How to Install Ventoy on CachyOS

beginnerSoftware Install6 min
Independently tested and verified on Oct 20, 2026. Commands reproduced exactly as run.

Prerequisites

  • A computer running CachyOS
  • An external USB drive
  • Your password, which the Ventoy GUI asks for when it starts
  • Access to https://ventoy.net to download Ventoy
  • A few ISO files to boot (the video uses CachyOS, Clonezilla, Proxmox and Windows 11)

This tutorial takes about 6 minutes to complete.

This guide shows how to install Ventoy on CachyOS, copy ISO files onto the Ventoy drive, and boot four of them from one external drive. It follows the video.

New to Ventoy? The Ventoy page explains what it is, what it does and how it can help you.

Warning: Installing Ventoy formats the device and erases everything on it. Back up your files first.

Before you start

You need a computer running CachyOS, an external USB drive, your password, access to https://ventoy.net to download Ventoy, and a few ISO files you want to boot. The video uses CachyOS, Clonezilla, Proxmox and Windows 11.

Jump to a chapter in the video: Intro · Download Ventoy · Extract folder · Install Ventoy · Add your ISOs · Boot test

Step 1: Download Ventoy

Open your favorite browser and type https://ventoy.net in the address bar. Click Downloads and find the linux.tar.gz file, then click it to download. Your download will start shortly. When the file has finished downloading, click the folder icon and close your browser.

The ventoy.net download page with the Binary table and the pointer on the linux.tar.gz file.

Step 2: Extract the file

Right-click the linux.tar.gz file and click Extract. Once it is extracted, you can delete the linux.tar.gz file.

The file manager in the Downloads folder with the right-click menu open on the linux.tar.gz file and Extract in the menu.

Step 3: Move the Ventoy folder to your home folder

To keep things organized, move the Ventoy folder from the Downloads folder to your home folder: right-click the folder, click Cut, go to the Home folder and paste it there.

Step 4: Run the Ventoy GUI

Go inside the Ventoy folder, then go into the Ventoy folder again. If you have an AMD or Intel CPU, find the VentoyGUI.x86_64 file, right-click it and click Run. Enter your password when asked. The Ventoy application opens.

The file manager in the Ventoy folder with the right-click menu open on the VentoyGUI.x86_64 file and Run at the top of the menu.

Step 5: Select your drive

Connect your external USB drive and look in the device window. If you do not see it, click the green refresh button. If it still does not appear, click the Options tab and scroll down to Show All Devices, which shows all the drives on your computer. Then select your USB drive.

Warning: Show All Devices lists every drive on your computer, including your main hard drive. Make sure you select the correct drive, and do not format your main hard drive.

The Ventoy2Disk window with the Option menu open and Show All Devices highlighted.

Step 6: Install Ventoy to the drive

Make sure you saved or backed up any files you want from the USB drive: it will be formatted and everything on it will be erased. With the correct drive selected, click Install. A message says the device will be formatted and all the data will be lost; click OK. Ventoy double checks to confirm; click OK again. When Ventoy reports that it has been successfully installed to the device, close the Ventoy window. The Ventoy drive now shows up in your file manager.

The first Ventoy2Disk warning: the device will be formatted and all the data will be lost, with Cancel and OK.

Step 7: Copy your ISOs to the Ventoy drive

Go back to your home folder and open the os folder that holds your ISO files. The video has CachyOS, Clonezilla, Proxmox and Windows 11 ISOs there. Copy all of them, then paste them into your Ventoy drive. Wait until all the ISOs have been successfully copied.

Tip: For faster transfer speeds and much more storage space, use an external NVMe drive. The NVMe tutorial linked below shows how to build one.

The file manager showing the Ventoy drive with four ISO files: cachyos, clonezilla, proxmox and windows 11, and a message that 4 files were copied.

Step 8: Boot and test each ISO

Close the file manager and shut down your computer. Check your motherboard manufacturer's documentation to see how to boot into the BIOS or the boot screen, and make sure the Ventoy drive is selected first in the boot device menu. Select it to boot into the Ventoy drive. The Ventoy boot menu lists CachyOS, Clonezilla, Proxmox and Windows 11. Select an ISO and boot into normal mode. In the video all four booted successfully.

The Ventoy boot menu listing the cachyos, clonezilla, proxmox and windows 11 ISO files.

Related tutorials

FAQ

Yes. Ventoy formats the device and all the data on it is lost, so make a backup of anything you need before you click Install.
CachyOS, which is what the video shows. Other systems are not covered here.
Click the green refresh button. If it still does not appear, open the Options tab and scroll down to Show All Devices. That list includes every drive on your computer, even your main hard drive, so select the correct drive very carefully.
On an AMD or Intel processor, run the VentoyGUI.x86_64 file. Right-click it, click Run and enter your password when asked.
Check your motherboard manufacturer's documentation to see how to boot into the BIOS or the boot screen, and make sure the Ventoy drive is selected first. In the video it is the first drive in the boot device menu.

Never miss an issue

One email a week on local LLMs, DIY AI hardware, and the tools that power them. No spam — unsubscribe anytime.

Subscribe free

Products used in this tutorial

ORICO M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure (10Gbps)
storage

ORICO M.2 NVMe SSD Enclosure (10Gbps)

ORICO USB 3.1 Gen 2 (10Gbps) M.2 NVMe SSD enclosure supporting 2230/2242/2260/2280 form factors up to 8TB, with UASP support for fast external drive performance.

3 retailers