how to create a portable ubuntu usb?

[shiaa67]

can I run ubuntu from usb on any other computer? like the Windows To Go drive. it seems there is no softwares or tools that can copy ubuntu ISO to USB as portable. I konw how to burn iso to usb as a bootable installer, but that's not what I need, I need a portable ubuntu usb. any suggestion?

[CelticWarrior]

Welcome.

Just install Ubuntu normally to the USB drive or burn the ISO as "live with persistence".

[ActionParsnip]

Just install to the USB. The physical media is absolutely irrelevant to Ubuntu. Just remember to put GRUB on the USB stick so it'll boot.

[HermanAB]

Even easier: Use the install USB widget as is and save your data on another USB widget.

[shiaa67]

Just install to the USB. The physical media is absolutely irrelevant to Ubuntu. Just remember to put GRUB on the USB stick so it'll boot.

Thanks, I've heard that Grub2 can boot directly from ".iso" images, so I'm hoping Grub2 will make it easy to drag-and-drop several "liveCD" iso images onto a bootable USB stick and try them out.

PS: Another question, I also tried using rufus and AnyWinGo tool to create a protable Windows to Go drive, but it still not booting on another PC. Do I need to disable the securte boot option in the BIOS?

[shiaa67]

Even easier: Use the install USB widget as is and save your data on another USB widget.

Hello, what's the install USB wideget? can you give me details? I am a linux novice！

[oldfred]

Many names for USB flash drives or thumb drives. Widget, I assume is just another one.

There is the live installer, the live installer with persistence to save some data & full install.
Do you want UEFI or BIOS bootable flash drive?
Some have created both, but makes it a bit more complex & can get out of sync with grub updates. I prefer to just have BIOS bootable flash drive and another as UEFI bootable. Since my systems are now mostly UEFI, I have mostly UEFI bootable flash drives. With my larger flash drives, I typically do a full install & add some ISO to boot for repair or install purposes.

If you want to directly boot ISO, you can install grub2 and use grub2's loopmount to boot many (but not all) ISO.
There are tools that automate that also.

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Grub2/ISOBoot
examples
https://gist.github.com/Pysis868/27203177bdef15fbb70c
How to Create a EFI/UEFI GRUB2 Multiboot USB drive to boot ISO images
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php...boot_USB_drive

How to Create a EFI/UEFI GRUB2 Multiboot USB drive to boot ISO images, manual grub install
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2276498
Bootable UEFI USB Key
https://help.ubuntu.com/community/In.../UEFI-and-BIOS
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2015019

[C.S.Cameron]

If you want to drag and drop ISO images onto your USB have a look at Ventoy: https://www.ventoy.net/en/index.html It will also support persistence for Debian based OS.

I prefer mkusb for a working Persistent USB but it is designed to support just one OS at a time, (but can be modified to multiboot).

[C.S.Cameron]

Oops, double post.