Microsoft makes it easy to download Windows 11installation media, such as an ISO file, directly from Microsoft’s website. It’s free and legal—you can activate Windows 11 later with your product key or a purchase. With the ISO, you can install Windows from scratch. Here’s how to get it.
Microsoft offers a multi-edition ISO file that can install several versions of Windows 11, including Windows 11 Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education, and more. While installing, Microsoft lets you select the edition of Windows you’d like to install, but you’ll need to have a matching product key to activate it later. (If you don’t already have a matching product key, you can purchase a Windows license after the fact at Settings > System > Activation > Go to Store.)
There are two ways to get the ISO file from Microsoft, and we’ll cover both methods in separate sections below.
