How to Install Windows 11

How to Install Windows 11 is the latest operating system from Microsoft. It was officially launched in early October 2021. This new OS boasts a significant redesign compared to Windows 10. The Fluent Design language has been adopted across the Windows 11 system itself and its apps, with rounded windows and translucent tiles.

The menu button has been moved to the bottom center. The snap-in and widgets have been updated. Android compatibility is a big new feature. You can upgrade to Windows 11 for free if your PC runs a genuine Windows 10 instance and meets the relevant system requirements.

Before we start

Related read: How to Recover Deleted Partition in Windows 11/10

If you’re beginning with nothing or you aren’t eligible for a free upgrade, you’ll need a genuine license to use your new Operating System once you’ve downloaded and installed Windows 11. Although it may be expensive from the official Microsoft Store, you have a cheaper but still 100% legitimate alternative.

Mr Key Shop is an authorized third-party store where you can order top-notch software licenses, including Operating Systems like Windows 11 and Windows 10. Our guide about how to buy Windows 11 has all the details you need. The vast catalog also offers Office suites like Microsoft Office 2021. And for businesses, we have Windows Server products like SQL Server, Storage Server, and Microsoft Windows Server 2022 + the relevant USER and DEVICE CAL bundles.

We’ve been in business for over 18 years with an average rating of “Excellent” on TrustPilot. Here, you can save up to 70% over the recommended price points. We accept secure payment methods like PayPal, Stripe, Amazon Pay, Google, Apple and more. Also, we offer a full money-back warranty and free English-speaking customer support. Mr Key Shop is one of the best resellers online and you can save significantly over your purchase. So, click on these links if you want to purchase Windows 11 or if you want to buy Windows 10 at the best price. We would like to remind you that the best brands of Antivirus are also available on Mr Key Shop’s platform.

The Mr Key Shop catalog also gives Apple users their chance to buy Office for Mac and other products for cheap. That said, with no further ado, let’s see how to install Windows 11.

How to install Windows 11 right away

Before you download and install Windows 11, Microsoft is warning users that their machines must meet certain system requirements or they will not receive any updates. This could leave your PC at risk for security vulnerabilities and data loss, so make sure to back up your data before proceeding.

These are the official requirements to install Windows 11:

• Processor: 8th gen Intel or higher, AMD Zen 2 or higher
• RAM: 4GB for storage; 64GB for the System
• Firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot compatible
• TPM: Trusted Platform Module 2.0
• Graphics: DirectX 12 or higher, with WDDM 2.0 driver
• Internet connection and a Microsoft Account: An active Internet connection and a Microsoft account are
• required to use Windows 11 Home or to exit from Windows 11 in S-mode.

Once you’ve checked your requirements and completed your backup, you can download Windows 11 for free by going to the Windows 11 download page and clicking “Download Now.” Follow the prompts to complete the download process.

How to upgrade to Windows 11 – Official procedure

Make sure your PC is ready for Windows 11 with the PC Health Check App. If you meet all the requirements, you can upgrade to Windows 11 from your Windows 10 installation. Use the prompts from PC Health Check and go to Windows Update from your OS to get started.

We strongly recommend proceeding with a full system backup before upgrading to Windows 11.

How to install Windows 11 from the ISO file

You will need an official ISO file to perform this on Windows 11. If you buy a Windows 11 license from Mr Key Shop, you will find a download link in the recap email you receive after you complete the order. Otherwise, go to the official Microsoft Windows 11 download page and select: “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO)”. You will be prompted to select your language, then you will just have to click “64-bit Download” to get your ISO file.

At the end of your download, you can begin your installation by creating a USB drive with at least 8GB of free space for Windows 11.

Format your USB drive for Windows 11

Connect your drive to a free USB port on your PC and access “Disk Management.” If you can’t find this option, use the Windows search bar. You will see your USB drive in the device list. To remove all partitions, right-click and select ‘Delete Volume’.

Right-click on an empty slot and select ‘New Simple Volume…’. Pick a name, but ensure the partition is at least 1 GB large. File System should be set to FAT32. Now create a second partition selecting the NTFS format.

Add the ISO file for Windows 11

To access the Windows 11 ISO file, right-click it and select “Mount.” This will open the ISO file as a standard folder, allowing you to explore its contents.

Copy all content on the FAT32 partition of your USB drive to a new ‘Sources’ folder, keeping the boot.wim file from the original ‘Sources’ folder. Copy all the files from the Windows 11 ISO folder to the USB drive’s NTFS partition.

Install Windows 11

Reboot your target PC with the USB drive connected. Follow the wizard until you’re prompted to select your preferred setup type. Select ‘Custom Setup’ and choose the USB drive as the device from which you want to install Windows. Proceed with the wizard and, in a few steps, you’ll be done with your clean Windows 11 clean setup via the ISO file.

