How to install Windows 11?

Windows 11 is available as a free upgrade for eligible devices and can be downloaded through Microsoft’s current official tools. If you’re wondering how to install Windows 11, this guide walks you through every method — from checking compatibility and preparing your device to completing a clean install or in-place upgrade.

Before you install Windows 11

Before downloading anything, make sure your hardware and setup meet Microsoft’s requirements. Skipping this step is the most common reason installs fail or stall partway through.

Minimum hardware requirements

• CPU: Compatible 64-bit processor (1 GHz or faster, 2 or more cores)
• RAM: 4 GB minimum
• Storage: 64 GB minimum free space
• TPM: TPM 2.0 must be enabled in firmware
• Firmware: UEFI with Secure Boot capable
• Display: 720p or higher, 9-inch or larger screen

What you’ll also need

• An internet connection (required during setup for some paths)
• Administrator rights on the PC you’re upgrading
• A USB drive of at least 8 GB (for Media Creation Tool or ISO installs)
• A current backup of your important files — especially for a clean install
• A valid Windows 10 or Windows 11 license or product key (if doing a clean install on a new drive)

A note on Arm-based PCs

The Windows 11 Installation Assistant and Media Creation Tool create x64 (Intel/AMD) media only. If you have an Arm-based PC, you will need to download the separate Arm64 image directly from Microsoft’s software download page. Check your processor type in Settings > System > About before you proceed.

Installation Assistant prerequisite

If you plan to use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, your PC should already be running Windows 10 version 2004 or later, and you should have enough free disk space for the upgrade to proceed. Check your current Windows version by going to Settings > System > About.

Which Windows 11 install method should you use?

Microsoft offers several official paths to get Windows 11. Here is a quick breakdown of each one so you can pick the right tool for your situation before downloading anything.

• Windows Update — The safest and simplest option. If your PC is eligible, the upgrade will appear automatically in Settings > Windows Update. No USB or download tool required. Best for most everyday users who are not in a hurry.
• Windows 11 Installation Assistant — Forces an in-place upgrade on your current eligible x64 PC right now, without waiting for Windows Update to offer it. This keeps your files and apps intact. Note: does not work on Arm-based PCs.
• Media Creation Tool — Downloads the Windows 11 ISO and burns it directly to a USB drive in one step. Use this when you want to upgrade or clean install on an x64 PC and want the simplest USB creation process. Creates x64 media only.
• ISO direct download — Downloads the Windows 11 ISO file so you can burn it to USB yourself using a tool like Rufus, or mount it inside a virtual machine. Best for advanced users, clean installs, or VM setups.

Install Windows 11

Microsoft is distributing Windows 11 the same way it did Windows 10; there is a media creation tool. The media creation tool will download the Windows 11 ISO file and burn it to a USB drive that’s connected to your system. You can also download just the ISO file and use your tool of choice to burn it to a USB.

How to download Windows 11

Method 1

To download Windows 11, decide first how you want to burn it to a USB. If you want to use the media creation tool, follow these steps.

1. Visit the official Windows 11 download link in your browser.
2. Click Download now under Windows 11 Installation Media.
3. Run the media creation tool.
4. Accept the end user agreement.
5. Select the language and Windows edition that you want to download.
6. Select the USB flash drive option.
7. Connect the USB drive to your system.
8. Click Next and select the drive.
9. Begin the download.
10. Once the download completes, the ISO will be burned to the USB.

Method 2

To download the ISO directly, follow these steps.

1. Visit the official Windows 11 download link.
2. Click Download now under Download Windows 11 Disk Image.
3. Allow the download to finish.
4. Use a tool like Rufus to burn the ISO to a USB drive.

How to Install Windows 11

There are two main ways to install Windows 11 from your bootable USB or ISO: an in-place upgrade that keeps your files and apps, or a clean install that wipes the drive and starts fresh. Follow the path that matches your situation.

In-place upgrade (keeps your files and apps)

Use this path if you want to move from Windows 10 or an earlier Windows 11 build to the latest version while keeping your installed apps and personal files.

