How to install windows 10/11 by using a bootable USB drive
Windows 10/11 clean install by using USB/DVD
The classic method of performing a clean install is still our go-to option with Windows 10. You just need to download and create installation media, either on a DVD or a flash drive, and install it from there.
Warning: before starting we highly recommend you to take a backup from your files and apps because with this method some or all of your files and apps will be deleted
For windows 7/8/10/11 users
Step by step complete Video instruction on How to Download Windows 10/11 onto a USB Flash drive (Click here to watch)
Download the Windows 10 media creation tool from Microsoft.
Click here to download the Windows 10 tool
Click here to download the Windows 11 tool
This tool will download the correct Windows 10/11 installation files for your system, and help you create an installation DVD or flash drive.
Follow the instructions below to create a bootable USB with the media creation tool
If you have any difficulty or confusion, you may watch this video tutorial to have it all sorted out.
Be sure to select the correct type of installation media for the copy of Windows 10/11 that’s licensed for your PC — Windows 10 Home or Professional. (If “Windows 10” is the only option, you can safely use that and it will detect what version you want.) You should also choose your language and select whether you want the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows here. Most people will want the 64-bit version, but you can create installation media that includes both, and the installer will automatically select the most appropriate one when you use it to install Windows on a computer.
Install Windows 10 from the installation media like you would on any other operating system.
Step 1. Connect the USB flash drive/DVD to Your PC where you want to install Windows 10.
Step 2. Restart your PC and boot your PC from USB. If not, you need to press a key depending which laptop you are using (a list based on device brands are mentioned below) immediately after you turn on your PC to open the boot menu and change the boot order. If your device uses Secure Boot / UEFI, you will have to change it to Legacy and Disable Secure Boot. This is how the default setting looked on a test laptop.
Use the 4 arrow keys of your keyboard, navigate to the Boot tab, and change the settings. Disable Secure Boot, enable Legacy option, and set Boot List option to Legacy.
Step 3. Once you have done this, with your USB connected to your laptop, restart the laptop.
On the restart, your computer will boot from the USB, and display the following screen. If Not, You need to press a key (such as F12, Delete, or Esc) immediately after you turn on your PC to open and Choose your USB From the List.
Note: If your device isn't booting from the USB flash drive, you'll need to change your system's BIOS settings to make sure it can boot from USB. Usually, you power up your computer and hit one of the functions or ESC keys to access the BIOS, but make sure to check your manufacturer's support website for more information.
Step 4. Choose the Language to install, the Time & Currency format and the Keyboard or Input method, and click on Next. You will see the following screen. Click on Install now.
Step 5. The setup will start.
Step 6. select “I don’t have a product key” (we will enter the product key after the windows is installed)
Step 7. You will be presented with the License terms. Accept it and click on Next.
Step 8. You will be asked, the type of installation you want. Since we want to go in for a fresh or clean install, select Custom Install.
Step 9. This next part may be a bit tricky if you have multiple hard drives or partitions. You’ll need to delete the primary partition and the system partition. To ensure a 100% clean install it’s better to fully delete these instead of just formatting them.
Step 10. After deleting both partitions you should be left with some unallocated space. Select it and click the “New” button to create a new partition.
Step 11. By default, Windows inputs the maximum available space for the partition. I’d advise you to leave the size as-is and press “Apply“.
Note: You will most likely be informed that Windows may create additional system partitions. This is normal and necessary for most windows installs, so simply press “OK”.
Step 12. After creating the new partition(s), select the primary one and press “Next”.
The Windows setup should now begin. Clean installs are usually significantly faster than upgrades so you should get from this…
… to this in a matter of minutes.
After “Finishing up”, you will be notified that Windows will now restart.
Warning: If the “Press any key to boot from USB/DVD…” screen appears while restarting DO NOT PRESS ANY KEY! Pressing one will result in starting the install all over again.
Step 13. After the reboot, you should be greeted by the following screen. The default Windows 10/11 settings are perfectly fine and don’t really mess with your privacy, so we advise you to Use Express settings. Optionally, you can also Customize the settings if you insist on turning some features off.
Windows will now go through a few setup procedures.
