Is SanDisk Extreme Pro USB-C (SDCZ890-256G-G46) good to boot from usb port on my Surface Pro 11

Jorge Santana 0 Reputation points
2026-06-21T20:53:01.51+00:00

Is SanDisk Extreme Pro USB-C 256 (SDCZ890-256G-G46) good to boot from usb port on my Surface Pro 11

Surface | Surface Pro | USB-C
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  1. Thomas4-N 17,980 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-22T08:30:59.39+00:00

    Hello Jorge Santana,

    Honestly, any decent USB-C flash drive will do the job here — there's no official Microsoft "approved/compatible" list, and the brand or model (including the SanDisk Extreme Pro you mentioned) isn't really the deciding factor. What matters is how the drive is prepared:

    • ARM64 media — the Pro 11 is a Snapdragon (ARM) device, so the bootable drive must be made with Windows 11 ARM64. x64 media won't boot on it.
    • Formatted FAT32 (GPT) so the UEFI recognizes it as bootable.
    • At least 16 GB capacity.
    • Plugged directly into the USB-C port (no hub/dock), with no other USB devices attached — the Surface will try to boot from any of them.
    • Boot by holding volume-down + power.

    So a mainstream USB-C drive in the 16–256 GB range is fine; get the media right and you're set.

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