Windows 11 ISO download: 26H2, 25H2 and 24H2, verified

Related Downloads

• Windows 11 26H2 x64 & Arm64
• Windows 11 25H2 x64
• Windows 11 24H2 x64

This page covers the Windows 11 ISO download for every version still in use: 26H2, 25H2 and 24H2. You get the file, the SHA-256 hash to check it against, the support end date for each version, and the install steps.

We rebuild this page after every Microsoft release, so the dates and hashes below match the files we reviewed.

Short answer: if your PC already runs Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, you do not need an ISO for 26H2. It arrives through Windows Update as a tiny enablement package.

You need an ISO for a clean install, a new or blank PC, a virtual machine, or a repair.

Which Windows 11 version should you download

Microsoft began releasing Windows 11 26H2 on September 29, 2026. It is a small update that switches your PC to the new version number without reinstalling Windows, and the hardware requirements did not change.

For a fresh install, take the newest version available. The support dates explain why.

Enterprise and Education editions get longer windows: 24H2 is supported until October 12, 2027, and 26H2 until October 2029.

If you installed 24H2 and never updated, your Home or Pro PC stopped receiving security fixes on October 13, 2026. Moving to 26H2 restarts the clock and takes a few minutes, not an hour.

Download the Windows 11 ISO

Each file below was downloaded from Microsoft, opened, and checked by a person on our team. We do not repackage, modify or bundle anything. The hash lets you confirm that the file on your drive matches the one we reviewed.

The ISO is a multi-edition image. Home, Pro and the other editions sit in the same file, and your license key or the edition you pick during setup decides which one installs. After setup, press Win + R, type winver and press Enter to see the exact version and build.

How to verify the ISO hash

A corrupted download and a tampered download look identical until you check the hash. It takes ten seconds.

On Windows, open PowerShell in the folder with the ISO and run:

Get-FileHash .\Win11.iso -Algorithm SHA256

Command Prompt works too:

certutil -hashfile Win11.iso SHA256

On macOS use shasum -a 256 Win11.iso, and on Linux use sha256sum Win11.iso. Compare the output with the table above, character by character. If a single character differs, delete the file and download it again. A matching hash proves the file is identical to the one we reviewed, and it says nothing about where you got the hash, so always read it from this page and never from a link someone sent you.

Windows 11 system requirements

These are Microsoft’s minimums for 26H2, 25H2 and 24H2. They are the same across all three.

• Processor: 1 GHz or faster, two or more cores, 64-bit, on Microsoft’s supported CPU list
• Memory: 4 GB RAM
• Storage: 64 GB or more
• Firmware: UEFI with Secure Boot
• Security chip: TPM 2.0
• Graphics: DirectX 12 compatible with a WDDM 2.0 driver
• Display: 720p, larger than 9 inches diagonal

Run the PC Health Check app from Microsoft if you are unsure about a machine. Most PC failures on this list come down to TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot being switched off in the BIOS, and both are usually a setting, not a hardware limit.

Make a Windows 11 bootable USB

You need a USB drive of 8 GB or more. Everything on it will be erased.

1. Download the ISO from the table above and verify the hash.
2. Download Rufus, plug in the USB drive and open Rufus.
3. Under Boot selection, click Select and choose the ISO.
4. Leave the partition scheme on GPT for a UEFI machine. Choose MBR only for an older BIOS-only PC.
5. Click Start, wait for it to finish, and restart the target PC.
6. Open the boot menu (usually F12, F10, Esc or F2 at power-on) and pick the USB drive.

Microsoft’s own Media Creation Tool builds a USB drive too, and it downloads the current version for you. The ISO route is better when you want to verify the file, keep a copy offline, or install on several machines.

Clean install or in-place upgrade

A clean install wipes the drive and gives you a fresh system with no leftover drivers or software. Boot from the USB drive, choose Custom install, delete the old partitions, and install to the unallocated space. Back up your files first, because this step cannot be undone.

An in-place upgrade keeps your files, apps and settings. Mount the ISO inside Windows (right-click, Mount), run setup.exe, and choose to keep everything.

A Windows 10 PC that meets the requirements upgrades this way too. If the PC already runs Windows 11 24H2 or 25H2, skip the ISO and use Settings, Windows Update, Check for updates.

Can you install Windows 11 without a product key

Yes. Choose “I don’t have a product key” during setup and pick an edition. Windows runs, but personalization settings stay locked and a watermark appears until you activate it with a valid license.

A PC that previously ran an activated copy of Windows usually activates itself once it connects to the internet.

Installing on unsupported hardware

Tools like Rufus can skip the TPM, Secure Boot and CPU checks. The install works on many older PCs, and Microsoft does not support it.

Treat it as a risk you accept on a spare machine, not on the computer you rely on for work, and expect to check manually that updates keep arriving.

Windows 11 ISO download FAQ