How to Download and Install Windows 11 on Your PC
Windows 11 is the latest version of Microsoft’s operating system, which was released on October 5, 2021. It comes with a new look, new features, and improved performance and security. If you are wondering how to download and install Windows 11 on your PC, you have come to the right place. In this article, we will show you what Windows 11 is, why you should upgrade, how to check if your PC can run it, how to download it for free, and how to install it on your PC.
What is Windows 11 and Why You Should Upgrade
Windows 11 is the successor of Windows 10, which was launched in 2015. It is designed to bring you closer to what you love and to make your PC more personal, productive, and secure. Here are some of the features and benefits of Windows 11 that you should know:
Windows 11 Features and Benefits
- A new Start menu that is centered on the taskbar and shows your pinned apps, recent files, and recommended content.
- A new design that uses rounded corners, transparency effects, and fresh icons.
- A new widgets panel that shows personalized news, weather, traffic, sports, and more.
- A new snap assist feature that helps you organize your windows in a grid layout.
- A new desktop groups feature that lets you create multiple virtual desktops with custom backgrounds and labels.
- A new Microsoft Phone Link feature that lets you sync your Android or iPhone with your PC and access notifications, messages, and calls.
- A new Microsoft Store that offers more apps, games, movies, TV shows, and books.
- A new Microsoft Edge browser that is faster, safer, and more compatible with websites.
- A new gaming experience that supports Auto HDR, DirectStorage, Xbox Game Pass, and more.
- A new accessibility features that include voice recognition, live captions, narrator, and more.
Windows 11 System Requirements and Compatibility
Windows 11 has some minimum system requirements that your PC must meet to run it. These include:
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC).
- RAM: 4 gigabyte (GB).
- Storage: 64 GB or larger storage device.
- System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable.
- TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.
- Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver.
- Display Resolution: High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9” diagonally, 8 bits per color channel.
- Internet connection: Microsoft account and internet connectivity required for setup for Windows 11 Home and for Windows 11 Pro for personal use.
If your PC does not meet these requirements, you may not be able to install Windows 11 on your device and might want to consider purchasing a new PC. Some features may also require specific hardware or software. For more details, see the Windows 11 specifications page
How to Check if Your PC Can Run Windows 11
Before you download and install Windows 11 on your PC, you should check if your PC can run it. There are two ways to do this:
Use the PC Health Check App
The easiest way to check if your PC can run Windows 11 is to use the PC Health Check app. This is a free tool from Microsoft that scans your PC and tells you if it meets the system requirements and if it is compatible with Windows 11. To use the PC Health Check app, follow these steps:
- Download the PC Health Check app from this link.
- Run the app and accept the license agreement.
- Click on the “Check now” button under the “Introducing Windows 11” section.
- Wait for the app to analyze your PC and show you the results.
- If your PC can run Windows 11, you will see a message that says “This PC can run Windows 11”. You can also click on the “See all results” link to view more details about your PC’s compatibility.
- If your PC cannot run Windows 11, you will see a message that says “This PC doesn’t meet the minimum system requirements to run Windows 11”. You can also click on the “See all results” link to view more details about why your PC is not compatible and what you can do about it.
Check the Minimum Hardware Requirements Manually
If you don’t want to use the PC Health Check app, you can also check the minimum hardware requirements manually. This involves looking up your PC’s specifications and comparing them with the system requirements for Windows 11. To do this, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app on your PC by clicking on the Start menu and then clicking on the gear icon.
- Click on “System” and then click on “About” at the bottom of the left pane.
- Under the “Device specifications” section, look for your processor, RAM, system type, and device ID.
- Under the “Windows specifications” section, look for your edition, version, and OS build of Windows 10.
- Compare your PC’s specifications with the system requirements for Windows 11 that we listed above. Make sure that your processor, RAM, storage, system firmware, TPM, graphics card, display resolution, and internet connection meet or exceed the minimum requirements.
- If your PC meets all the requirements, congratulations! You can download and install Windows 11 on your device. If not, you may need to upgrade some of your hardware components or buy a new PC that is compatible with Windows 11.
How to Download Windows 11 for Free
If you have checked that your PC can run Windows 11, you are ready to download it for free. There are four ways to do this:
Upgrade from Windows 10 via Windows Update
The simplest way to download Windows 11 for free is to upgrade from Windows 10 via Windows Update. This is a free upgrade for eligible devices that are running a genuine and activated version of Windows 10 Home or Pro. To upgrade from Windows 10 via Windows Update, follow these steps:
- Make sure that your PC is connected to the internet and has enough battery power or is plugged in.
