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WinBookUnofficial

Windows downloads: the official sources, verified

Verified 3 min read

Official Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server, ADK, Windows Admin Center and lab tool downloads — vendor links only, checked, with hash verification and licensing rules.

The rule this page follows

Section titled “The rule this page follows”

Every link here points at the vendor’s own page: microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com, aka.ms, or the upstream project (proxmox.com, Fedora, GitHub). This page does not host, mirror, re-upload or hotlink ISO files.

Why it matters:

  • Microsoft issues language- and session-specific download links. A copied CDN URL expires or serves a different language.
  • Mirrors and “pre-activated” ISOs are the most common Windows malware delivery path. A patched boot.wim looks identical until you run it.
  • We would rather link to a page that stays correct than to a file that rots in three weeks.

Links were checked on 2026-10-29 with an HTTP request. That proves the page answered, not that a specific build is still current — always read the version on the vendor page before downloading.

Which download do I actually need?

Section titled “Which download do I actually need?”
Your situation Take this
Upgrade the PC you are using Windows 11 Installation Assistant (x64 only)
Clean install from USB on x64 Media Creation Tool or the x64 multi-edition ISO
Install in a VM (PVE/Hyper-V/VMware) Windows 11 x64 ISO, or the Arm64 ISO for Arm hosts
Build a Server lab Windows Server 2025 evaluation ISO (180 days)
Reproduce software that has not certified 2025 Windows Server 2022 evaluation
Manage servers from a desktop Windows Admin Center + RSAT
Deploy images at scale Windows ADK + WinPE add-on
Rebuild a Windows VM on PVE VirtIO drivers ISO (needed to see the disk)

The six downloads most people need

Section titled “The six downloads most people need”

  • ISO · x64Retail/OEM key selects the edition

    Windows 11 — multi-edition ISO (x64)

    One ISO contains Home/Pro/Edu and unlocks by product key. Pick language and confirm, then the page issues a time-limited link.

    Channel
    Current release: Windows 11 26H2
    Vendor
    Microsoft
    Open vendor page

  • ISO (8 languages) · VHD (en-US)180-day evaluation; activate within 10 days

    Windows Server 2025 evaluation

    English, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Russian, Spanish. The VHD option is listed for English only.

    Channel
    LTSC, build 26100
    Vendor
    Microsoft
    Open vendor page

  • ISO · x64No free security updates after 2025-10-14

    Windows 10 22H2 ISO (end of support)

    Still downloadable, but the page itself warns that Windows 10 no longer receives free updates or security fixes. Use it for legacy testing only.

    Channel
    22H2, last release
    Vendor
    Microsoft
    Open vendor page

  • MSI installerFree with Windows Server

    Windows Admin Center

    Browser-based management for servers, clusters and PCs without opening RDP. The short link resolves to the current MSI.

    Channel
    Current release
    Vendor
    Microsoft
    Open vendor page

  • ISO · Windows driversOpen source (Red Hat/Fedora)

    VirtIO drivers — stable

    Required for Windows guests on KVM/PVE: virtio-blk/scsi, netkvm, balloon, serial. Load the storage driver during setup or the disk is invisible.

    Channel
    Stable virtio-win
    Vendor
    Fedora
    Open vendor page

  • Portable EXEGPLv3

    Rufus

    Fast Windows USB writer with a TPM/Secure Boot bypass option — that bypass is a lab convenience, not a supported production configuration.

    Channel
    Latest stable
    Vendor
    Open source
    Open vendor page

Browse by category

Section titled “Browse by category”
8 downloads

Windows 11 & Windows 10

x64 and Arm64 ISOs, Media Creation Tool, Installation Assistant, Enterprise and IoT LTSC evaluations, Insider builds.

→8 downloads

Windows Server

2025, 2022, 2019 and 2016 evaluations, