Windows 11 ISO Download: Get the x64 or Arm64 Image

A Windows 11 ISO download gives you the complete installer as a single disk image file. Unlike the Installation Assistant or the Media Creation Tool, the ISO does nothing on its own: you decide what to do with it. That makes it the right choice for virtual machines, in-place repairs, building a USB drive with a tool you already trust, or keeping a copy of the installer for several PCs. This guide shows how to get the image from Microsoft, which version to pick, and how to confirm the file is genuine.

When an ISO is the right download

Microsoft offers three options on its Windows 11 page, and the ISO is not always the best one. Use it when you want to:

• Create a virtual machine in Hyper-V or another hypervisor, which can boot an ISO directly.
• Repair Windows in place. Mounting the ISO and running setup.exe reinstalls Windows while keeping files and apps. See reinstalling Windows 11 and keeping your files.
• Install on an Arm-based PC, because the Media Creation Tool only builds x64 media.
• Keep one installer for several PCs instead of running a download tool each time.

If you only want to upgrade the PC in front of you, the Installation Assistant is simpler. If you want a bootable USB stick and have an x64 PC, the Media Creation Tool does the whole job. Our Windows 11 download hub compares all three.

x64 or Arm64: check before you download

Microsoft publishes two ISOs, and they are not interchangeable.

Your PC	Which ISO	Where
Intel or AMD processor (“x64-based processor”)	Windows 11 multi-edition ISO for x64 devices	Windows 11 download page
Qualcomm Snapdragon or other Arm chip (“ARM-based processor”)	Windows 11 multi-edition ISO for Arm64	Windows 11 Arm64 download page

To find out which you have, open Settings > System > About and read “System type” under Device specifications. Microsoft notes that USB media made from the Arm64 ISO may also need drivers from the device maker to boot, so check your PC maker’s support site before relying on it for a reinstall.

Windows 11 only runs on 64-bit processors, so there is no 32-bit ISO.

How to download the Windows 11 ISO

1. Open the Microsoft download page for your architecture (links in the table above).
2. Scroll to Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO).
3. Open the drop-down, choose the multi-edition ISO, and select Confirm. The page checks your request, which can take a few seconds.
4. Under Select the product language, pick a language and select Confirm again.
5. Select the download button that appears. Save the file to a drive with plenty of free space; the image is several gigabytes.

The link Microsoft generates is valid for 24 hours. If you come back the next day and it fails, simply repeat the steps to get a fresh one. If the download is very slow or keeps breaking, our page on Windows 11 download errors covers the usual causes.

Editions and language: what you are choosing

You will not see separate Home and Pro downloads. The ISO is multi-edition, and setup reads the product key or digital license on the PC to install the right one. On a PC that came with Windows 11 Home, you get Home. If setup asks for a product key during a clean install and the PC already had Windows 11 activated, you can usually choose “I don’t have a product key” and let the digital license activate it once online.

Language does matter. For an in-place upgrade or repair that keeps your apps, choose the same language as your current Windows. You can check it in Settings > Time & language > Language & region. For a clean install, choose the language you want to use day to day.

Verify the ISO with Get-FileHash

The download page lists SHA256 hash values for each language. Comparing your file against that list confirms it was not corrupted or tampered with.

1. Open PowerShell from the Start menu.

2. Run:

   Get-FileHash "C:\Users\you\Downloads\Win11.iso"

   Use your real path and file name. SHA256 is the default algorithm.

3. Compare the Hash column with the value Microsoft lists for your language and architecture.

A match means the file is identical to Microsoft’s. A mismatch means you should delete it and download again. For more detail, see verifying a Windows 11 ISO checksum.

What to do with the ISO next

Mount it. In File Explorer, double-click the ISO (or right-click and select Mount). Windows opens it as a virtual DVD drive, and you can run setup.exe from it for an in-place upgrade or repair.

Make a bootable USB. Our guide to creating a Windows 11 bootable USB covers the Media Creation Tool and the ISO route for USB drives of at least 8 GB.

Use it in a VM. Point your virtual machine at the ISO as its boot disc. Remember that Windows 11 still expects TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, so enable the virtual TPM and Secure Boot options your hypervisor offers.

Do a clean install. Boot from the USB you made and follow our clean install guide.

Avoid ISOs from other websites

Third-party sites offer “pre-activated”, “lite” or repacked Windows 11 ISOs. Their contents cannot be verified against Microsoft’s hashes, they can carry malware, and they may not update properly. The same goes for activators bundled with them. Microsoft’s ISO is free, so there is no reason to take the risk.

Check the PC before installing

Before using the ISO on real hardware, make sure the PC meets the requirements: a supported 64-bit processor with 2 or more cores at 1 GHz or faster, 4 GB of RAM, 64 GB of storage, UEFI with Secure Boot capability, TPM 2.0, DirectX 12 / WDDM 2.0 graphics and a 720p display. Microsoft does not recommend installing on PCs that fall short, and such PCs are not entitled to updates. On a Windows 10 PC, the PC Health Check app tells you what passes and what does not.