USB Image Tool
USB Image Tool is a free Windows utility for making exact byte copies of USB storage devices and restoring those images.
What USB Image Tool is
USB Image Tool is a free Windows utility for making exact byte copies of USB storage devices and restoring those images. It supports raw images plus gzip- and ZIP-compressed formats. Compatible USB Mass Storage devices include flash drives, card readers, SD cards, cameras, phones, and music players. Device mode copies the complete device, including its boot sector, which suits bootable media and drives with multiple partitions. Functions include GPT partition table adjustment, device information, favorite image management, verification, and a command-line utility. An integrity check can detect devices reporting false capacities. The current download requires Windows 7 or higher and .NET Framework 4.7; the command-line utility does not require .NET Framework or usbit32.dll. USB Image Tool always needs administrator rights. It does not resize partitions or encrypt images. Alexander Beug describes it as a hobby project and provides a support forum. The program is free to download, with PayPal donations supported.
Good
- Creates byte-for-byte USB device images
- Supports raw, gzip, and ZIP images
- Device mode includes the boot sector
- Verification and integrity checks are available
- Command-line utility is included
Watch out
- Requires administrator rights
- Does not resize partitions
- Image encryption is not provided
- Windows 7 or higher is required
Who it suits
It suits Windows users who need full USB device images, bootable-media copies, or restores. It is also useful for users working with common USB Mass Storage devices and compressed image files.
Verdict
USB Image Tool focuses on complete USB imaging and restoration with broad device support. Its lack of partition resizing and encryption means those tasks require separate software.
Plans and prices
From USB Image Tool's own pricing page, checked 7 Oct 2026.
| Plan | Price | What it gives you |
|---|---|---|
| USB Image Tool | Free | Free to download · donation supported via PayPal |
The facts
Each one read from USB Image Tool's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Administrative rights
- USB Image Tool always requires administrator rights, according to its FAQ.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Image formats
- It supports raw images and compressed images in gzip and ZIP formats.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Integrity checks
- Version 1.90 added an integrity check to detect devices reporting fake size information.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Limit: encryption
- The FAQ says image encryption is not planned and suggests encrypting the image or drive with software such as VeraCrypt.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Limit: partition resizing
- The FAQ says the tool does not grow or shrink partitions and recommends specialized tools for that task.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Other features
- Features include GPT partition table adjustment, USB device information, favorite image management, and a command line utility.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- USB Image Tool creates exact byte copies of USB storage devices and restores images to devices.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Security
- Version 1.85 updated zlib to version 1.2.12 for a security fix.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Support
- The maker provides a USB Image Tool support forum.checked 7 Oct 2026
- System requirements
- The current download requires .NET Framework 4.7 and Windows 7 or higher; the command line utility does not require .NET Framework or usbit32.dll.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Verification
- The changelog says version 1.75 added verification to the GUI and command line tool support was added in version 1.65.checked 7 Oct 2026
Where it runs
- Device mode
- Device mode copies the whole USB device, including its boot sector, and is recommended for bootable devices or drives with multiple partitions.checked 7 Oct 2026
- Device support
- It works with devices that implement the USB Mass Storage protocol, including flash drives, card readers, SD cards, cameras, phones, and music players.checked 7 Oct 2026
The company
- Intended use and maker
- Alexander Beug describes USB Image Tool as his hobby project and says his programming blog focuses mainly on it.checked 7 Oct 2026
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