2. Select your USB drive.
3. Click Browse to select as many ISO, IMG, VHD, or VHDX files as you’d like – each is added to the queue as a row you can review before starting.
4. Enable persistence individually for each supported Linux distribution in the queue.
5. Click Add All to Drive and let YUMI Py process each queued image in sequence.

Auto Download – Batch Install Current ISO Releases

Instead of manually downloading ISO files first, the Auto Download tab pulls current releases straight from their official sources and installs them onto your USB drive automatically.

1. Select an already prepared USB drive.
2. Click Add Distros… and choose one or more Linux distributions.
3. Optionally configure persistence for each supported distribution.
4. Adjust Concurrent downloads between one and four simultaneous transfers. Faster internet connections benefit from more concurrent downloads, while slower USB drives may perform better with fewer.
5. Start the queue and let downloads and installations complete automatically.

Each USB drive keeps its own independent download queue. Switching to another drive doesn’t interrupt downloads already in progress, and any interrupted download resumes automatically the next time that drive is selected.

Installed – Manage or VM Test Boot What’s Installed

The Installed tab gives you full control over everything currently on your multiboot USB drive. Whatever tab you used to add it – Create, Add Multiple, or Auto Download – you can remove it, delete just its persistence file, or boot it directly in a virtual machine without restarting your computer.

1. Open the Installed tab to see every operating system and utility currently on the selected USB drive.
2. Select an entry to remove just that item or, where supported, delete only its persistence file while leaving the rest of the drive untouched.
3. Click Run in QEMU to boot the selected image in a temporary virtual machine. If persistence exists for that image, it’s used automatically.
4. Choose Install to VM to run a full installation into a virtual hard disk stored on the USB drive. Once installed, the button becomes Boot HD Image, letting you launch that installed system directly without repeating the installer.
5. Confirm any removal – only the selected item is removed, leaving every other installed distribution and utility intact.

The first time you use either virtualization option, YUMI Py checks whether QEMU is available. On Windows, it can download and configure a portable QEMU install automatically. On Linux, it points you to the right packages for your distribution. Before booting, you can set CPU cores, memory, display settings, and hardware acceleration. Install to VM also lets you choose the virtual disk size or discard an existing VM and reinstall from scratch.

Backup/Restore – USB Cloning & ISO/IMG Flashing

The Backup/Restore tab provides advanced block-level imaging for users who want full control over their USB drives, including a standalone Flash option for writing a single image directly to a drive. Because these are whole-disk operations, the tab stays hidden until Advanced mode is enabled.

1. Enable the Advanced checkbox to reveal the Backup/Restore tab.
2. Optionally enable Verify after writing. After a backup, restore, or clone finishes, YUMI Py re-reads the destination and compares it byte-for-byte against the source to confirm an accurate copy. Verification roughly doubles total operation time.
3. Choose the operation:
   • Backup creates a complete image of the selected USB drive.
   • Restore writes a previously created image back to a USB drive.
   • Clone duplicates one physical drive directly onto another.
   • Flash ISO/IMG writes any standalone ISO or IMG file directly to the whole drive, byte-for-byte erasing everything currently on it, including any existing multiboot setup, so use this only for images meant to be written on their own rather than added alongside others.
     
4. Double check both the source and destination drives before continuing – these are raw disk operations that completely overwrite the destination.
5. Use Test Boot in VirtualBox to boot the entire physical USB drive, including its bootloader and multiboot menu, inside VirtualBox without modifying the drive itself.

Booting from Your YUMI Py USB Drive

Once you’ve added one or more operating systems or utilities, your YUMI USB drive can boot on virtually any computer that supports USB booting.

1. Insert the USB drive into the computer you want to start.
2. Restart or power on the computer.
3. Open the computer’s boot menu by pressing the appropriate key during startup – commonly F12, F10, F2, Esc, or Del, depending on the manufacturer. If USB booting isn’t available, enable it or adjust boot order in BIOS/UEFI settings.
4. Select your USB drive from the boot menu.
5. When the YUMI boot menu appears, use the arrow keys to select the operating system or utility to launch, then press Enter.

Don’t want to reboot first? The Installed tab’s Run in QEMU and Install to VM features let you confirm an operating system boots correctly before you ever touch physical hardware.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s Next for YUMI Py?

YUMI Py is the start of a new chapter for YUMI, not the end of one. With a shared Python codebase, future improvements are developed once and delivered to Windows and Linux users at the same time.

Upcoming releases will keep expanding supported distributions, improving Linux desktop compatibility, refining the interface, and adding requested features based on community feedback.

Whether you’re installing Windows, exploring Linux, maintaining recovery media, or building a portable toolkit for work, YUMI Py continues the same goal that’s guided YUMI from the beginning: making it simple to carry multiple bootable operating systems and utilities on a single USB drive.