Compatibility

Firmware, USB standards, and file systems

A quick reference before you commit to a stick or a filesystem choice.

AspectStatusNotes
Firmware — Legacy BIOSSupportedMBR partition scheme is used automatically.
Firmware — UEFI x64SupportedThe default target for most modern PCs.
Firmware — UEFI IA32SupportedOlder 32-bit UEFI tablets and netbooks.
Firmware — UEFI ARM64SupportedAmpere, Raspberry Pi 4 with UEFI firmware, some laptops.
Firmware — MIPS64ELSupportedLoongson machines.
Secure BootSupportedSigned shim included; first-time MOK enrollment may be required.
USB 2.0 / 3.0 / 3.2 / USB-CSupportedFaster ports simply mean faster menus.
Internal SATA / NVMe (as a Ventoy volume)SupportedVentoy can also be prepared on internal disks.
SD / microSD card readersSupportedDepends on the reader appearing as a USB mass-storage device.
Filesystem — exFATDefaultBest compromise on Windows + Linux + macOS.
Filesystem — NTFSSupportedUseful for images larger than 4 GB on Windows-only workflows.
Filesystem — ext4, F2FS, XFS, UDF, FAT32SupportedPick based on host OS access needs.
Image typesISO / WIM / IMG / VHD(x) / EFIMost bootable images fall into these categories.