- Open the Settings app on your PC by clicking on the Start menu and then clicking on the gear icon.
- Click on “Update & Security” and then click on “Windows Update” in the left pane.
- Click on the “Check for updates” button and wait for Windows Update to scan for available updates.
- If you see an update that says “Feature update to Windows 11”, click on the “Download and install” link under it.
- Wait for Windows Update to download and install Windows 11 on your PC. This may take some time depending on your internet speed and PC performance.
- When prompted, restart your PC to complete the installation process.
- After restarting, follow the on-screen instructions to set up Windows 11 on your device.
Use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant
If you don’t see the feature update to Windows 11 in Windows Update, you can also use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant. This is a tool from Microsoft that helps you download and install Windows 11 on your eligible device. To use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, follow these steps:
- Download
- Download the Windows 11 Installation Assistant from this link.
- Run the tool and accept the license agreement.
- Click on the “Update now” button and wait for the tool to check your PC’s compatibility.
- If your PC is compatible, click on the “Next” button and wait for the tool to download Windows 11 on your PC.
- When prompted, save your work and close any open apps, and then click on the “Restart now” button to start the installation process.
- After restarting, follow the on-screen instructions to set up Windows 11 on your device.
Create a Windows 11 Installation Media
If you want to have more control over the installation process, you can also create a Windows 11 installation media. This is a USB flash drive or a DVD disc that contains the Windows 11 setup files. You can use this media to install Windows 11 on your own PC or on another PC. To create a Windows 11 installation media, follow these steps:
- Download the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool from this link.
- Run the tool and accept the license agreement.
- Select “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC” and click on the “Next” button.
- Select the language, edition, and architecture of Windows 11 that you want to download and click on the “Next” button.
- Select “USB flash drive” or “ISO file” depending on whether you want to use a USB drive or a DVD disc as your installation media and click on the “Next” button.
- If you selected “USB flash drive”, insert a blank USB drive with at least 8 GB of space and select it from the list. If you selected “ISO file”, choose a location to save the file and give it a name.
- Click on the “Next” button and wait for the tool to download and create your Windows 11 installation media.
- When the process is complete, click on the “Finish” button and safely eject your USB drive or burn your ISO file to a DVD disc.
Download a Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO)
If you are an advanced user or a developer, you can also download a Windows 11 disk image (ISO) file directly from Microsoft. This is a file that contains an exact copy of the Windows 11 operating system. You can use this file to install Windows 11 on a virtual machine or to create your own installation media. To download a Windows 11 disk image (ISO) file, follow these steps:
- Go to this link and sign in with your Microsoft account.
- Select “Windows 11 Insider Preview (Dev Channel) – Build 22463” from the drop-down menu and click on the “Confirm” button.
- Select the language of Windows 11 that you want to download and click on the “Confirm” button.
- Click on the “Download” button next to the 64-bit version of Windows 11 and save the file to your PC.
How to Install Windows 11 on Your PC
Once you have downloaded Windows 11, you can install it on your PC. There are three ways to do this:
Run the Setup File from Windows 10
The easiest way to install Windows 11 on your PC is to run the setup file from Windows 10. This will upgrade your existing operating system to Windows 11 without losing your files and settings. To run the setup file from Windows 10, follow these steps:
- If you downloaded Windows 11 using the Installation Assistant or the Media Creation Tool, locate the setup file on your PC and double-click on it. If you downloaded a Windows 11 disk image (ISO) file, mount it by right-clicking on it and selecting “Mount”. Then open it and double-click on the setup file.
- Click on the “Change how setup downloads updates” link and select “Not right now”. This will speed up the installation process by skipping any updates for now.
- Click on the “Next” button and wait for the setup to check for updates and get things ready.
- Accept
- Accept the license agreement and click on the “Next” button.
- Wait for the setup to check your PC and make sure you are ready to install.
- Click on the “Install” button and wait for the setup to copy files, install features and updates, and configure settings.
- When prompted, restart your PC to complete the installation process.
- After restarting, follow the on-screen instructions to set up Windows 11 on your device.
Boot from a USB or DVD Drive
If you want to do a clean install of Windows 11 on your PC, you can boot from a USB or DVD drive that contains the Windows 11 installation media. This will erase everything on your PC and give you a fresh start with Windows 11. To boot from a USB or DVD drive, follow these steps:
- Insert the USB or DVD drive that contains the Windows 11 installation media into your PC.
- Restart your PC and press the key that opens the boot menu. This may vary depending on your PC manufacturer, but it is usually F12, F10, F9, F8, or Esc.
- Select the USB or DVD drive from the boot menu and press Enter.
