Before we create your Bazzite Linux USB, here’s everything you’ll want to have ready and what you need to know. Nothing crazy; just the basics to make sure the install goes smoothly.

Things You’ll Need:

• A USB stick (8GB or bigger)
• A Windows PC (to create the installer)
• About 30–60 minutes

That's it! Nothing else needed.

Hardware Notes:

Bazzite works on almost anything that can run Windows 10. If you’ve got an NVIDIA card, grab the NVIDIA ISO. If you’re on AMD, congratulations, you basically get the smoothest ride. Intel and AMD integrated graphics work fine too. Most WiFi cards and controllers Just Work, though the occasional cursed Realtek chip might need extra drivers.

Brand-new hardware can be hit or miss at launch. When something is fresh out of the factory, Linux support might lag behind for a bit because companies write Windows drivers first. Linux needs time for the kernel (the brain), firmware (the little goblins that make hardware behave), and Mesa (the part of Linux that actually draws the pretty graphics) to catch up. So if your hardware is extremely new, you might need to wait for a kernel or Mesa update before everything runs perfectly.

On the opposite end, very old hardware is totally fine as long as it can run Windows 10. If your system can’t run Win10 because it’s ancient (we’re talking 15+ years old), you’re better off with something lightweight like Puppy Linux or Linux Mint XFCE.

Laptops work great, but touchscreen gestures can be a mixed bag depending on the model.

Backup Recommendations:

Even though the Bazzite installer is safe, you should always back up your important stuff first. Photos, documents, project files, game saves that aren’t in Steam Cloud, ALL OF IT! If you’re planning to wipe Windows completely, back up everything I just mentioned and move your big files to an external drive.

Personally, I keep a 1TB external SSD just for this. Having your files on a separate device means you can mess with your system, reinstall Linux, or hop between distros without having an existential crisis every time you wipe a drive. And yeah… if you’re boring, you could also reinstall Windows with a boot drive I guess. But where’s the fun in that?

It’s also smart to check that your Windows drive isn’t already dying before you start. Weird clicking noises, slow startup, random freezing, these are ALL red flags. Meaning the hardware might be damaged and you'll need to get new hardware.

If you’re planning to dual-boot, make sure to turn off Windows Fast Boot. It causes Windows to lock certain files and partitions, and then Linux is like “wtf am I supposed to do with this.” Dual-booting works fine once Fast Boot is off, but Windows definitely doesn’t like sharing.