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When a new version of Windows 10 is released, Microsoft also releases new ISO disk images of the operating system to perform clean installs or create a bootable recovery environment. This article provides two ways you can download the latest Windows 10 ISO images from Microsoft.
Method 1: Use the Media Creation Tool
Microsoft offers a tool called the Media Creation Tool that lets you download the latest Windows 10 ISO to a file or burn it to a USB drive.
1. Visit the Windows 10 download page using your web browser.
2. Under 'Create Windows 10 installation media,' click on the button and save the executable file.
3. Open downloaded file, you can find the downloaded file in the Downloads folder.
4. The tool will load and prepare a few things before it can proceed.
5. When done, you will be shown a license agreement. To continue, click on the Accept button.
6. The tool display a prompt asking if you would like to upgrade the computer or ‘Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC.
At this prompt, select the Create installation media option and then press the Next button.
7. The tool will ask what language, architecture, and Windows edition you want for your ISO image. By default, the Media Creation Tool will use your local language and architecture, but you can uncheck Use the recommended options for this PC checkbox to select other options, or select another language.
8. You will now be asked if you wish to create a bootable USB drive or a Windows 10 ISO. As we are creating an ISO file, select the ISO file option and press Next.
9. You will now be prompted to select a location to save your ISO file. Select a folder to save the ISO file to, and then click on the Save button.
10. The Media Creation Tool will now create the ISO file in the specified location. Please be patient while the file is created.
11. When the Media Creation Tool has finished creating the ISO, you can close the program by clicking on the Finish button. You will now have the latest Windows 10 ISO image file saved to your folder, which can be used for virtual machines or to create bootable media at a later date.
Method 2: Direct download Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft website
When you go to Microsoft’s Download Windows 10 page, you are only given the option to update to a new version using Windows Update or to using the Microsoft Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.
However, it is possible to download an ISO image by changing your browser’s user agent to a non-Windows operating system.
1. Go to the Windows 10 download page in any Chromium-based browser, such as Chrome or the new Microsoft Edge.
2. Click on the Chrome menu, then More Tools, and then click on Developer tools, as shown below. Or you can press the Ctrl + Shift + I keyboard combination.
3. Now press the Ctrl + Shift + M keyboard combination to open the Device toolbar. This toolbar lets you impersonate another device, such as a mobile phone or a tablet. When switching to another device, it also changes the browser’s user agent, which the website uses to identify a visitor’s operating system.
Click on the menu that shows Responsive and select iPad or iPad Mini so that you can view the page better.
4. When you first select one of these devices, the screen size will be set to 75%. Please change it to 100%, as shown below, so that you can see the web page better.
5. Now press the F5 key on your keyboard to refresh the page, and Microsoft’s site will now offer you the Windows 10 ISO instead of the Media Creation Tool.
6. Now click on the drop-down arrow under ‘Select edition’ and select the ‘Windows 10’ option under the name of the latest feature update. Once selected, click on the Confirm button.
7. After a few seconds, Microsoft’s site will now ask you to select your ISO’s product language. Select your favorite language and press the Confirm button again.
8. Finally, you will be asked whether you want to download a 32-bit or 64-bit version of the Windows 10 ISO. Most people want to download the 64-bit version of Windows 10.
The current ISO image is 5.5 GB, so it may take some time to download depending on your Internet connection speed.
Note
The ISO download link generated by Microsoft’s site will remain valid for 24 hours and be shared with other people during that time frame. After 24 hours, the link will no longer work, and you will need to create a new one again using the above steps.
