If you landed here after finding out there’s no such thing as a Windows 12 ISO, this is the guide for what you can actually download today. Windows 11 is Microsoft’s current, fully supported operating system, and its ISO is available directly from Microsoft at no cost. Here’s exactly how to get it, verify it’s genuine, and turn it into installation media you can actually use.
Before you start: what you’ll need
A stable internet connection, since the ISO itself runs close to 7 to 8GB depending on the edition and language you choose. At least 8GB of free space if you’re planning to build a bootable USB drive, or a dual-layer DVD if you’re going that route, since the standard single-layer 4.7GB discs won’t fit a modern Windows 11 image. Your Windows product key, if you’re doing a clean install rather than an in-place upgrade, though a digital license tied to your Microsoft account will often reactivate automatically on a previously activated device.
It’s also worth backing up anything important before you go further, especially if you’re planning a clean install rather than an upgrade, since a clean install wipes the target drive.
Method 1: Download the ISO directly from your browser
This is the most straightforward route if you specifically want the raw ISO file rather than a tool that builds installation media for you.
Step 1. Go to Microsoft’s official Windows 11 download page at microsoft.com/software-download/windows11. Don’t search generically and click the first result without checking the domain, since this is exactly the kind of page name that gets imitated by unofficial sites.
Step 2. Scroll down to the section titled “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO).”
Step 3. From the dropdown, select “Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO for x64 devices)” and click Download Now. This is a multi-edition file, meaning Home, Pro, Education, and Enterprise are all bundled in, and your product key determines which edition actually gets unlocked during setup, so you don’t need to pick a specific edition at this stage.
Step 4. Choose your product language from the next dropdown. This needs to match the language currently set on your PC (check under Settings, Time & Language, if you’re not sure), and click Confirm.
Step 5. Click the 64-bit Download button that appears. Microsoft generates a direct download link at this point that stays valid for 24 hours, so if it expires before you finish downloading, just return to the page and repeat the process to get a fresh link.
If you’re on Arm-based hardware, such as a Snapdragon X-series laptop, Microsoft hosts a separate Arm64 ISO page, since the standard x64 image won’t work on that architecture.
Method 2: Use the Media Creation Tool
This route is better if you want Microsoft to handle the details for you, particularly if you’re building a bootable USB drive rather than just saving the ISO.
Step 1. On the same Windows 11 download page, find the section titled “Create Windows 11 Installation Media” and click Download Now to get the Media Creation Tool.
Step 2. Right-click the downloaded file and choose “Run as administrator,” then accept the license terms.
Step 3. On the “What do you want to do?” screen, choose whether you’re setting up the PC you’re currently using or creating media for another PC. If your language and edition preferences differ from your current system, uncheck “Use the recommended options for this PC” so you can set them manually.
Step 4. Choose which type of media you want. You can select “ISO file” if you just want the disk image saved to your PC, or “USB flash drive” if you want the tool to build a bootable drive for you directly.
Step 5. Pick a save location, and the tool will download and verify the files automatically. This step can take a while depending on your connection, so don’t cancel it partway through.
How to verify your ISO hasn’t been tampered with
This step matters more than people usually treat it, especially given how many pages online distribute modified ISOs disguised as official ones. Microsoft publishes a SHA256 hash for each ISO on the same download page. To check yours:
Open Windows PowerShell, then run:
Get-FileHash -Path "C:\path\to\your\file.iso" -Algorithm SHA256
Compare the resulting hash to the one listed on Microsoft’s page for the exact edition and language you downloaded. If they match exactly, your file is unmodified. If they don’t match, delete it and download again rather than proceeding, since a mismatched hash means the file was altered or corrupted somewhere between Microsoft’s server and your download.
Building bootable install media
If you downloaded the ISO directly rather than letting the Media Creation Tool build a USB drive for you, you have two main options:
Mount it directly, if you just need to run setup without building physical media. Right-click the ISO file and select Mount, which creates a virtual disc you can open in File Explorer. From there, double-click setup.exe to begin installation.
Build a USB drive with Rufus, if you need physical bootable media, for example to install on a different PC. Format your USB drive as FAT32 first if you’re working with a standard BIOS/UEFI setup, or use the GPT partition scheme if you’re installing on a drive 4TB or larger. Rufus will generally detect the right settings automatically once you select your ISO file.
If you only have access to a DVD burner, note that the Windows 11 ISO exceeds the 4.7GB capacity of a standard single-layer disc, so you’ll need a dual-layer blank DVD with roughly 8.5GB of capacity instead.
Checking your PC actually supports Windows 11
Before you install, it’s worth confirming your hardware meets Microsoft’s requirements rather than finding out partway through setup. Windows 11 requires a 64-bit processor with two or more cores, TPM 2.0 enabled, Secure Boot support, and at least 4GB of RAM with 64GB of storage. Microsoft’s PC Health Check app will tell you directly whether your specific machine qualifies.
If your PC falls short on TPM or Secure Boot specifically, those are often features that exist on the motherboard but are simply switched off. Restarting into your BIOS/UEFI settings (commonly by pressing F2, Del, or F10 during boot) and enabling them there resolves this for a lot of otherwise-compatible machines. If your hardware genuinely doesn’t support these features at all, installing anyway is possible using workarounds like Rufus’s compatibility bypass, but Microsoft is explicit that doing so puts your device outside of official support and update eligibility, which is a real tradeoff worth weighing rather than doing by default.
What if you’re actually looking for something newer?
If part of why you’re here is hoping Windows 11 is really “Windows 12 in disguise,” it isn’t. Windows 11 25H2 is the current release as of mid-2026, and it’s a continuation of the same platform, not a new OS generation. For what’s actually confirmed and speculated about a genuine next-generation release, see our Windows 12 release date and status tracker. And if you got here because you were specifically looking for a “Windows 12 ISO,” we’ve laid out exactly why that doesn’t exist yet in Windows 12 ISO Download: Why It Doesn’t Exist Yet.
Common issues and quick fixes
“The download link expired.” Direct download links are only valid for 24 hours. Head back to the download page and generate a new one; the file itself doesn’t expire once it’s actually on your PC.
“Disc image file is too large” when burning a DVD. Switch to a dual-layer DVD, or just use a USB drive instead, which is faster anyway.
Setup won’t proceed past the TPM/Secure Boot check. Enter your BIOS/UEFI settings and enable both, if your hardware supports them.
The USB drive won’t boot. Confirm it was actually created with Rufus or the Media Creation Tool rather than just dragging files onto it manually, and try a different USB port if the first one doesn’t work, since some older ports don’t support boot correctly.
A few things people ask
Is downloading the Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft actually free? Yes. Microsoft doesn’t charge for the ISO itself. You’ll need a valid product key or digital license to activate the installed OS, but the download is free.
Can I use this to do a completely clean install, wiping everything? Yes. During setup, choose “Change what to keep” on the “Ready to install” screen and select “Nothing” if you want a full clean install rather than keeping your files and apps.
Do I need a product key to install from this ISO? Not necessarily. If your device was previously activated with a Microsoft account tied to it, it will often reactivate automatically. Otherwise, you’ll be prompted to enter a key after setup completes.
Is it safe to download the ISO through a third-party tool that says it links to Microsoft? Only if you can verify the underlying link actually points to microsoft.com. Some third-party tools genuinely do use Microsoft’s real servers, but it’s worth confirming rather than assuming, and checking the SHA256 hash afterward regardless of where you got the link.