How to do a clean install of Windows 11 using an ISO file

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How to practise a clean install of Windows 11 using an ISO file

(Image credit: Microsoft)

Want to know how to do a clean install of Windows xi? The obvious solution is to sign up for the Windows Insider Plan and download the latest build that Microsoft makes available through Windows Update.

All the same, this method simply allows you to upgrade to Windows 11 from your current Windows x installation. Although upgrading preserves all your files, settings, and programs, it also means that whatsoever junk, broken registry entries and performance bug volition be transferred to your new setup.

Performing a clean install, in contrast, gives you a completely fresh offset with Windows 11, and ensures that it runs as smoothly as possible. Y'all can either install the new operating system on a spare PC, or on a partition on your current difficult drive, so yous won't overwrite of import files or lose access to Windows 10.

• Check if your PC can run it: Windows 11 system requirements
• How to install Windows eleven: Through the Windows Insider Program
• How to check Windows 11 compatibility if PC Health Check doesn't work
• Our full listing: Windows eleven-ready laptops

There'southward been a lot of controversy about Windows 11 requirements, with Microsoft deeming many processors incompatible with the new operating system. The adept news is that preview releases of Windows xi can be installed despite the restrictions, and will piece of work for the moment, at least.

Hither we'll explain how to featherbed the Windows Insider Program, and download the latest version of Windows 11 to make clean install on your PC. You won't even demand to enter a Windows product fundamental.

How to do a make clean install of Windows 11: Download the latest build

The only official way to examination drive Windows 11 is to sign upward for the Windows Insider Plan and upgrade from Windows ten. Microsoft has now released ISO files of the new operating system, but you'll need to be an Insider to try this method.

Fortunately, if you want to clean install Windows eleven without becoming an Insider, it is possible to download ISOs of the latest builds from a tertiary-party website called UU Dump. This is a safe, trustworthy source, and you lot don't even demand to register with the site.

Here nosotros testify y'all how to make clean install Windows 11 past downloading the correct ISO file for your PC.

ane. First, head to UU Dump , where you can download the latest builds of various Windows versions for gratuitous. Click the Dev Channel link at the top of the folio.

(Image credit: Tom'due south Guide)

ii. Select the most contempo version of Windows xi at the top of the listing of releases.

Choose the "x64" build, rather than "arm64", unless you lot have an ARM-powered laptop such as the Microsoft Surface Pro X.

(Image credit: Tom'southward Guide)

3. Click Adjacent on the following page and select the edition of Windows 11 you want to clean install. We chose Windows Home, because that's the version we're running on our laptop. Click Next again to confirm.

(Image credit: Tom'south Guide)

4. Select the download option "Download and convert to ISO". This will brand the downloaded Windows 11 build easier to make clean install. Also bank check the box to "Include updates."

Click the "Create a download package" push button to download a ZIP file containing the Windows 11 setup files.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

How to clean install Windows 11: Create the ISO file

In one case yous've downloaded the latest Windows 11 build, you lot'll demand to install the required files to create an ISO disk paradigm of the operating system. The parcel you lot downloaded from UU Dump will do the hard work for y'all.

Here we explain how to perform the ISO cosmos process and why y'all'll need to be patient to get your clean install of Windows 11.

one. Open up the downloaded ZIP file and excerpt its contents to a folder on your PC. The default folder will have a very long proper noun and exist located in your Downloads folder, so yous may want to create a dedicated folder on your Desktop for easier access.

We've called our folder "win11iso". Brand sure your folder doesn't take whatsoever spaces in its proper noun, every bit this will forestall installation.

(Paradigm credit: Microsoft)

two. Double-click the file in the folder named uup_download_windows. If Windows displays a SmartScreen security warning, click More than info and cull Run anyway (the file is completely safe to run.)

(Image credit: Microsoft)

3. A command prompt window will now open up and start downloading all the installation files required to create the Windows 11 ISO.

Be warned that this tin can take a long time, and may hang for a while: we waited for over an hour on our HP laptop.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

4. Once all the files are downloaded, the ISO file should be created automatically. Printing 0 on your keyboard to shut the command prompt window and look in the setup files folder from pace i.

You lot should see the new ISO disc image file in the same binder as the uup_download_windows file you double-clicked in step 2.

(Epitome credit: Microsoft)

How to clean install Windows 11: Create a bootable install disk

Now comes the tricky task of creating a bootable install disk from the Windows xi ISO file. You lot'll need a USB stick with at least 8GB of storage space on it.

Ordinarily, we'd recommend using the first-class free program Rufus to create the bootable USB drive, merely sadly Microsoft has made this difficult, in fact impossible, with Windows xi.

