What is Windows To Go and is Windows To Go still available?

This tutorial will show you how to create a portable Windows 11/10, mainly including the following aspects:

• What is Windows To Go (WTG)?
• Can Windows To Go drives be booted on multiple computers?
• What's the difference between Windows To Go and a normal Windows installation?
• Is Windows To Go still available?
• How to create Windows To Go with Hasleo WinToUSB?
• Conclusion

What is Windows To Go (WTG)?

What is Windows To Go (WTG)? In short, Windows To Go is a handy feature that allows us to install fully-functional Windows 10/8.1/8 enterprise operating system onto an external hard drive or a USB flash drive as a portable Windows, after that we can carry the portable Windows USB drive to anywhere and use it on any computer.

Windows To Go is an enterprise feature of Windows 8, 8.1, 10 Enterprise and Education edition that enables the creation of a Windows To Go workspace that can be booted from a USB-connected external drive on PCs that meet the Windows 7 or later certification requirements, regardless of the operating system running on the PC. Windows To Go workspaces can use the same image enterprises use for their desktops and laptops and can be managed the same way. Windows To Go is not intended to replace desktops, laptops or supplant other mobility offerings. Rather, it provides support for efficient use of resources for alternative workplace scenarios.

Can Windows To Go drives be booted on multiple computers?

Yes, Windows To Go drives can be booted on multiple computers. When a Windows To Go workspace is first booted on a host computer it will detect all hardware on the computer and install any needed drivers. When the Windows To Go workspace is subsequently booted on that host computer it will be able to identify the host computer and load the correct set of drivers automatically.

The applications that you want to use from the Windows To Go workspace should be tested to make sure they also support roaming. Some applications bind to the computer hardware which will cause difficulties if the workspace is being used with multiple host computers.

What's the difference between Windows To Go and a normal Windows installation?

Windows To Go workspace operates just like any other installation of Windows with a few exceptions. These exceptions are:

• Internal disks are offline. To ensure data isn’t accidentally disclosed, internal hard disks on the host computer are offline by default when booted into a Windows To Go workspace. Similarly if a Windows To Go drive is inserted into a running system, the Windows To Go drive will not be listed in Windows Explorer.
• Trusted Platform Module (TPM) isn’t used. When using BitLocker Drive Encryption a pre-operating system boot password will be used for security rather than the TPM since the TPM is tied to a specific computer and Windows To Go drives will move between computers.
• Hibernate is disabled by default. To ensure that the Windows To Go workspace is able to move between computers easily, hibernation is disabled by default whether you intend to use Microsoft's Windows To Go Creator Wizard or Hasleo WinToUSB to create Windows To Go workspace. Hibernation can be re-enabled by using Group Policy settings, for more information about enable or disable hibernate please visit: How to enable or disable hibernate in Windows To Go workspace?
• Windows Recovery Environment isn’t available. In the rare case that you need to recover your Windows To Go drive, you should re-image it with a fresh image of Windows.
• Refreshing or resetting a Windows To Go workspace is not supported. Resetting to the manufacturer’s standard for the computer doesn’t apply when running a Windows To Go workspace, so the feature was disabled.
• Getting apps from Windows Store. For Windows To Go images that are running Windows 8.1, there is no difference in Store behavior between a standard Windows installation and a Windows To Go installation. Store apps can roam between multiple PC’s on a Windows To Go drive.
  For a Windows To Go image running Windows 8, the Windows Store is disabled by default. In Windows 8, apps licensed through the store are linked to hardware for licensing. Since Windows To Go is designed to roam to different host PCs access to the store is disabled when running Windows 8. You can enable the store if your Windows 8-based Windows To Go workspaces won’t be roaming to multiple PC hosts.
• Upgrading a Windows To Go workspace is not supported.Older Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 Windows To Go workspaces cannot be upgraded to Windows 10 workspaces, nor can Windows 10 Windows To Go workspaces be upgraded to future versions of Windows 10. For new versions, the workspace needs to be re-imaged with a fresh image of Windows. Does this means that there is no way to upgrade a Windows To Go workspace? The answer is No! You can use the third-party software Windows To Go Upgrader to upgrade your Windows To Go workspace easily.

Is Windows To Go still available?

By default, only the enterprise and education editions of Windows 10/8.1/8 can be used to create Windows To Go workspace by using the Windows To Go creator provided by Microsoft. And Microsoft announced on May 25, 2019 that "Windows To Go is no longer being developed. The feature does not support feature updates and therefore does not enable you to stay current. It also requires a specific type of USB that is no longer supported by many OEMs.". So is Windows To Go still available?

Fortunately, using a Third-party Windows To Go creator such as Hasleo WinToUSB, we can still create Windows To Go workspace, and we can create Windows To Go with any edition of Windows 11/10/8.1/8. Hasleo WinToUSB is the world's first third-party software that can be used to create Windows To Go, it allows users to create Windows To Go workspace on Certified or Non-Certified USB drive, and it supports creating Windows To Go from an ISO, WIM, VHD(X) file or cloning currently running Windows to a USB drive as Windows To Go. In addition, Windows To Go Upgrader, our other product can help users upgrade Windows To Go workspace to keep Windows up to date. Since 2014, Hasleo has been helping users create Windows To Go (portable Windows) more easily, we will continue to develop Hasleo WinToUSB and Windows To Go Upgrader to help users ensure the continuity of their work.

How to create Windows To Go with Hasleo WinToUSB?

Here we do not describe how to create a Windows To Go drive in detail with Hasleo WinToUSB, please refer to How to create a portable Windows 11/10 USB drive.

Conclusion

In this article we describe in detail what Windows To Go is and how it differs from a normal Windows installation. And how to create Windows To Go using third-party Windows To Go creation software - Hasleo WinToUSB - after Microsoft stopped the development of Windows To Go.