Create Windows 11 Installation Media (24H2)

Before you can install or upgrade to Windows 11, you may need to have the Windows Setup program and associated files available. This typically takes the form of what Microsoft calls the Windows 11 installation media, a USB flash drive to which the Windows 11 Setup files have been properly copied and configured.

There are several ways to create this media, but we focus on the two best methods in this book.

This chapter explains how you can use Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool to create the installation media.

But you can also use a third-party tool called Rufus to do so if you want to alter the installation media to remove Windows 11 Setup hardware requirements for TPM, CPU, RAM, and disk space, plus other requirements, including its forced Microsoft accounts sign-in.

You can learn more about using Rufus in the Overcome Windows 11 Setup Annoyances chapter.

Microsoft provides a handy utility called the Media Creation Tool to create the Windows 11 installation media. This tool downloads the latest version of Windows 11 Setup to your PC and creates a bootable USB flash drive that can be used to upgrade to, clean install, or, if needed, repair Windows 11.

This process requires a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of storage space. Note that the Media Creation Tool will delete any content that’s currently stored on the drive.

To get started, insert the USB flash drive you wish to use into a USB port on your PC. Then, open your favorite web browser, navigate to the Download Windows 11 page on the Microsoft website, and select the “Download Now” button under “Create Windows 11 Installation Media.” Once the download is complete, run the Media Creation Tool, which displays its software license terms.

Click “Accept.” In the next step, you are asked to select your language and Windows 11 edition. If the language isn’t correct, uncheck “Use the recommended options for this PC” and configure that option.

The second item, “Edition,” is vestigial: It only has one choice, “Windows 11,” which includes the code for both Windows 11 Home and Pro.

Where did it go?

The Windows 10 Setup media asked you to choose between 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) installation media. But Windows 11 no longer supports 32-bit PCs, so this option is no longer available.

Click “Next.” In the next step, you are asked to choose a media type, which can be a USB flash drive or an ISO file.

Here, we are creating USB installation media, so select “USB flash drive” and then click “Next.”

What about that other option, “ISO file”? This lets you download the Windows 11 Setup media to an ISO file, which is a disk image file that you can use in Windows as if it were a physical disk.

ISO files have many uses, though most are not pertinent to this process.

For example, in Windows 11, you can double-click an ISO file to mount the disk image in File Explorer as if it were a physical disk, and then use it normally from there.

You can also use an ISO file to install Windows 11 in a virtual machine using Hyper-V, a Windows 11 Pro feature, or a third-party solution like Oracle Virtual Box or Parallels Desktop.

You can also burn this disk image to a DVD disc if you haven’t embraced the 21st century, though you will need third-party software to accomplish that.

Or, you can use a utility like Rufus to copy the contents of an ISO file to a USB flash drive, in essence duplicating the “USB flash drive” option in the Media Creation Tool.

As noted above, we discuss using Rufus to create the Windows 11 installation media in the Overcome Windows 11 Setup Annoyances chapter.

Next, you are asked to select the flash drive you wish to use. If you only have one USB flash drive inserted, which is wise–you don’t want to overwrite the wrong drive–it will be selected for you.

Click Next. The Media Creation Tool will, in turn, download Windows 11 Setup, verify the download, and then create the Windows 11 installation media.

When it’s done, the wizard will report that your USB flash drive is ready. You now have working Windows 11 installation media that you can use to upgrade to, clean install, or repair Windows 11. Keep it safe: You may need it someday.