Installing Windows 10 using the media creation tool

The media creation tool can be used to upgrade your current PC to Windows 10 or to create a USB or DVD and install Windows 10 on a different PC.

Here’s a quick look at the steps to get Windows 10 installed on your PC using this tool.

Download the tool

1. Find the media creation tool on the Software download page.
2. There are two versions of the tool, one for a “32-bit operating system” and one for a “64-bit operating system.” To find out which you have, go to Start, type Control panel, select System and security, and then, under System, look at the value for System type:.
3. If your PC is a 32-bit operating system, on the Software download page, select Download tool now (32-bit version). If your PC is a 64-bit operating system, select Download tool now (64-bit version).
4. When you're asked, select Run (or choose to Save the tool if you don't want to run it now).

Run the tool

1. Run the tool, if you didn't already select Run above. (You need to be an Administrator on the PC to run it.)
2. If you're upgrading this PC, select Upgrade this PC now, and then follow the rest of the instructions to finish the upgrade.
3. If you want to create media for a different PC, select Create installation media for another PC. Use this table to choose the edition of Windows 10 that you want to create media for.

   Host operating system edition	Windows 10 edition
   Windows 7 Starter Windows 7 Home Basic Windows 7 Home Premium Windows 8/8.1 Windows 8.1 with Bing Windows 10 Home	Windows 10 Home
   Windows 7 Professional Windows 7 Ultimate Windows 8 Pro Windows 8.1 Pro Windows 8/8.1 Professional with Media Center Windows 10 Pro	Windows 10 Pro
   Windows 8/8.1 Single Language Windows 8 Single Language with Bing	Windows 10 Home Single Language
   Windows 8/8.1 Chinese Language Edition Windows 8 Chinese Language Edition with Bing	Windows 10 Home China

   Note

   • If you have an N edition of Windows on your PC, choose the N equivalent for creating installation media.
4. After the download is complete and the media is created, select Finish.

If you chose to create installation media

You can install from an ISO, a USB, or a DVD. Here's how:

• Mount the ISO, and then run setup.exe from it.
• If you downloaded to a USB or a DVD, run setup.exe from the USB or DVD.

Both of these options allow you to upgrade the PC if it's already running Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, or Windows 10.

If you want to perform a clean install on your PC, or if your PC doesn’t have an operating system, you can use the DVD or USB. Here's how:

How to perform a clean installation of Windows

Warning

• If you format a drive partition during installation, any data on the partition will be erased. Be sure to back up any data you want to keep before you begin.

1. Turn on your PC, insert the DVD or USB flash drive, and then shut down your PC.
2. Restart your PC, and then press any key to boot from the DVD or USB flash drive.
   If you restart your PC and your current version of Windows starts, you might have to open a boot menu or change the boot order in your PC's BIOS or UEFI settings so that your PC boots from the media. To open a boot menu or change the boot order, you'll typically need to press a combination of keys (such as F2, F12, Delete, or Esc) immediately after you turn on your PC. For instructions on changing the boot order for your PC, check the documentation that came with your PC or go to the manufacturer's website.
   If changing the boot menu or order doesn't work, try again by signing into Windows, shutting down, and then starting your PC.
3. On the Install Windows page, enter your language and other preferences, and then select Next.
4. Select Install Windows.
5. On the Enter the product key to activate Windows page, enter your product key. The product key should be in a purchase confirmation email if you bought Windows 10. It looks like this: PRODUCT KEY: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.

   Note

   • If you upgraded to Windows 10 on this PC by taking advantage of the free upgrade offer and successfully activated Windows 10 on this PC in the past, you won't have a Windows 10 product key, and you can skip the product key page by selecting the Skip button. Your PC will activate online automatically so long as the same edition of Windows 10 was successfully activated on this PC by using the free Windows 10 upgrade offer.
6. On the License terms page, if you accept the license terms, select I accept the license terms, and then select Next.
7. On the Which type of installation do you want? page, select Custom.
8. On the Where do you want to install Windows? page, select the partition that you want, select the formatting option you want to perform (if needed), and then follow the instructions.
9. When you've finished formatting, select Next.
10. Follow the rest of the setup instructions to finish installing Windows.

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