When releasing a new version of Windows 10, Microsoft also releases new OS disk images for clean installations or creating a bootable recovery environment. This article provides two methods through which you can download latest Windows 10 ISO images from Microsoft.
An ISO Image is a sector copy of a Windows OS DVD stored as a single “.iso” file on your computer. You can then burn this ISO file to another DVD, create a bootable USB drive, Connect it as a drive letter in WindowsOr, extract its files using 7- Zip code.
ISO images are easy to use because they allow you to create a bootable media that can be used as a recovery environment for troubleshooting or clean installations of the latest Windows 10. You can also use them to create Windows 10 virtual machines using Hyper-V, VirtualBox, or VMware.
Microsoft recommends using Windows 10 Media Creation Tool (MCT) to download the latest ISO image or create a bootable USB drive.
This article will show you how to use MCT to download the latest ISO or trick Microsoft’s site into letting you download ISO images directly instead.
Method 1: Use Media Creation Tool to create an ISO file
Microsoft offers a tool called Media Creation Tool which lets you download the latest Windows 10 ISO to a file or burn it to a USB drive.
To use the media creation tool to get the latest ISO version, please follow these steps:
- Visit Windows 10 download page Using your web browser.
- Under “Create Windows 10 installation media,” clickDownload the tool nowLink and save the executable file. At the time of writing, the MCT executable is named MediaCreationTool20H2.exe.
- Once downloaded, run the program, and Windows will prompt you for permission to allow it to run. At this prompt, tap Yeah, The MCT will load and prepare some things before continuing.
- Upon completion, a license agreement will appear to you. To continue, tap Acceptance button.
- The tool will now indicate that it is “preparing some things”, and when finished, display a prompt asking if you want to upgrade your computer or “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another computer.”
At this prompt, select File Create installation media Option then press next one button.
- The media creation tool will now download and check the necessary files to create a bootable ISO or USB drive. This process may take a while, so please be patient.
- When finished, MCT will ask you which language, architecture, and Windows version you want for your ISO image. By default, MCT will use your local language and syntax, but you can deselect Use the options recommended for this computer Check box to select other options.
When done, tap next one button.
- Now you will be asked if you want to create a bootable USB drive or Windows 10 ISO. While we’re creating an ISO file, select File ISO file Option and press next one.
- You will now be prompted to select a location to save your ISO file. Select a folder to save the ISO file to, then tap save button.
- The media creation tool will now create the ISO file at the specified location. Please be patient while creating the file.
- When Media Creation Tool has finished creating the ISO file, you can close the program by clicking ending button.
You will now have the most recent Windows 10 ISO image file saved in your folder, which can be used for virtual machines or to create bootable media at a later date.
Method 2: Download the latest Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft
When you go to MicrosoftDownload Windows 10“, You are only given the option to update to a new version using Windows Update or using the Microsoft Windows 10 Media Creation Tool.
However, it is possible to trick Microsoft’s Windows 10 download page into offering an ISO image instead by changing the browser’s user agent to a non-Windows OS.
To download the latest Windows 10 ISO image, please follow these steps:
- go to Windows 10 download page In any Chromium-based browser, like Chrome or the new Microsoft Edge.
- Click the Chrome menu, then More tools, Then click Developer tools, As shown below.
- Now press Ctrl + Shift + M. Keyboard combination to open device toolbar. This toolbar allows you to impersonate another device, such as a mobile phone or tablet. When switching to another device, it also changes the browser user agent, which the website uses to identify the visitor’s operating system.
Click the menu that appears responsive And choose IPAD or iPad Pro So you can view the page better.
- When you select one of these devices for the first time, the screen size will be set to 50%. Please change it to 100%, as shown below, so that you can better see the webpage.
- Now press F5 On keyboard to refresh the page, and Microsoft’s website will now offer you a Windows 10 ISO instead of Media Creation Tool.
Now click on the dropdown arrow under “Select version” and select “Windows 10 ‘ Option under the name of last feature update. At the time of writing this article, the latest version is Windows 10 20H2, known as the Windows 10 October 2020 Update.
Once selected, click Emphasizes button.
- After a few seconds, the Microsoft website will now ask you to select your ISO product language.
Select your language and tap Emphasizes Button again.
- Finally, you will be asked if you want to download a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows 10 ISO. Most of people want to download the 64-bit version of Windows 10.
- When you click the download button, you will be asked which folder you would like to save the ISO file to, as shown below. After selecting the folder to save the ISO file, tap on File save Button to download it.
The current ISO image is 5.8GB, so it may take some time to download depending on your internet connection speed.
The ISO download link created by the Microsoft site will remain valid for 24 hours and will be shared with other people during this timeframe. After 24 hours, the link will no longer work, and you will need to create a new link again using the above steps.
What should you do with the ISO?
Now that you have got a copy of the latest Windows 10 ISO image, you might be wondering what you should do with it.
This ISO image can now be loaded into virtual machines to upgrade your Windows installation or install a new one. You can also extract an ISO file to find a specific Windows system file.
Finally, you can use an ISO image and a free utility like Rufus or Universal USB installer To create a Windows 10 bootable USB drive.
However, if the goal is to create a bootable media, it will be easier if the media creation tool makes it for you, as shown in the steps above.
Once you create a bootable Windows 10 or Windows 10 DVD USB drive, you can use it to perform a clean install of Windows 10. A clean install is when you completely reformat your computer and reinstall Windows 10, so that you have a clean install of the operating system without any Additional software or drivers.
Another common use for Windows 10 bootable USB drives is that they can be used as a recovery environment to remove malware and troubleshoot Windows 10 crashes, errors and freezes.
For any purpose, you need a spare USB drive that can be used to create a Windows 10 bootable USB media.
If you don’t have a spare USB drive, you can purchase an 32 GB SanDisk Drive For around $ 8.99 or a 5 Packs of 64GB USB Drives For $ 24 on Amazon.
Computer Strongly It recommends that every Windows user create a Windows 10 bootable USB media that they can use for troubleshooting.
We have used the Windows 10 recovery environment many times in the past to troubleshoot problems with Windows. The availability of a bootable USB media can save a lot of frustration when your computer is not working properly.
Updated 1/2/2021Information on MCT use has also been added.