Note: Frequent reboots at this stage are normal, simply leave the computer be until you reach the “Create an account” screen.
Once you reach this screen simply fill in your new account details and press Next.
Windows will now go through the final steps of setting up…
…and will boot straight to the Desktop afterward. Congrats!
What now?
After you finish configuring Windows 10, you'll be presented with the new experience, and the only thing left to do is toactivate the windows
to do that, open the Start menu and click on Settings. click the Update & Security button, and go to the “Activation” tab. Then you will be asked to activate the windows, insert the key that has been granted to you in the box. your windows should be activated successfully
For windows xp/ vista users:
Warning: before starting we highly recommend you to have a backup from your files because with this method your files will be deleted
While there is not a direct path to upgrade a decade-old OS, it's possible to upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 7, and then to Windows 10. But that's not an ideal approach, as you'll be wasting time and additional licenses.
The best way to upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 10 is to start fresh with a clean installation, which you can do with the following steps:
Step 1.Download the Windows 10 ISO from the Microsoft support site. Note that if you're using an older version of Internet Explorer, you'll probably need to use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox to load the download page.
Step 2.Under "Select edition," choose Windows 10 and click Confirm.
Step 3.Select your product language from the drop-down menu and click Confirm.
Step 4.Click the 64-bit Download or 32-bit Download button depending on your hardware.
Quick Tip: Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command, type the msinfo32 command and press Enter. If your system type is x64-based PC and the amount of RAM is higher than 4GB, you can install the 64-bit version of Windows 10. Otherwise, select the 32-bit version.
Step 5.In order to burn the ISO file to a USB flash drive, download and install Rufus, which is a free and easy to use utility to create bootable media.
Step 6.Launch Rufus.
Step 7.Under "Devices," select the USB flash drive you want to use.
Step 8.Under "Format Options," click the disk drive icon next to "Create a bootable disk using ISO image" option.
Step 9.Select the Windows 10 ISO file you want to use, and click Open.
10.Click the Start button to continue.
11.Click the OK button to confirm that all the data on the flash drive will be erased and to start the process.
Step 13. Connect the USB flash drive/DVD to Your PC where you want to install Windows 10.
Step 14. Restart your PC and boot your PC from USB. If not, you need to press a key depending which laptop you are using (such as F2, F12, Delete, or Esc) immediately after you turn on your PC to open the boot menu and change the boot order. If your device uses Secure Boot / UEFI, you will have to change it to Legacy and Disable Secure Boot. This is how the default setting looked on a test laptop.
Note: If your device isn't booting from the USB flash drive, you'll need to change your system's BIOS settings to make sure it can boot from USB. Usually, you power up your computer and hit one of the functions or ESC keys to access the BIOS, but make sure to check your manufacturer's support website for more information.
Use the 4 arrow keys of your keyboard, navigate to the Boot tab, and change the settings. Disable Secure Boot, enable Legacy option, and set Boot List option to Legacy.
Step 15. Once you have done this, with your USB connected to your laptop, restart the laptop.
On the restart, your computer will boot from the USB, and display the following screen. If Not, You need to press a key (such as F12, Delete, or Esc) immediately after you turn on your PC to open and Choose your USB From the List.
Step 16. Choose the Language to install, the Time & Currency format and the Keyboard or Input method, and click on Next. You will see the following screen. Click on Install now.
Step 17. The setup will start.
Step 18. select “I don’t have a product key” (we will enter the product key after the windows is installed)
Step 19. You will be presented with the License terms. Accept it and click on Next.
Step 20. You will be asked, the type of installation you want. Since we want to go in for a fresh or clean install, select Custom Install.
Step 21. This next part may be a bit tricky if you have multiple hard drives or partitions. You’ll need to delete the primary partition and the system partition. To ensure a 100% clean install it’s better to fully delete these instead of just formatting them.
Step 22. After deleting both partitions you should be left with some unallocated space. Select it and click the “New” button to create a new partition.
Step 23. By default, Windows inputs the maximum available space for the partition. I’d advise you to leave the size as-is and press “Apply“.
