How to Create a Bootable USB and Install Windows

What You Need

• A USB flash drive (8 GB or larger, will be formatted)
• A working computer with internet access
• Your Windows product key

Step 1: Download the Media Creation Tool

1. Go to microsoft.com/software-download/windows11 (or windows10 for Windows 10).
2. Click "Download Now" under "Create Windows Installation Media".
3. Run the downloaded MediaCreationTool.exe.

Step 2: Create the Bootable USB

1. Accept the license terms.
2. Select "Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)".
3. Choose your language, edition (Windows 11/10), and architecture (64-bit).
4. Select "USB flash drive" and click Next.
5. Choose your USB drive from the list and click Next.
6. Wait for the download and creation process to complete (10-30 minutes depending on internet speed).

Step 3: Boot from USB

1. Insert the USB drive into the target computer.
2. Restart the computer.
3. Press the boot menu key during startup (usually F12, F2, Esc, or Del — depends on your motherboard manufacturer).
4. Select the USB drive from the boot menu.

Step 4: Install Windows

1. Select your language and keyboard layout, then click Install Now.
2. When asked for a product key, enter your key or click "I don't have a product key" (you can activate later).
3. Select the Windows edition that matches your key (Pro or Home).
4. Accept the license terms.
5. Choose "Custom: Install Windows only" for a clean install.
6. Select the drive/partition where you want to install Windows. For a clean install, you can delete existing partitions and let Windows create new ones.
7. Click Next and wait for the installation to complete (15-30 minutes).
8. Follow the out-of-box setup experience (OOBE) to configure your account, privacy settings, etc.

Step 5: Activate Windows

After installation, go to Settings → System → Activation → Change product key and enter your product key. See our Windows Activation Guide for detailed instructions.