How to download Windows 11 ISO file

UPDATED 5/12/2025: If you want to install or upgrade to Windows 11, you’ll need to download the ISO file, and you have several options to complete this task. The easiest way is to download it directly from the official Microsoft website. Alternatively, you can use the Media Creation Tool, which guides you through the process and lets you create the required installation media. Advanced users may prefer third-party tools like Rufus or UUP Dump, which offer more customization when building the media to install the operating system.

An ISO file is essentially a digital replica of a physical disc. It contains all the necessary files to install the operating system. This format is especially useful if you’re planning to install Windows 11 on a virtual machine, create a bootable USB drive for a clean installation, or even mount it directly in File Explorer to perform an in-place upgrade.

In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to download the Windows 11 ISO file in five different ways.

Download Windows 11 ISO file using Microsoft website

To download the Windows 11 ISO file directly from the Microsoft website, follow these steps:

Open the Microsoft Support website.
Select the Windows 11 option under the “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices” section.
Click the Download button.
Select the installation language.
Click the Confirm button.
Click the 64-bit Download button to save the Windows 11 ISO file on the computer.

Once you complete the steps, the image file will download to the computer. You can use it to create bootable media or install the operating system on a virtual machine. In addition, you can use a PowerShell command to verify the image integrity.

Download Windows 11 ISO file using Media Creation Tool

To download the original Windows 11 ISO file with the Media Creation Tool, follow these steps:

Open the Microsoft support website.
Click the Download tool now button under the “Create Windows 11 installation media” section.
Double-click the MediaCrationToolW11.exe file to launch the tool.
Click the Accept button.
Click the Next button.
Select the ISO file option.
Click the Next button.
Select the location to save the ISO file.
Confirm the ISO file name – for example, Windows_11_ISO.
Click the Save button.
Click the Finish button.

After you complete the steps, the tool will download the files and create a Windows 11 ISO file.

Download Windows 11 ISO file using Rufus

To use Rufus to download any version of the Windows 11 ISO, follow these steps:

Open the Rufus website.
Click the link to download the latest version under the “Download” section.
Double-click the Rufus executable file to launch the tool.
Click the Settings button (third button from the left) at the bottom of the page.
Choose the Daily option in the “Check for updates” setting and under the “Settings” section.
Click the Close button.
Click the Close button again.
Open Rufus again.
(Optional) Choose the USB flash drive under the “Device” section.
Select the “Disk or ISO image” option under the “Boot selection” section.
Click the down-arrow button (on the right side) and select the Download option.
Click the Download button.
Select the Windows 11 option.
Click the Continue button.
Select the latest release of the operating system.
Click the Continue button.
Select the Windows 11 Home/Pro/Edu option.
Click the Continue button.
Select the language for Windows 11 installation.
Click the Continue button.
Select the x64 architecture option.
Click the Download button.
Select the location to save the Windows 11 ISO file automatically.

Once you complete the steps, the ISO file for Windows 11 will be downloaded to your computer.

Download Windows 11 ISO file using UUP Dump

Although you can download the ISO file through the Microsoft website or using the Media Creation Tool, the UUP Dump is an alternative method that allows you to download the ISO file for the latest version of Windows 11 from the Microsoft servers, but you can also use it download the ISO file for older versions of the operating system.

To download the Windows 11 ISO file with the UUP Dump tool, follow these steps:

Open the UUP Dump page.
Click the Downloads tab.
Select the operating system version from the Windows 11 menu.
Click on the latest (x64) ISO file available – for example, “Windows 11, version 24H2 (26100.3915) amd64.”
Select the installation language using the “Language” setting.
Click the Next button.
Select the editions to include in the Windows 11 ISO file.
Click the Next button.
Select the “Download and convert to ISO” option.
Clear all the options under the “Conversion options” section to speed up the ISO creation process.
Click the “Create download package” button to save the tool on your computer.
Open the zip folder with File Explorer.
Click the Extract all button.
Select the location to extract the files, making sure the destination folder includes a short name without spaces, like in the screenshot.
Click the Extract button.
Right-click the uup_download_windows.cmd batch file and select the Run as administrator option.
Click the More info option.
Click the Run anyway button to begin the long process.
Press the “R” key to allow the script to run once, and press Enter.
Press the 0 key when prompted to close the screen.

After you complete the steps, the Windows 11 ISO file will be created inside the folder where you extracted the UUP Dump tool.

Download Windows 11 ISO for ARM64

If you have a Copilot+ PC featuring a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, you will have to download a different ISO file specific for the ARM architecture.

To download the ISO file of Windows 11 for arm64, follow these steps:

Open the Microsoft Support website.
Select the “Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO for Arm64)” option under the “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for Arm64-based PCs” section.
Click the Download button.
Select the installation language.
Click the Confirm button.
Click the Download button to save the ISO file for version 23H2 to your computer.

Once you download the ISO file, you can create a bootable USB or mount it on a virtual machine to continue with the setup.

What method did you use to download the operating system image? Did you encounter any issues? Let me know in the comments.

Update May 12, 2025: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.

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