A new Ventoy version is out, but your pen drive carries ten ISO files you collected over months. Formatting is not required - Ventoy was built to update in place, and this guide shows the safe way, step by step.
By Technical AnshuVentoy USB Guide6 minute read
Watch the full video - the update runs live on a pen drive full of ISO files, and nothing gets formatted
Most people postpone Ventoy updates for one reason: the fear that updating means formatting, and formatting means losing the whole ISO collection and an evening of downloads. That fear belongs to other tools. Ventoy separates its boot system from your files, and its installer has a dedicated Update mode that refreshes only the boot side. Here is the complete process - what to check, which button to press, and how to confirm nothing was lost.
Ventoy2Disk - what the window is telling you
DeviceYour pen drive (check size and letter)
Ventoy in PackageThe new version you downloaded
Ventoy in DeviceThe old version on the drive right now
Install buttonFormats everything - do NOT use on a working drive
Update buttonRefreshes boot files only - ISOs stay untouched
The whole method is one correct click - Update - after checking the two version numbers
1
Understand Why an Update Cannot Touch Your ISOs
A Ventoy pen drive is split into two partitions. The first, large partition is a normal exFAT data partition - that is where your ISO files, your ventoy folder, themes and everything else live, and Windows shows it as an ordinary drive letter. The second partition is a tiny 32 MB FAT partition called VTOYEFI that holds the boot files. An update rewrites only the boot code and that small VTOYEFI partition. The data partition is not opened, not resized and not formatted - which is exactly why your ISOs survive.
2
Download the New Package the Safe Way
Download the latest Ventoy package only from the official site, ventoy.net - never from a random download portal
Extract the ZIP fully to a folder on your PC. Do not run the tool from inside the ZIP
Plug in your Ventoy pen drive and close any File Explorer window or copy that is using it
Run Ventoy2Disk.exe as administrator
3
Compare the Versions, Then Click Update
Select your pen drive in the Device dropdown - confirm it by size and drive letter
Read the two numbers: Ventoy in Package (new) should be higher than Ventoy in Device (old). If they are equal, you are already current and there is nothing to do
Click Update. Stay away from the Install button - on an existing drive it repartitions and formats everything
Read the confirmation message and accept. On the Linux command line the same operation states it plainly: Upgrade operation is safe, all the data in the 1st partition (iso files and other) will be unchanged!
The write takes a few seconds. Do not pull the drive out, and do not let the PC sleep during it
On Linux the identical job is one command: sudo sh Ventoy2Disk.sh -u /dev/sdX - the -u flag is update mode, and -l lists the version currently on the device so you can confirm before and after.
4
Verify Before You Trust It
Ventoy2Disk now shows Ventoy in Device matching the package version
Open the drive in File Explorer - every ISO file is still there, same sizes, same folders
Safely eject the drive instead of just pulling it out
Boot one PC from it: the Ventoy menu appears with the new version number at the bottom of the screen
Start one ISO from the menu to be fully sure the drive still does its job
Honest limits: an in-place update is safe by design, but it is still a write to a USB drive. A failing pen drive, a loose port or a power cut in those few seconds can corrupt the boot partition. Your ISO files would almost certainly still be readable - but if this drive holds ISOs you cannot download again, copy them to the PC first. Two minutes of copying is cheaper than regret.
5
One Extra Habit - Keep a Second Ready Drive
If you repair PCs for a living, update your main Ventoy drive only when you have a second, older-but-working bootable drive in the bag. Update one, test it, then update the other a week later. That way no single bad update - or lost drive - ever leaves you standing at a dead PC with no tools. The video walks through the whole update live, so watch it once before your first attempt.
Watch Full Video
The complete no-format update, running live on a loaded pen drive - versions before and after, and every ISO still in place at the end.
Will updating Ventoy delete the ISO files on my pen drive?
No. Update mode rewrites only the boot code and the small VTOYEFI partition. The large data partition that holds your ISO files is not formatted, resized or touched, so every file stays exactly where it was.
What if I click Install instead of Update by mistake?
Install repartitions and formats the entire drive, erasing everything on it. If that happens, stop writing to the drive immediately and restore your ISO files from your PC copies or downloads. This is why a quick backup before updating is always worth it.
How do I confirm the update actually worked?
Ventoy2Disk shows the device version matching the package version, and when you boot the drive, the Ventoy menu displays the new version number at the bottom of the screen. Boot one ISO as a final check.
This guide is based on the Update Ventoy Without Formatting Pendrive video by Technical Anshu - Stuck on a step? Ask in the video comments, help is always there.