The Windows 11 Media Creation Tool is available from the official Microsoft software download website.
To get it and use it to reinstall Windows 11:
- Go to the Windows 11 download page: Download Windows 11.
- Under Create Windows 11 Installation Media, select Download Now to download MediaCreationTool.exe.
- Run MediaCreationTool.exe and follow the prompts to create either:
- A bootable USB flash drive, or
- An ISO file you can use for a clean install or repair install.
If reinstalling on a device that already has a Windows 11 digital license, choose the same edition of Windows 11 that is currently licensed. During setup, if asked for a product key, select I don't have a product key; Windows 11 will activate automatically after installation when online and signed in with the Microsoft account linked to the digital license.
References:
- Create installation media for Windows
- Reinstall Windows with the installation media
- Activate Windows
- Windows 11, version 25H2 update history
windows 11 media creation tool
How does Windows 10 Media Creation Tool work?
Media Creation Tool
Media creation tool for Windows 10 available on Windows 11?
The Windows 11 Media Creation Tool is available from the official Microsoft software download website.
To get it and use it to reinstall Windows 11:
- Go to the Windows 11 download page: Download Windows 11.
- Under Create Windows 11 Installation Media, select Download Now to download MediaCreationTool.exe.
- Run MediaCreationTool.exe and follow the prompts to create either:
- A bootable USB flash drive, or
- An ISO file you can use for a clean install or repair install.
If reinstalling on a device that already has a Windows 11 digital license, choose the same edition of Windows 11 that is currently licensed. During setup, if asked for a product key, select I don't have a product key; Windows 11 will activate automatically after installation when online and signed in with the Microsoft account linked to the digital license.
References:
- Create installation media for Windows
- Reinstall Windows with the installation media
- Activate Windows
- Windows 11, version 25H2 update history
Hi Kevin Duane,
At this point, I recommend that you review and try the steps provided in the AI generated answer on your thread. That reply typically include the most relevant checks for this scenario.
As an additional note, before creating the installation media, please prepare a blank USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of space, because the content on the USB drive will be deleted during the process.
Before reinstalling Windows, I recommend backing up your personal files to an external drive or cloud storage to help avoid data loss. If you are reinstalling Windows 11 on the same device, please make sure to select the same Windows edition that is currently licensed on the device, such as Windows 11 Home. Windows activation should complete after the device is connected to the Internet if the correct edition is installed and the device already has a digital license.
I hope you can successfully create the Windows 11 installation media and reinstall Windows. Thank you so much for your understanding.
Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.
Windows 10 Media Creation Tool, Microsoft Media Creation Tool or windows Media Creation Tool some people call it where you can download the ISO from Microsoft web site to install windows 10 is this only for retail copies of windows 10 or is it also for OEM copies where you buy a laptop or desktop computer at computer store like Acer or HP with windows already installed?
Some one said to me the way Microsoft has set this up is that you cannot download Microsoft Media Creation Tool so you cannot download the ISO to install windows 10.
Is this true that OEM product keys don’t work? That Microsoft Media Creation Tool is not supported for OEM computers?
That when you buy computer that it is well up to you to make your own recovery disk on DVD or USB? And if you don’t the problem is on you?
That all computers you buy in the computer store or refurbished computers use OEM copy of windows 10 and that Microsoft Media Creation Tool does not support this?
That computers you buy or refurbished computers that you buy you have to make your own recovery that you do not download Windows 10 Media Creation Tool?
And if you don’t make a recovery there is nothing that you can do? So Windows 10 Media Creation Tool does not support this?
Hi,
I'm Rodrigo and I'll help you.
The Media Creation Tool will download the Windows 11 ISO and then transfer it to the USB drive, that's why it doesn't work when you don't have enough space on the C: drive.
Here is a temporary download link for Windows 11 ISO, so you can save it on another location and create the installation media using Rufus.
The link is valid for 24 hours.
https://software.download.prss.microsoft.com/db...
My anti your community. this is a **** abuse report. Marked over napping, should be while permanently removing the less than toe tags. just. capture and incinerate.
