Windows 11 is the new version in the Windows family. Microsoft has officially announced Windows 11 and has made the same available to the general public. So, if anyone wants to install Windows 11 on their computer, they can use the download link given below to download Windows 11 ISO and install the same.
Compared with the older versions of Windows like Windows 10, Windows 11 packs in many visual changes and functional changes. Microsoft has added many new features and removed some unwanted features to make Windows 11 the best. When you compare Windows 10 and Windows 11 side-by-side, you will notice that Windows 11 is far better in terms of looks and customization abilities.
The best part is that you can directly download the Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft’s official website. It might seem confusing for some. Just follow the steps given below to download the ISO file of Windows. Once downloaded, you can perform a clean installation of Windows 11.
Download Windows 11 ISO
First of all, you will need to download Windows 11. For that, follow the steps given below, and you can get your hands on the Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft’s official website.
- Head over to the official download page here
- Scroll down a bit and find the ‘Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO)’ section
- Click on the Select Download drop-down menu and click on Windows 11 > Click on the Download button
- Now you need to select the product language. Click on the drop-down menu and choose the language of your choice. In my case, I selected English International
- Click on the Confirm button
- Now a download button will show up. Just click on the download button to instantly download the ISO file of Windows 11. This ISO file will contain all versions of Windows 11, including Pro, Home, N, etc.
(Do note that the generated download link will be only valid for 24 hours. So, make sure to download the file before the link expires.)
You might want to use a download manager like IDM to download the file to minimize the risk of download failure. If you are facing a low-speed issue, then look at some tips to increase IDM download speed.
Different Versions of Windows 11
Below given are all the different versions of Windows 11 available as of now:
Windows 11 Versions
Windows 11 Home
Windows 11 Home N
Windows 11 Home Single Language
Windows 11 Education
Windows 11 Education N
Windows 11 Pro
Windows 11 Pro N
Windows 11 Minimum Requirements
Here are the minimum requirements for installing Windows 11 on your computer.
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with at least two cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or SoC
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 64GB
- System Firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable
- TPM: Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (Can be installed without TPM as well)
- Graphics Card: DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
- Display: 720p, 8-bit per color channel, at least 9-inch diagonal
- An active internet connection for signing in to a Microsoft account and accessing certain online features (optional).
How to install Windows 11 on your PC?
Windows 11 Installation Pre-requisites
Before getting into the installation, there are specific pre-requisites or requirements to install Windows 11. So, let’s take a look at them real quick.
- Windows ISO file (5.5GB)
- A USB stick with a minimum capacity of 16GB
- A partition with at least 10-15GB of space
- Rufus for creating bootable USB
Links to download Rufus can be found below.
If you are new to installing Windows 11 OS on your computer, then the guide given below will walk you through the entire process, from start to the very end.
Step 1: Download Rufus from here and open it up. Once downloaded, open it up.
Plug in the pen drive with a capacity of at least 8GB in size. Open Rufus, and at first, select the USB Stick. Under the Boot selection option, select the newly downloaded ISO file of Windows 11.
Once selected, click on the Start button to start the process. A warning popup might appear, click on the OK button and proceed.
Wait for some time unit Rufus burns the ISO file to the USB stick. The process might take up to 30 minutes.
Step 2: Restart your computer and click on the boot manager key. The boot manager key depends on your motherboard manufacturer. If you are not sure about your PC or laptop’s boot manager key, you may do a simple Google search for “PC/Laptop model name boot key,” and you should find them.
Step 3: Once you enter the boot manager, select the pen drive from the list the hit enter. You can use the arrow up and down key to navigate between options.
Step 4: Wait for a few seconds, and the Windows 11 setup screen will pop up.
Firstly, select the language, time and currency format, and keyboard layout/input method. Once selected, click on the Next button.
Click on the Install now button.
Under the Activate Windows section, click on the option ‘I don’t have a product key.’ You can activate Windows 11 now and after the installation.
Now, it will ask you to select the version of Windows 11 that you would like to install. You can choose a version of your choice like Windows 11 Home, Win 11 Pro, etc.
Accept the agreement and license by ticking on the checkbox and click Next.
Since we are performing a clean installation, you need to select the Custom: Install Windows only (advanced) option.
It will now ask you to select the partition to which you need to install Windows 11. Select the partition from the list, format if required, and click on the Next button.
As soon as you click on the Next button, the installation process will start. It might take some time. So wait patiently. And your computer might restart several times during the installation, it is entirely normal, and you are required to do nothing. If an OS selection box appears, let it select automatically. (For example, if you had Windows 10 installed before, then an option to choose Wind 10 and Win 11 will appear.)
Now another setup window will appear asking you to configure basic details like the country/region.
Select the country and keyboard layout.
Now connect to a WiFi network. If not, you can skip this step.
Now you need to complete a bunch of personalization settings and options like naming the PC, setting up the username, password and update settings, etc. You can follow the on-screen instructions to set up Windows 11.
Windows 11 Clean Installation
This is how we perform a clean Windows 11 installation. First, you need to download the Windows 11 ISO file. Once we get our hands on the ISO, we can burn the same to the USB stick and then install Windows 11 on our PC.
Make sure to backup your essential files on the C drive or the drive in which you have the current OS installation. For example, if you have saved some important files on locations like Desktop, Documents, Downloads, etc., they will be deleted as you format the drive.