If you try to burn the Windows eleven ISO to a USB stick using Rufus or a similar program, it volition create an NTFS-formatted drive rather than a FAT32-formatted ane. This is because the Windows 11 installation file is larger than 4GB, which is the maximum size supported by FAT32.

To kicking into a make clean install from an NTFS drive, you'll demand to disable your PC's Secure Boot feature, and Windows 11 won't run without Secure Boot being enabled. Luckily, there is a workaround, as we'll explicate beneath.

one. Insert your USB stick and make sure at that place's null important stored on information technology, equally all data will need to exist erased to create the bootable install disk.

Open the Disk Management Tool by typing "disk partition" into the Commencement menu search box and selecting "Create and format disk partitions."

(Epitome credit: Microsoft)

2. Select your USB stick in the list of drives, then right-click each of its partitions in the bottom department of the window and cull Delete Volume. Click Yes when asked if yous're certain yous want to keep.

(Epitome credit: Microsoft)

three. Next, right-click the USB stick'due south empty space and choose New Simple Volume. Create a new partition that's 1GB in size and format it as FAT32.

Create a second partition that uses the remaining space on the bulldoze and format information technology as NTFS.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

4. One time this is done, get back to the Windows 11 folder, correct-click the ISO file and choose Mountain.

(Prototype credit: Microsoft)

five. When the ISO folder opens, copy all the files and folders, except the "sources" folder, to the FAT32 partition on the USB drive.

Create an empty folder called "sources" on this FAT32 partitioning and re-create the "boot.wim" file from the original "sources" binder into it.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

six. Now re-create all the files and folders from the ISO, including those you copied before, to the NTFS partitioning of the USB stick.

This can accept a while, only once consummate, you should (finally!) take a bootable install disk for Windows xi.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

How to clean install Windows xi: Perform the make clean install

With that difficult part out of the way, you can now perform your clean install of Windows eleven from the bootable install disk on your USB stick, so make sure it'due south inserted in your PC.

In our instructions below, we've recommended selecting your USB drive in Windows x's Advanced Startup Options, just you lot could also boot straight from the USB stick by changing the boot order in your organisation's BIOS.

1. Restart your PC into Advanced Startup Options. To do this, hold downwards the Shift key on your keyboard when you cull Restart from the Power menu.

Alternatively, open up Settings, cull Update & Security, so Recovery, and click "Restart now" under "Avant-garde start-upward".

(Image credit: Microsoft)

2. When the Advanced Startup screen appears, click "Use a device" under "Choose an option."

On the following screen, select the USB stick that you copied the Windows 11 ISO to. As you created two partitions, you'll run into two options: the peak one should exist the NTFS-formatted sectionalisation, so click that. If it doesn't piece of work, endeavor the other selection.

(Paradigm credit: Microsoft)

3. The Windows Setup screen will now open. Choose your preferred language, fourth dimension and currency format, and keyboard and input method from the drop-down menus and click Next.

On the following screen, click "Install now."

(Image credit: Microsoft)

iv. Yous may at present be asked to enter your Windows product cardinal. If you have your license key for Windows 10 to hand, type it in, but if not don't worry: you tin can simply click "I don't have a production key" to continue.

(Epitome credit: Microsoft)

5. Windows Setup will now ask which type of installation yous desire. To perform a clean install, rather than an upgrade, choose "Custom: Install Windows but (advanced)."

This will hateful losing all files, settings, and applications stored on the installation drive, then make sure you have everything backed up.

(Image credit: Microsoft)

half-dozen. Select the drive or partition you want to install Windows 11 on. Patently, brand sure you choose the correct 1, then you don't overwrite anything important. Click Adjacent to continue.

(Epitome credit: Microsoft)

vii. The make clean install of Windows xi volition at present brainstorm - at last! Once the installation is complete, yous'll be prompted to restart your PC, so you can enter the heady new world of Microsoft's latest operating system.

(Paradigm credit: Microsoft)

• More than: Windows 11: Inside the dramatic redesign
• Windows 11 vs Windows 10: Hither'due south what's new
• Windows 11 updates are taking cues from macOS: Why that's a good thing

Robert Irvine is How-To Editor at Tom's Guide. He has been writing tutorials about software, hardware, websites and other tech topics since the days of punch-up modems, and was previously the editor of Spider web User magazine. Robert enjoys cooking, and makes a mean sausage casserole, but is definitely not the glory chef of the same name.

Source: https://www.tomsguide.com/how-to/how-to-do-a-clean-install-of-windows-11

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