# Windows 11 and Windows 10 ISO downloads (official)

> Where to get Windows 11 26H2 x64/Arm64 ISOs, Media Creation Tool, Installation Assistant, Enterprise and IoT LTSC evaluations, and what Windows 10 end of support means for downloads.

## Windows 11 is the current client release

The download page currently serves the **Windows 11 26H2** multi-edition ISO. Home, Pro and Education are the same file; your product key selects the edition at install time.

- **[Windows 11 — multi-edition ISO (x64)](https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11)** (ISO · x64; Channel: Current release: Windows 11 26H2; Licence: Retail/OEM key selects the edition). One ISO contains Home/Pro/Edu and unlocks by product key. Pick language and confirm, then the page issues a time-limited link.
- **[Windows 11 — Arm64 ISO](https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11arm64)** (ISO · Arm64; Channel: Current release; Licence: Retail/OEM key selects the edition). Separate page because the Installation Assistant and Media Creation Tool are x64-only. Needed for Arm VMs and Snapdragon laptops.
- **[Windows 11 Installation Assistant](https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11)** (Setup assistant · x64; Channel: In-place upgrade; Licence: Needs an already-licensed Windows). Best for upgrading the PC you are sitting at. x64 only; does not create media and cannot be used for a clean disk install from scratch.
- **[Windows 11 Media Creation Tool](https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11)** (USB/DVD maker · x64; Channel: Bootable media; Licence: Same licence as the installed edition). Writes a bootable USB or ISO. x64 only; the Arm64 path is the separate ISO page. On a VM, mount the ISO instead.
- **[Windows 11 Enterprise evaluation](https://www.microsoft.com/evalcenter/download-windows-11-enterprise)** (ISO · Enterprise and Enterprise LTSC; Channel: Evaluation build; Licence: Time-limited evaluation, not for production). Includes both the current Enterprise branch and Enterprise LTSC, in many languages. Microsoft states the evaluation window before you register.
- **[Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 evaluation](https://www.microsoft.com/evalcenter/download-windows-11-iot-enterprise-ltsc-eval)** (ISO · 90-day evaluation; Channel: LTSC 2024; Licence: 90-day evaluation; reinstall, not upgrade). Microsoft explicitly says: do not upgrade an existing Windows with it — it is a replacement install. Good for kiosk/lab appliances.
- **[Windows 11 Insider Preview ISO](https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windowsinsiderpreviewiso)** (ISO · Insider channel; Channel: Dev / Beta channel; Licence: Insider terms; pre-release software). Requires joining the Windows Insider Program with a Microsoft account. Pre-release builds are not a stable lab base — snapshot first.
- **[Windows 10 22H2 ISO (end of support)](https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10)** (ISO · x64; Channel: 22H2, last release; Licence: No free security updates after 2025-10-14). Still downloadable, but the page itself warns that Windows 10 no longer receives free updates or security fixes. Use it for legacy testing only.

## Three download buttons, three different jobs

Microsoft puts three options on one page and does not explain the difference well:

- **Installation Assistant** upgrades the machine you are running it on. It does not create media. x64 only.
- **Media Creation Tool** writes a bootable USB stick or an ISO file. x64 only. This is what you want for a clean install on physical hardware.
- **Disk image (ISO)** is the raw image. This is what you mount in Proxmox, Hyper-V or VMware. Multi-edition, x64 — Arm64 has its own page.

If you are building a VM, skip the tools and take the ISO. The Creation Tool adds a step and no value inside a hypervisor.

## x64 and Arm64 are separate downloads

The Installation Assistant and Media Creation Tool **cannot** produce Arm64 media; Microsoft states this on the page. Arm64 Windows (Snapdragon laptops, Arm VMs on Apple silicon or Ampere hosts) needs the separate Arm64 ISO page.

## Windows 10: still downloadable, no longer supported

The Windows 10 ISO page still works, and it now carries the warning itself: after **2025-10-14** Windows 10 no longer receives free software updates, technical support or security fixes.

What that means practically:

- Fine for reproducing an old bug, testing a legacy app, or reading an old registry layout.
- Not fine for anything reachable from a network you do not control.
- Extended Security Updates exist for organisations under a paid programme; this site does not cover bypasses.

## Evaluations are not the same as “free Windows”

**Windows 11 Enterprise evaluation** gives you Enterprise and Enterprise LTSC images in many languages — useful when you need Group Policy, AppLocker or BitLocker behaviour that Home/Pro will not show you. It is time-limited; Microsoft states the window before you register.

**Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC 2024 evaluation** is a 90-day build aimed at fixed-function devices. Microsoft's own note is blunt: do not upgrade an existing Windows with it, it is a replacement install that reformats the disk.

**Insider Preview ISOs** require joining the Insider programme with a Microsoft account. They are pre-release builds — good for seeing what changes, bad as the base of a lab you plan to keep. Snapshot first; some builds cannot be rolled back.

> **Caution: TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot**
>
> Windows 11 requires UEFI, Secure Boot capability, TPM 2.0 and a supported CPU. On Proxmox that means OVMF + an emulated TPM plus a VirtIO disk. Tools that patch the installer to skip these checks produce a machine Microsoft does not support — fine as a deliberate lab choice, never as a documented production build.

## After you download

1. Hash the file (`Get-FileHash`) and compare with the value on the same vendor page and language.
2. For a VM: attach the ISO, boot, and load VirtIO storage drivers during setup — otherwise the disk list is empty.
3. Install, then run Windows Update before adding roles or applications.
4. Record the build number; “Windows 11” is not a version. This site's lab, for reference, runs 26H2 build 26300.9457.

## Related

- [Windows Server evaluations and deployment kits](https://windows.homes/en/downloads/server/)
- [Verify a Windows ISO before you install](https://windows.homes/en/downloads/#verify-before-you-install)
- [Windows install: clean install walkthrough](https://windows.homes/en/windows/install/clean/)

## Sources

- [Microsoft — Download Windows 11](https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11)
- [Microsoft — Download Windows 11 Arm64](https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11arm64)
- [Microsoft — Download Windows 10](https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows10)
- [Microsoft Learn — Windows 11 requirements](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/whats-new/windows-11-requirements)

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Source: https://windows.homes/en/downloads/windows/