1. Sign in to your Windows 10 or Windows 11 desktop with an administrator account.
2. Connect the Windows 11 USB to your system.
3. Open File Explorer, go to This PC, open the USB drive, and run Setup.exe.
4. When prompted, choose whether to download updates before installing. Selecting “Download updates” is recommended to reduce post-install work.
5. Accept the license terms.
6. On the “Choose what to keep” screen, select one of the following: Keep personal files and apps (safest), Keep personal files only, or Nothing (equivalent to a clean install).
7. Setup will run a compatibility check. If your device passes, click Install.
8. The PC will restart several times during the installation process — this is normal. Do not turn off your computer.
9. Once setup completes, sign in and walk through any remaining prompts to finish configuring Windows 11.

Clean install (wipes the drive)

Use this path when you want a fresh start with no leftover files, apps, or settings from the previous OS. Back up everything important before proceeding — this process erases the target drive.

1. Disconnect any extra storage drives (secondary HDDs, SSDs, external drives) to avoid accidentally wiping the wrong disk. Only leave the drive you intend to install Windows 11 on.
2. Connect the Windows 11 USB to your system.
3. Restart the PC and press the boot menu key (commonly F12, F9, F10, or Esc, depending on your motherboard — check your manufacturer’s documentation). Select the USB drive from the boot menu. You do not need to change the boot order permanently in BIOS.
4. The Windows Setup screen will appear. Select your language, time format, and keyboard layout, then click Next.
5. Click Install now.
6. When prompted for a product key, enter your Windows 10 or 11 product key, or click “I don’t have a product key” if your license is tied to your Microsoft account or motherboard (you can activate after install).
7. Select the correct Windows 11 edition (Home, Pro, etc.) that matches your license, then click Next.
8. Accept the license terms and click Next.
9. On the installation type screen, select “Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)”.
10. You will see a list of drives and partitions. Select the target drive or partition. If there are existing partitions on the drive you want to wipe, you can delete them here (select each partition and click Delete) until you see unallocated space, then select that unallocated space. Setup will create the necessary partitions automatically. If the drive is already unallocated, simply select it and click Next.
11. Click Next to begin copying files. The PC will restart several times — this is expected.
12. After the first restart, remove the USB drive so the PC boots from the newly installed Windows partition rather than restarting setup again.

Post-install steps

Once Windows 11 finishes installing and the PC restarts to the desktop, take care of these final steps:

1. Connect to the internet and complete the Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) prompts, including signing in with or creating a Microsoft account.
2. Go to Settings > Windows Update and install all available updates, including optional driver updates.
3. Open Device Manager (right-click the Start button) to check for any devices missing drivers, and install them from your manufacturer’s support page if needed.
4. Go to Settings > System > Activation to confirm Windows 11 is activated. If it is not, click Troubleshoot to link your license.

Windows 11 compatibility check

We’ve covered an app for checking if your system is compatible with Windows 11, but Microsoft also provides its own official tool for this: Microsoft PC Health Check. This is the correct tool to use before attempting any installation. To use it:

1. Download PC Health Check from the official Windows 11 download page.
2. Run the app and click “Check now.”
3. Review the results. If your device is not eligible, the tool will tell you exactly which requirement it fails on — such as TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, CPU compatibility, RAM, or available storage — so you know what to address.

Note that PC Health Check is separate from the Windows 11 Installation Assistant. PC Health Check tells you whether your device is compatible. The Installation Assistant is a different tool used to trigger the actual in-place upgrade on eligible x64 PCs — it does not check compatibility for you.

How to Install Windows 11 Without TPM

Important: Installing Windows 11 on hardware that does not meet Microsoft’s minimum requirements — including TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot — is not supported or recommended by Microsoft. Devices installed this way may not receive future Windows updates, may experience stability issues, and may have warranty or support limitations. If you proceed, you should be prepared to roll back to Windows 10 if problems arise. The methods below are clearly labeled as unsupported workarounds.

Method 1: Modify Registry to Bypass TPM 2.0

To modify the registry and bypass TPM 2.0, you’ll need to create a registry key that tricks Windows into thinking a TPM is present. This method requires some technical expertise, so proceed with caution. You can use the following steps to modify the registry:

• Open the Registry Editor as an administrator
• Navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup key
• Create a new key called LabConfig
• Inside the LabConfig key, create a new DWORD value called BypassTPMCheck and set it to 1

Method 2: Use Rufus to Create a TPM-Free Bootable USB

Rufus is a free tool that can help you create a bootable USB drive with a modified Windows 11 installation that bypasses TPM checks. To use Rufus, follow these steps:

• Download and install Rufus on your computer
• Create a new bootable USB drive using Rufus
• Select the Windows 11 ISO file and choose the “TPM-free” option
• Follow the prompts to create the bootable USB drive

Method 3: A note on modifying installation files

Some guides suggest opening install.wim in a text editor and editing TPM-related code to bypass the requirement. This is not a valid or safe method. The install.wim file is a binary Windows image format — it cannot be meaningfully edited in a text editor, and attempting to do so will corrupt the installation media. Do not follow instructions that suggest this approach.