How to install Windows 11 via USB or DVD

If you already own a previous version of Microsoft Windows that’s eligible for the upgrade, you can use Windows Update or the USB drive you found in your retail box (if applicable) to install Windows 11. However, if you chose to purchase your Windows 11 Product Key online or if you lost your original install media, you can burn a DVD or create a bootable USB drive to install your OS. Please note that after installing Windows 11 you will also be able to install the latest version of Office Suite, so you can click on this link if you want to purchase Microsoft Office 2021.

This procedure can be useful if you need to install Windows 11 on a new computer with no previous Operating System or in case of issues during the upgrade.

The easiest way to create an installation backup is to use a USB drive. You will need a USB drive with at least 8 GB of free space. Remember that everything on your hard drive will be erased during this process, so you might want to back up your data first.

If you want to install Microsoft Office from a DVD, you’ll need to download and install a burning software. There are plenty of free or paid options out there.

To activate Windows 11, you’ll need your Product Key. You can find it in your recap e-mail (i.e. Mr Key Shop sends you an email with all you need to go right after purchase) if you ordered Windows 11 online. Otherwise, check your retail box or your PC if you bought a machine with Windows up and running.

Open the START menu and type CMD. Then select ‘Run as Administrator’. In the Command Prompt, input the command to collect the code you need.

A Command Prompt window will open where you can paste the following string:

wmic path softwarelicensingservice get OA3xOriginalProductKey

Your operating system will return your key in the following format: 25 alphanumeric symbols in 5 groups of 5 characters.

AAAAA-BBBBB-CCCCC-DDDDD-EEEEE.

Download Microsoft Media Creation Tool for Windows 11

Microsoft used to allow the direct download of their Operating Systems ISO files to be burned on DVD as an installation media. However, it’s no longer possible. The only way to get an ISO file is using the Media Creation Tool.

Visit this page for Microsoft Windows 10 and download the app. Look for the ‘Create Windows 10 installation media’ section and click ‘Download tool now’.Click ‘Download tool now’ under ‘Create Windows 11 Installation Media’ on this page to download the tool for Windows 11.

Prepare your USB drive for Windows 11

The simplest method ever to launch the Media Creation Tool is to select Language, Edition, and Architecture (e.g. English, Windows 11, and 64-bit x64). Finally, you’ll have to select the system letter of your flash drive and confirm by clicking ‘OK’. Be advised that, once the procedure starts, everything in the drive will be definitely erased.

After you’ve selected the Operating System you want to download, the software will download it to your USB drive. This will be used to boot your PC and begin the setup process.

Burn the boot disk to Install Windows 11

The process of downloading and installing an operating system using a USB drive is much quicker and easier than using a DVD. However, if you want to install Windows using a DVD, the process is a bit lengthier and will take more time. To install Windows using a DVD, you first need to download the ISO file by choosing the appropriate option in the Media Creation Tool. After you have downloaded the ISO file, you can burn your setup disk using the burning software of your choice, for example, Ashampoo Burning Studio Free. Just insert a blank DVD into your optical drive. Choose the option to “write the image on disk” or “burn ISO image”, ensure the DVD media is selected as the target and the ISO file as the source. Then click the relevant button to start the burning process.

Prepare to install Windows 11

If you’ve already installed an operating system from a USB or CD/DVD drive, this step will be straightforward. Simply reboot your computer with the USB drive or DVD inserted, and once the manufacturer’s logo appears onscreen, press F1 or F2 to open the boot menu (some laptops may require pressing F12; check your manual for the appropriate key). Then select the USB or DVD drive as your boot device and press Enter. If you’ve done everything correctly, the Windows 11 setup program should now launch.

Let’s go with the setup of Windows 11

Now you can expect the same setup process with Windows 10: pick the destination unit, select the partitions, etc. According to Microsoft, you may be prompted to upgrade from Windows 10 if you download their file. You also have the option to transfer data from Windows 10 to a custom setup.

The Windows 11 setup process is designed to be quick and easy, with Microsoft removing some pre-installed apps to reduce the OS footprint.

If you’re starting with a brand new computer or you want to do a clean install, select Custom setup.To manage partitions, you’ll first need to choose how you want to do it. If you’re using a new PC without any preinstalled operating systems, you’ll need to select the unallocated space. If you want to erase all data from your machine, remove the old partitions first, then again select the unallocated space.

All your apps will be kept if you upgrade your current operating system, however, some of them may stop working correctly or won’t run at all. We recommend testing all your most-used apps at the end of the setup to ensure they work normally.

We recommend that you start from scratch and perform a clean installation process if your operating system is not under a specific, possibly hard-to-replicate configuration. This will result in an optimal outcome and minimize any future issues.

Final steps to install Windows 11

After you start the installation process, Windows will copy files and may restart a couple of times. Then you will be guided through different prompts to customize your settings, set up an account, and connect to your Microsoft account.

Windows 11 requires a Microsoft account to complete the setup and make the system usable. Then, your computer will prepare your desktop and you’ll be free to use the freshly-installed OS as you wish. Good job.