Hwak Posted September 7, 2021 Posted September 7, 2021 Many people are moving their PCs to Windows 11 by upgrading an existing install of Windows 10. However, in order to do that, you must have an activated copy of Windows 10 with its own product key on the computer in the first place. But what if you just want to throw Windows 11 onto an old or experimental PC, without having to install an activated copy of the prior operating system first? Or what if you want a fresh start without all of your old programs and settings being carried over? What you need is a Windows 11 ISO file you can boot from and use for a clean install. Fortunately, there are a couple of ways to get one. First, you can download a Windows 11 ISO directly from Microsoft, though it won't necessarily be the latest build. Second, you could use tools from a site called UUP dump to download the files from Microsoft's update servers and build a custom ISO tat's fully up-to-date. Advertisement Either way, you will use your Windows 11 ISO file to create a bootable install USB Flash drive or install the OS directly in a virtual machine. You can even get away with skipping the product key so you can run the new operating system completely for free (at least for now). This method may also allow you to install Windows 11 on PCs that don't meet the new operating system's minimum requirements (4GB of RAM, TPM, Secure Boot). How to Get a Windows 11 ISO: 2 Methods Before you can begin your install, you need to get a Windows 11 ISO file. If you've installed Windows 10 or even a build of Linux before, you'll know that ISO files are disk images you can use to create a bootable USB Flash drive, write to an optical disc or boot a virtual machine off of. RECOMMENDED VIDEOS FOR YOU... Please close pop-out player to resume playback. video playingThe Tom's Hardware Show 6/24: Windows 11 Revealed, AMD's DLSS Alternative How to Install Windows 11 on a Raspberry Pi 4 01/07/21How to Install Windows 11 on a Raspberry Pi 4 The Tom's Hardware Show 6/10: RTX 3070 Ti Review 10/06/21The Tom's Hardware Show 6/10: RTX 3070 Ti Review The Tom’s Hardware Show 3/11: Award-Winning PC... 11/03/21The Tom’s Hardware Show 3/11: Award-Winning PC Mods The Tom’s Hardware Show 2/11: A LIVE Chat With Intel 11/02/21The Tom’s Hardware Show 2/11: A LIVE Chat With Intel The Tom's Hardware Show 12/10: Glorious PC... 10/12/20The Tom's Hardware Show 12/10: Glorious PC Gaming Race CEO Shazim Mohammed, Cyberpunk 2077 Testing Downloading a Windows 11 ISO From Microsoft The easiest way to get a Windows 11 ISO is by downloading one directly from Microsoft. There are two small catches to this method. First, you have to be logged into microsoft.com with an account that's a member of the Windows Insider program. Second, you may not be getting the most recent build of Windows 11, though if you are in the Dev channel, Windows Update should update you to it after you install. 1. Navigate to the Windows 11 ISO page. If you are not logged in to your Microsoft Account, you must do so. And, if you are not already registered as a Windows Insider, you can register for free on the web. 2. Pick an edition from the select edition pulldown, which you'll find by scrolling down the page. If you want the latest build possible, select "Dev Channel." A confirm button will appear after you make your selection.
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