Note: You will most likely be informed that Windows may create additional system partitions. This is normal and necessary for most windows installs, so simply press “OK”.
Step 24. After creating the new partition(s), select the primary one and press “Next”.
The Windows setup should now begin. Clean installs are usually significantly faster than upgrades so you should get from this…
… to this in a matter of minutes.
After “Finishing up”, you will be notified that Windows will now restart.
Warning: If the “Press any key to boot from USB/DVD…” screen appears while restarting DO NOT PRESS ANY KEY! Pressing one will result in starting the install all over again.
Step 25. After the reboot, you should be greeted by the following screen. The default Windows 10 settings are perfectly fine and don’t really mess with your privacy, so we advise you to Use Express settings. Optionally, you can also Customize the settings if you insist on turning some features off.
Windows will now go through a few setup procedures.
Note: Frequent reboots at this stage are normal, simply leave the computer be until you reach the “Create an account” screen.
Once you reach this screen you'll be asked to set up an account with a Microsoft account. As such, you should make sure to have this information handy. Alternatively, you could use a local account, but you'll miss out on many advanced features, including the ability to sync settings between devices.
Windows will now go through the final steps of setting up…
…and will boot straight to the Desktop afterward. Congrats!
What now?
After you finish configuring Windows 10, you'll be presented with the new experience, and the only thing left to do is toactivate the windows
to do that, open the Start menu and click on Settings. click the Update & Security button, and go to the “Activation” tab. Then you will be asked to activate the windows, insert the key that has been granted to you in the box. your windows should be activated successfully
Additionally, you may want to use Device Manager to double-check that all your hardware and peripherals are correctly installed on your machine. If something didn't install correctly, make sure to use your manufacturer's support website to download and install the latest drivers.
If you can't find a driver compatible with Windows 10, sometimes drivers designed for the previous version of the OS will still work. But only try this as a last resort.
Follow the video How to Make a Windows 10 Bootable USB
The classic method of performing a clean install is still our go-to option with Windows 10. You just need to download and create installation media, either on a DVD or a flash drive, and install it from there.
Warning: before starting we highly recommend you to take a backup from your files and apps because with this method some or all of your files and apps will be deleted
For windows 7/8/10/11 users
Step by step complete Video instruction on How to Download Windows 10/11 onto a USB Flash drive (Click here to watch)
Download the Windows 10 media creation tool from Microsoft.
Click here to download the Windows 10 tool
Click here to download the Windows 11 tool
This tool will download the correct Windows 10/11 installation files for your system, and help you create an installation DVD or flash drive.
Follow the instructions below to create a bootable USB with the media creation tool
If you have any difficulty or confusion, you may watch this video tutorial to have it all sorted out.
Be sure to select the correct type of installation media for the copy of Windows 10/11 that’s licensed for your PC — Windows 10 Home or Professional. (If “Windows 10” is the only option, you can safely use that and it will detect what version you want.) You should also choose your language and select whether you want the 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows here. Most people will want the 64-bit version, but you can create installation media that includes both, and the installer will automatically select the most appropriate one when you use it to install Windows on a computer.
Install Windows 10 from the installation media like you would on any other operating system.
Step 1. Connect the USB flash drive/DVD to Your PC where you want to install Windows 10.
Step 2. Restart your PC and boot your PC from USB. If not, you need to press a key depending which laptop you are using (a list based on device brands are mentioned below) immediately after you turn on your PC to open the boot menu and change the boot order. If your device uses Secure Boot / UEFI, you will have to change it to Legacy and Disable Secure Boot. This is how the default setting looked on a test laptop.
| Samsung = F2 | Sony = F1 / F2 / F3 | Toshiba = F1 / Esc |
|---|---|---|
| Lenovo = F1 / F2 | Dell = Dell | Asus = Delete |
| Acer = F2 / Delete | Gigabyte = Delete | HP = F1/ Esc / F2 / F10 / F12 |
Use the 4 arrow keys of your keyboard, navigate to the Boot tab, and change the settings. Disable Secure Boot, enable Legacy option, and set Boot List option to Legacy.
Step 3. Once you have done this, with your USB connected to your laptop, restart the laptop.