- Wait for the Windows 11 setup to load and select your language, time and currency format, and keyboard or input method. Then click on the “Next” button.
- Click on the “Install now” button and enter your product key if you have one. If you don’t have one, click on the “I don’t have a product key” link and select the edition of Windows 11 that you want to install.
- Accept the license agreement and click on the “Next” button.
- Select “Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)” and choose the drive where you want to install Windows 11. If you have multiple drives or partitions, you may want to delete them first and create a new one for Windows 11. Then click on the “Next” button.
- Wait for the setup to copy files, install features and updates, and configure settings.
- When prompted, restart your PC to complete the installation process.
- After restarting, follow the on-screen instructions to set up Windows 11 on your device.
Install Windows 11 on a Virtual Machine
If you want to try out Windows 11 without affecting your current operating system, you can install it on a virtual machine. A virtual machine is a software that simulates a computer within your computer. You can run different operating systems on different virtual machines without interfering with each other. To install Windows 11 on a virtual machine, follow these steps:
- Download and install a virtualization software such as VirtualBox or VMware Workstation Player on your PC.
- Download a Windows 11 disk image (ISO) file from Microsoft as we explained above.
- Open your virtualization software and create a new virtual machine. Give it a name, select “Microsoft Windows” as the type, and select “Windows 10 (64-bit)” as the version. Then click on the “Next” button.
- Assign some memory (RAM) to your virtual machine. The recommended amount is 4 GB, but you can increase it if you have enough RAM on your PC. Then click on the “Next” button.
- Create a virtual hard disk for your virtual machine. The recommended size is 64 GB, but you can increase it if you have enough space on your PC. Then click on the “Create” button.
- Select your virtual hard disk and click on the “Settings” button. Then click on the “Storage” tab and click on the empty CD icon under the “Controller: IDE” section. Then click on the CD icon next to the “Optical Drive” drop-down menu and select “Choose a disk file”. Then browse to the location where you saved the Windows 11 disk image (ISO) file and select it. Then click on the “OK” button.
- Start your virtual machine and wait for the Windows 11 setup to load. Then follow the same steps as we explained above for booting from a USB or DVD drive.
Conclusion and FAQs
In this article, we have shown you how to download and install Windows 11 on your PC. We hope that you have found this guide helpful and that you enjoy using Windows 11. If you have any questions or problems, feel free to leave a comment below or contact Microsoft support. Here are some FAQs that may also help you:
Q: How can I activate Windows 11 after installing it
Q: How can I activate Windows 11 after installing it?
A: If you upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11, your PC should be automatically activated with a digital license. You can check your activation status by going to Settings > Activation. If you installed Windows 11 on a new PC or a virtual machine, you will need a product key to activate it. You can enter your product key by going to Settings > Activation > Change product key. If you don’t have a product key, you can buy one from Microsoft or a trusted retailer.
Q: How can I go back to Windows 10 after installing Windows 11?
A: If you upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11, you have 10 days to go back to Windows 10 without losing your files and settings. To do this, go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and click on the “Go back” button under the “Previous version of Windows” section. Follow the instructions to restore your PC to Windows 10. If you have deleted the Windows.old folder or waited more than 10 days, you will need to reinstall Windows 10 from scratch using an installation media.
Q: How can I update Windows 11 to the latest version?
A: Windows 11 will automatically download and install updates for you as they become available. You can also check for updates manually by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and clicking on the “Check for updates” button. You may need to restart your PC to apply some updates.
Q: How can I customize Windows 11 to suit my preferences?
A: Windows 11 offers many options to personalize your PC and make it your own. You can change your desktop background, theme, colors, sounds, fonts, icons, and more by going to Settings > Personalization. You can also adjust your display settings, mouse and touchpad settings, keyboard settings, and more by going to Settings > System. You can also access more advanced settings by going to Settings > Privacy & Security, Settings > Apps, Settings > Gaming, and Settings > Devices.
Q: How can I get help with Windows 11 if I encounter any issues?
A: If you need help with Windows 11, you have several options to get support from Microsoft or other sources. You can:
- Use the built-in Tips app that shows you how to use Windows 11 and its features.
- Use the built-in Feedback Hub app that lets you report problems and suggest improvements for Windows 11.
- Use the built-in Troubleshooters that help you fix common issues with Windows 11.
- Use the built-in Help app that gives you access to online articles, videos, and guides about Windows 11.
- Contact Microsoft support via phone, chat, or email by going to this link.
- Visit the official Windows 11 website at this link for more information and resources about Windows 11.
- Visit the official Windows community forum at this link for more help and advice from other users and experts.
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