Downloading Windows 11 ISO for ARM64 PCs: A Step-by-Step Guide

• To obtain the Windows 11 ISO for ARM devices, you will need to run the UUP Dump script to fetch the installation files and build a personalized ISO. From there, you can use the Rufus application to create a bootable USB installer.

If you’re using an ARM-based system, like a Copilot+ PC featuring the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite processor or models such as the Surface Pro (11th Edition) and Laptop (7th Edition), you can download the Windows 11 ISO for a fresh operating system installation. However, accessing the ISO requires using alternative methods as Microsoft has yet to provide an official download option.

Recently, I sought the Windows 11 ISO to set up a virtual machine on my Apple MacBook Air with an M2 chip. Unfortunately, the standard image proved incompatible because Microsoft doesn’t offer a version for ARM architecture, despite its support for arm64 devices.

There are plans from Microsoft to release an ISO for arm64 in the future, but as of now, the only available route is to utilize the UUP Dump script alongside Rufus to generate bootable media.

UUP Dump is a robust utility that allows you to create custom ISO images for different Windows versions, including both Windows 10 and 11 for x64 and arm64 architectures. It uses the Unified Update Platform (UUP) to efficiently download the required files directly from Microsoft’s servers, simplifying the process of acquiring the latest builds.

This article will guide you through downloading the Windows 11 ISO for ARM-powered devices. Notably, you can create the ISO file and USB boot media using an x64 (AMD or Intel) computer for arm64 systems.

How to Download Windows 11 ISO for Arm64 Devices

Follow these steps to download the Windows 11 ISO file for arm64 devices:

1. Navigate to the UUP Dump website.

2. Select the Windows 11 option from the menu and choose the version “24H2” (or the most current release).

   

3. Pick the appropriate Windows 11 build for downloading the latest arm64 ISO file, such as Windows 11, version 24H2 (26100.xxxx) arm64.

   

4. Choose your desired installation language from the “Language” dropdown.

   

5. Hit the Next button.

6. Select the editions you want to include in your Windows 11 ISO file for your ARM device.

   

7. Click the Next button again.

8. Choose the “Download and convert to ISO” option.

   

9. Ensure the “Include updates (Windows converter only)” option is checked.

   Quick note: Selecting this will add the necessary updates to create the ISO file version of Windows 11 24H2 or whichever version is current at the time.

10. Press the “Create download package” button to save the related tool on your device.

11. Access the zip folder using File Explorer.

12. Click the Extract all button.

13. Pick a location to extract the files to.

14. Press the Extract button.

    

15. Right-click the uup_download_windows.cmd batch file and select Run as administrator.

    Quick note: If you receive a prompt while attempting to run the script, select the “Run Anyway” option.

    

After completing these steps, the script will download the required files from Microsoft’s servers and subsequently create the Windows 11 ISO file tailored for ARM devices like Copilot+ PC or Surface laptops utilizing Qualcomm Snapdragon X series processors.

Creating a Bootable USB Drive for ARM PCs

To generate a USB bootable drive for Windows 11 arm64, follow these steps:

1. Visit the Rufus website.

2. Click the link to download the most recent version listed in the “Download” section.

3. Double-click the executable to open the tool.

4. Click the Select button.

   

5. Locate the folder where the ISO file is saved.

6. Select the Windows 11 arm64 ISO file.

7. Click the Open button.

8. Proceed with the default settings to create the bootable media.

9. (Optional) You may assign a descriptive name to your USB drive, like “Windows 11 USB for ARM.”

10. Press the Start button.

11. Click the OK button to bypass customization settings if necessary.

12. Click OK to confirm the erase of the USB drive data.

Upon completing these steps, your bootable USB flash drive can be used to install Windows 11 on ARM-based devices via a clean installation or an in-place upgrade.

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