On the restart, your computer will boot from the USB, and display the following screen. If Not, You need to press a key (such as F12, Delete, or Esc) immediately after you turn on your PC to open and Choose your USB From the List.
Note: If your device isn't booting from the USB flash drive, you'll need to change your system's BIOS settings to make sure it can boot from USB. Usually, you power up your computer and hit one of the functions or ESC keys to access the BIOS, but make sure to check your manufacturer's support website for more information.
Step 4. Choose the Language to install, the Time & Currency format and the Keyboard or Input method, and click on Next. You will see the following screen. Click on Install now.
Step 5. The setup will start.
Step 6. select “I don’t have a product key” (we will enter the product key after the windows is installed)
Step 7. You will be presented with the License terms. Accept it and click on Next.
Step 8. You will be asked, the type of installation you want. Since we want to go in for a fresh or clean install, select Custom Install.
Step 9. This next part may be a bit tricky if you have multiple hard drives or partitions. You’ll need to delete the primary partition and the system partition. To ensure a 100% clean install it’s better to fully delete these instead of just formatting them.
Step 10. After deleting both partitions you should be left with some unallocated space. Select it and click the “New” button to create a new partition.
Step 11. By default, Windows inputs the maximum available space for the partition. I’d advise you to leave the size as-is and press “Apply“.
Note: You will most likely be informed that Windows may create additional system partitions. This is normal and necessary for most windows installs, so simply press “OK”.
Step 12. After creating the new partition(s), select the primary one and press “Next”.
The Windows setup should now begin. Clean installs are usually significantly faster than upgrades so you should get from this…
… to this in a matter of minutes.
After “Finishing up”, you will be notified that Windows will now restart.
Warning: If the “Press any key to boot from USB/DVD…” screen appears while restarting DO NOT PRESS ANY KEY! Pressing one will result in starting the install all over again.
Step 13. After the reboot, you should be greeted by the following screen. The default Windows 10/11 settings are perfectly fine and don’t really mess with your privacy, so we advise you to Use Express settings. Optionally, you can also Customize the settings if you insist on turning some features off.
Windows will now go through a few setup procedures.
Note: Frequent reboots at this stage are normal, simply leave the computer be until you reach the “Create an account” screen.
Once you reach this screen simply fill in your new account details and press Next.
Windows will now go through the final steps of setting up…
…and will boot straight to the Desktop afterward. Congrats!
What now?
After you finish configuring Windows 10, you'll be presented with the new experience, and the only thing left to do is toactivate the windows
to do that, open the Start menu and click on Settings. click the Update & Security button, and go to the “Activation” tab. Then you will be asked to activate the windows, insert the key that has been granted to you in the box. your windows should be activated successfully
For windows xp/ vista users:
Warning: before starting we highly recommend you to have a backup from your files because with this method your files will be deleted
While there is not a direct path to upgrade a decade-old OS, it's possible to upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 7, and then to Windows 10. But that's not an ideal approach, as you'll be wasting time and additional licenses.
The best way to upgrade Windows Vista to Windows 10 is to start fresh with a clean installation, which you can do with the following steps:
Step 1.Download the Windows 10 ISO from the Microsoft support site. Note that if you're using an older version of Internet Explorer, you'll probably need to use Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox to load the download page.
Step 2.Under "Select edition," choose Windows 10 and click Confirm.
Step 3.Select your product language from the drop-down menu and click Confirm.
Step 4.Click the 64-bit Download or 32-bit Download button depending on your hardware.
Quick Tip: Use the Windows key + R keyboard shortcut to open the Run command, type the msinfo32 command and press Enter. If your system type is x64-based PC and the amount of RAM is higher than 4GB, you can install the 64-bit version of Windows 10. Otherwise, select the 32-bit version.
Step 5.In order to burn the ISO file to a USB flash drive, download and install Rufus, which is a free and easy to use utility to create bootable media.
Step 6.Launch Rufus.
Step 7.Under "Devices," select the USB flash drive you want to use.
Step 8.Under "Format Options," click the disk drive icon next to "Create a bootable disk using ISO image" option.
