Windows To Go facts for kids
A USB flash drive offered by Microsoft at the 2011 Build conference, with Windows To Go pre-installed
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| Operating system | Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (before version 2004) |
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| Type | Live USB |
Windows To Go was a special feature in some versions of Windows 8, Windows 8.1, and Windows 10. It allowed you to run a full version of Windows directly from a USB mass storage device, like a USB flash drive or an external hard disk drive. Think of it like carrying your entire Windows computer in your pocket on a USB stick!
This feature was mainly for businesses and schools. It let them give employees or students a ready-to-use Windows setup on a USB drive. This way, people could work on their own computers or different devices while still using the company's or school's specific Windows setup.
Microsoft stopped developing Windows To Go in 2019. It is no longer available in Windows 10 starting with the May 2020 update.
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How Windows To Go Started
Before Windows 8, only special versions of Windows, like those for embedded systems (think devices with built-in computers), could run from USB drives.
In April 2011, some people found a program called "Portable Workspace Creator" in an early version of Windows 8. This program hinted that Microsoft was planning to let users create bootable Windows USB drives.
Later that year, in September 2011, Microsoft officially announced Windows To Go at a big event called the Build conference. They even gave out 32 GB USB flash drives with Windows To Go already installed on them!
How It Was Different from Regular Windows
Windows To Go had a few key differences compared to a normal Windows installation on a computer's main hard drive.
USB Drive Safety
If you accidentally pulled out the USB drive while Windows To Go was running, the system would pause. This was a safety feature to prevent you from losing your work. If you plugged the drive back in within 60 seconds, Windows would start right back up. If you waited longer, the computer would shut down to keep your information safe. You could also protect your Windows To Go drive with BitLocker encryption.
Driver Setup
The first time you used Windows To Go on a new computer, it would install the necessary drivers for that computer's hardware. This might have required a few restarts. After that first time, it would start up much faster on the same computer.
Windows Store Access
Starting with Windows 8.1, the Windows Store worked normally in Windows To Go. This meant you could download and use apps from the Store, just like on a regular Windows computer.
Computer's Hard Drive
By default, Windows To Go usually could not see or access the main hard drive inside the computer it was running on. This was a security feature to keep your computer's files separate from the Windows To Go environment.
What You Needed to Use It
Windows To Go worked with USB 2.0 connections and faster ones. It also worked on both older BIOS and newer UEFI computer systems. However, not all USB drives could be used. Microsoft had specific requirements for the USB drives to be compatible.
For the best experience, the computer you used as a host (the one you plugged the USB into) should have been certified for Windows 7 or Windows 8. While Microsoft didn't officially support it, some people found ways to get Windows To Go to run on Macintosh computers too.
Why It Was Stopped
After the May 2019 update for Windows 10, Microsoft announced that they would no longer be developing Windows To Go. They explained that Windows To Go couldn't easily get new feature updates, meaning it was hard to keep it current with the latest Windows versions. Also, it needed special types of USB drives that many computer makers no longer supported.
Because of these reasons, Windows To Go was completely removed from Windows 10 starting with the May 2020 update (version 2004).
See also
In Spanish: Windows To Go para niños
- Intel Compute Stick
- Features new to Windows 8
- List of tools to create Live USB systems
- Windows Preinstallation Environment