I'm not the one whom removed from downloads Media Creation Tool 2212 exc., nor Windows 10 Upgrade 9252 exe. The \*\*\*\* for brains think there's conciliation awards for their participation in \*\*\*\* up and stripping the clutch and putting the online and offline users in reverse. No one has time or plurable anos for their uselessness. Just terminate their being and remove their bloodline. This protacal would establish a restore point where that systems launch would seldom need to be used.
Hi,
I came home from work to find my Windows 10 laptop not working. It has been sitting on preparing automatic repair for hours at this point. I have seen online to download the media creation tool and create a bootable USB to fix the problem, though I do not have access to another Windows 10 system, would this be possible to do on Windows 11?
Also will I lose data using this fix? I would obviously rather avoid losing data but if there is not a alternative that would keep everything I believe this sounds like my best option.
Thanks in advance!
So I am trying to get a bootable windows 11 for my new pc. I have insterted a usb stick however when I run the windows 11 setup, it says this: “8GB of free disk space needed on (C:) for reference this is the disk where windows is saved. The USB stick is (D:)
It definitely does download the data necessary. I know because I used it only a couple of days ago and it definitely spent about 2 hours in the "downloading" stage using up my internet bandwidth.
If you have just recently upgraded the copy of Windows on your current machine, in the last month or so, then you may still have the relevant install files downloaded and it should use these instead.
It should only use your local files if they are actually the current version.
In either case the download will set up the files in either a $WINDOWS.~BT or a $WINDOWS.~WS directory in the root of your system drive. If you want to know more about those directories then HowToGeek has an article What Is the $WINDOWS.~BT Folder, and Can You Delete It?.
Download Windows 10 Media Creation Tool (17.5 MB) version 10.0.15063.0:: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=691209. This tool is an 32bit excutable file but really a cabinet file (.cab). So one can easily open that executable file like a compressed file in WinZip or 7zip. Here is VirusTotal link. The processes are;
Files Creation and Logging:: At first execution of MediaCreationTool.exe, it creates some folders in System Drive like $Windows.~WS, $WINDOWS.~BT & ESD. It also creates log files in C:\Windows\Logs and extract itself in C:\$Windows.~WS\Sources folder. Then it logs your PC Windows details in "C:\$Windows.~WS\Sources\Panther\setupact.log" and send it to Microsoft. The data is read from
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersionregistry. Open setupact.log file in any text reader and you can see what type of data is sent to Microsoft server. See more How-To Geek link.Connection and Files Download:: It downloads a Products_20170317.cab file from http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=841361 (for Creators Update). This link written in SetupMgr.dll file in that MediaCreationTool.exe (treated as .cab file). In that Products_20170317.cab file, there is a Products.xml file. Then it reads that XML file, find a ESD file link matching your language (like en-US for English), downloads that encrypted ESD file in C:\ESD folder.
Convert ESD to ISO:: After downloading the required ESD file, it reads the encryption key from Products.xml file to decrypt that ESD file. Now it converts ESD to ISO file. See more GitHub:ESD-Decrypter.
N.B: This process is for Creators Update version 1703.
Firstly my computer had a problem after downloading windows 10 over a year ago. Then I mistakenly from the blue “choose an option” and “choose an operating system” page selected windows 10 4 times clearing the pervious operating system. As a result, I can’t select the previous windows 8 or 7. I can’t even preform a reset because the original is gone.
I tried to find a way to fix it.
My attempt now is putting the Windows media creation tool from https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=691209 on a UBS using working computer. So far so good.
On the laptop with the problem, from the choose an option page I selected using device and then I selected USB drive (UEFI). The laptop goes to a purple page. It says Windows set up, I select from the drop boxes and I click next. I click install now. It says Setup is starting.
It goes to activate windows. My laptop did have windows when I bought it I didn’t have a product key. So I don’t know what to do and therefore I select I don’t have a product key. (I reckon that selecting this will have a future implication, please do enlighten me with any support here too). After that it’s a select operating system you want to install. It gives me seven options I don’t know which one is the right one or which is the best so I select Windows 10 pro. I accept the terms then it looks to me which type of installation do you want. Because I don’t want to lose my files, I choose upgrade install and not custom. It says in the compatibility report option if you start your computer using with the installation media and then I close and then I’m back to the beginning of the windows set up purple screen. Help me.
Additional edit: is there a way for me to back up my device from the blue page that says choose an option?