Rescuezilla
Rescuezilla is a free and open-source disk imaging tool for Windows and Linux systems, designed to create full backups and restore entire drives or partitions. It’s often considered the modern, graphical alternative to tools like Hiren’s BootCD, but with a stronger focus on system imaging and drive cloning. Like Hiren’s, Rescuezilla runs from a bootable Live ISO and does not require installation.
It is ideal for anyone who needs to:
- Backup or restore an entire operating system, disk, or partition
- Create complete disk images before major updates or installations
- Clone a hard drive to a new SSD or migrate data between computers
- Recover from Windows or Linux system failures quickly and easily
- Access powerful rescue tools in a bootable live environment
Rescuezilla works by booting into a live Linux-based environment, where you can perform full backups to external drives, internal storage, or even over a network using SSH, Samba, or NFS. It supports popular file systems like NTFS, ext4, Btrfs, FAT32, and more — making it an excellent cross-platform backup solution. Backups are 100% Clonezilla-compatible and require no command-line knowledge thanks to the intuitive GUI.
The project is licensed under GPL and actively developed by the community. Whether you’re a home user, IT technician, or system administrator, Rescuezilla offers a reliable way to protect your systems from data loss and perform complete bare-metal restores.
Download Options
| Version | Platform | Download |
|---|---|---|
| 2.6.1 | Windows Live ISO | Download |
How to Create a Bootable Rescuezilla USB
You can easily create a bootable Rescuezilla USB stick using a tool like Rufus, Ventoy, or Balena Etcher. Once written, you can boot directly into the Rescuezilla environment without installing anything on your hard drive.
- 💡 See our step-by-step Rufus guide — it also works for Rescuezilla ISO.
- Works on both legacy BIOS and UEFI systems
- Ideal for emergency recovery or full disk cloning
Once booted, you’ll enter a full graphical Linux desktop where you can start backups, restore system images, or clone drives — all from a simple and intuitive interface.
Useful Links
- Official Website
- License: GPL
💡 Tip: Always verify your backup after creation. Rescuezilla is a powerful tool, but your safety net is only as good as the last verified restore point.