If the Registry and Rufus methods above do not meet your needs, Microsoft’s official recommendation for unsupported hardware is to remain on Windows 10 and keep it updated. Microsoft has also stated clearly that devices running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware may not receive future Windows updates and should be prepared to roll back to Windows 10 if stability or compatibility issues arise.

How to Install Windows 11 on a Virtual Machine

Installing Windows 11 on a virtual machine is a great way to test the operating system without affecting your main computer. Here are three methods to install Windows 11 on a virtual machine:

Method 1: Using VMware Workstation

VMware Workstation is a popular virtualization software that allows you to create a virtual machine and install Windows 11. To install Windows 11 using VMware Workstation, follow these steps:

• Download and install VMware Workstation on your computer
• Create a new virtual machine and select the Windows 11 ISO file as the installation media
• Follow the prompts to complete the installation process
• Configure the virtual machine settings to optimize performance and ensure smooth operation

Method 2: Using VirtualBox

VirtualBox is another popular virtualization software that can be used to install Windows 11 on a virtual machine. To install Windows 11 using VirtualBox, follow these steps:

• Download and install VirtualBox on your computer
• Create a new virtual machine and select the Windows 11 ISO file as the installation media
• Follow the prompts to complete the installation process
• Configure the virtual machine settings to optimize performance and ensure smooth operation

Method 3: Using Hyper-V

Hyper-V is a virtualization software developed by Microsoft that can be used to install Windows 11 on a virtual machine. To install Windows 11 using Hyper-V, follow these steps:

• Enable Hyper-V on your computer by going to the Control Panel and selecting “Turn Windows features on or off”
• Create a new virtual machine and select the Windows 11 ISO file as the installation media
• Follow the prompts to complete the installation process
• Configure the virtual machine settings to optimize performance and ensure smooth operation

How to Uninstall Windows 11

If you’re not satisfied with Windows 11, you can uninstall it and revert back to your previous operating system. Here are three methods to uninstall Windows 11:

Method 1: Roll Back to Windows 10 (Within 10 Days)

If you’ve upgraded to Windows 11 within the last 10 days, you can roll back to Windows 10 using the built-in recovery option. To roll back to Windows 10, follow these steps:

• Go to the Settings app and select “Update & Security”
• Click on “Recovery” and select “Get started” under “Go back”
• Follow the prompts to complete the rollback process

Method 2: Clean Install Windows 10

If you’ve had Windows 11 installed for more than 10 days, you can perform a clean install of Windows 10 to uninstall Windows 11. To perform a clean install, follow these steps:

• Download the Windows 10 ISO file and create a bootable USB drive
• Boot from the USB drive and select the “Clean install” option
• Follow the prompts to complete the installation process

Method 3: Use System Restore to Revert

If you’ve created a system restore point before upgrading to Windows 11, you can use it to revert back to your previous operating system. To use system restore, follow these steps:

• Go to the Control Panel and select “Recovery”
• Click on “Open System Restore” and select the restore point you created before upgrading to Windows 11
• Follow the prompts to complete the restore process

Conclusion

Windows 11 is available as an upgrade for eligible devices and through Microsoft’s current official download tools, including Windows Update, the Installation Assistant, and the Media Creation Tool. One thing worth noting is that Windows 11 is 64-bit only — there are no 32-bit versions and the OS will not install on a 32-bit system. If your device is not currently eligible, use Microsoft PC Health Check to find out exactly which requirement it fails on, so you know whether the issue can be resolved before attempting installation.

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Fatima Wahab

Fatima has been writing for AddictiveTips for six years. She began as a junior writer and has been working as the Editor in Chief since 2014. Fatima gets an adrenaline rush from figuring out how technology works, and how to manipulate it. A well-designed app, something that solves a common everyday problem and looks

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