Step 9.Select the Windows 10 ISO file you want to use, and click Open.
10.Click the Start button to continue.
11.Click the OK button to confirm that all the data on the flash drive will be erased and to start the process.
Step 13. Connect the USB flash drive/DVD to Your PC where you want to install Windows 10.
Step 14. Restart your PC and boot your PC from USB. If not, you need to press a key depending which laptop you are using (such as F2, F12, Delete, or Esc) immediately after you turn on your PC to open the boot menu and change the boot order. If your device uses Secure Boot / UEFI, you will have to change it to Legacy and Disable Secure Boot. This is how the default setting looked on a test laptop.
Note: If your device isn't booting from the USB flash drive, you'll need to change your system's BIOS settings to make sure it can boot from USB. Usually, you power up your computer and hit one of the functions or ESC keys to access the BIOS, but make sure to check your manufacturer's support website for more information.
Use the 4 arrow keys of your keyboard, navigate to the Boot tab, and change the settings. Disable Secure Boot, enable Legacy option, and set Boot List option to Legacy.
Step 15. Once you have done this, with your USB connected to your laptop, restart the laptop.
On the restart, your computer will boot from the USB, and display the following screen. If Not, You need to press a key (such as F12, Delete, or Esc) immediately after you turn on your PC to open and Choose your USB From the List.
Step 16. Choose the Language to install, the Time & Currency format and the Keyboard or Input method, and click on Next. You will see the following screen. Click on Install now.
Step 17. The setup will start.
Step 18. select “I don’t have a product key” (we will enter the product key after the windows is installed)
Step 19. You will be presented with the License terms. Accept it and click on Next.
Step 20. You will be asked, the type of installation you want. Since we want to go in for a fresh or clean install, select Custom Install.
Step 21. This next part may be a bit tricky if you have multiple hard drives or partitions. You’ll need to delete the primary partition and the system partition. To ensure a 100% clean install it’s better to fully delete these instead of just formatting them.
Step 22. After deleting both partitions you should be left with some unallocated space. Select it and click the “New” button to create a new partition.
Step 23. By default, Windows inputs the maximum available space for the partition. I’d advise you to leave the size as-is and press “Apply“.
Note: You will most likely be informed that Windows may create additional system partitions. This is normal and necessary for most windows installs, so simply press “OK”.
Step 24. After creating the new partition(s), select the primary one and press “Next”.
The Windows setup should now begin. Clean installs are usually significantly faster than upgrades so you should get from this…
… to this in a matter of minutes.
After “Finishing up”, you will be notified that Windows will now restart.
Warning: If the “Press any key to boot from USB/DVD…” screen appears while restarting DO NOT PRESS ANY KEY! Pressing one will result in starting the install all over again.
Step 25. After the reboot, you should be greeted by the following screen. The default Windows 10 settings are perfectly fine and don’t really mess with your privacy, so we advise you to Use Express settings. Optionally, you can also Customize the settings if you insist on turning some features off.
Windows will now go through a few setup procedures.
Note: Frequent reboots at this stage are normal, simply leave the computer be until you reach the “Create an account” screen.
Once you reach this screen you'll be asked to set up an account with a Microsoft account. As such, you should make sure to have this information handy. Alternatively, you could use a local account, but you'll miss out on many advanced features, including the ability to sync settings between devices.
Windows will now go through the final steps of setting up…
…and will boot straight to the Desktop afterward. Congrats!
What now?
After you finish configuring Windows 10, you'll be presented with the new experience, and the only thing left to do is toactivate the windows
to do that, open the Start menu and click on Settings. click the Update & Security button, and go to the “Activation” tab. Then you will be asked to activate the windows, insert the key that has been granted to you in the box. your windows should be activated successfully
Additionally, you may want to use Device Manager to double-check that all your hardware and peripherals are correctly installed on your machine. If something didn't install correctly, make sure to use your manufacturer's support website to download and install the latest drivers.
If you can't find a driver compatible with Windows 10, sometimes drivers designed for the previous version of the OS will still work. But only try this as a last resort.
Follow the video How to Make a Windows 10 Bootable USB
Updated on: 29/03/2024
Thank you!