Windows 11 Download

Create Installation Media

Create a Windows 11 Installation USB

Use a Windows PC with administrator access, an internet connection, and a blank USB drive with at least 8 GB of storage. Back up the USB drive first: the creation process erases its contents.

1. Open the Windows 11 download page above.
2. Under Create Windows 11 Installation Media, select Download Now.
3. Run the Media Creation Tool as administrator and accept the license terms.
4. Choose the installation language and Windows 11. Clear the recommended-options checkbox if you need different settings.
5. Select USB flash drive and choose the correct drive.
6. Wait for the tool to finish, then close it.

The Media Creation Tool creates x64 installation media. For an Arm-based PC, use Microsoft’s Arm64 download option and the device manufacturer’s installation guidance. See the download instructions.

In the examples below, E: is the installation USB drive. Replace it with its actual drive letter. A mounted ISO is read-only; make configuration changes on the writable USB drive after creating it.

Select the Installation Edition

Select the edition matching your license when Windows Setup offers an edition list. For more predictable deployment, specify an edition with ei.cfg.

Check the Available Images

Open Terminal (Admin) and use PowerShell:

Get-ChildItem -LiteralPath 'E:\sources' -Filter 'install.*'

For media containing install.wim:

dism /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:E:\sources\install.wim

For media containing install.esd, use this command instead:

dism /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:E:\sources\install.esd

Find the required image index, then inspect it. Replace N with that index and use the filename present on your media:

dism /Get-ImageInfo /ImageFile:E:\sources\install.esd /Index:N

Use the reported edition identifier in the configuration below. An edition name such as Windows 11 Pro is different from its identifier, Professional. Microsoft documents image inspection and configuration in the EI.cfg reference.

Configure ei.cfg

Create an ei.cfg file to enable edition selection

• Open you Windows(e.g., Windows 11 or 10) installation USB or ISO file Explorer.
• Create a new test file named ei.cfg.
• Save this ei.cfg file to the \sources folder on your bootable USB drive.

[EditionID]
Professional
[Channel]
Retail
[VL]
0

Boot and Install

Back up the target computer before starting a clean installation.

1. Connect the USB drive to the target computer.
2. Restart and open its boot menu using the manufacturer’s documented key.
3. Choose the UEFI entry for the USB drive.
4. Follow Windows Setup and confirm the intended edition and installation disk before proceeding.

If prompted for a product key during a reinstall, you can choose I don’t have a product key when the device already has a digital license for the same edition. Activation normally resumes after connecting to the internet. A Home license does not activate Pro. See Windows activation.

Check the Installed Edition

Open Settings > System > About, or run this command from an elevated terminal:

dism /Online /Get-CurrentEdition

Editing the EditionID or ProductName registry values alone does not install another Windows edition or provide its license. Use the supported edition-upgrade process instead.

Upgrade Home to Pro

Open the Activation page:

Start-Process 'ms-settings:activation'

Under Upgrade your edition of Windows, enter a valid Pro key through Change product key, or purchase the upgrade through the Microsoft Store option. Follow the prompts and restart if requested. See Upgrade Windows Home to Pro.

Enterprise and IoT Enterprise LTSC require their own applicable deployment and licensing arrangements. For an IoT device, follow the manufacturer’s upgrade guidance and the Windows IoT documentation.

Read the Firmware Product Key

Open PowerShell as administrator:

(Get-CimInstance -ClassName SoftwareLicensingService).OA3xOriginalProductKey

This reads the original OEM key stored in firmware, if one exists. It may differ from the license currently used by Windows, and a blank result does not establish that Windows is unactivated. Microsoft’s activation documentation describes the firmware-key property.

Use Get-CimInstance for this query rather than the old WMIC command. Microsoft is removing WMIC and recommends modern management tools.

Check Activation

Use Settings > System > Activation to check the activation state or enter your product key.

For command-line details:

cscript.exe //Nologo "$env:SystemRoot\System32\slmgr.vbs" /dlv
cscript.exe //Nologo "$env:SystemRoot\System32\slmgr.vbs" /xpr

/dlv displays detailed license information; /xpr reports activation expiration information. See the Slmgr.vbs reference.

If activation fails, confirm that the installed edition matches your license and use Troubleshoot on the Activation page. For an organization-managed installation, contact its administrator. See Activate Windows.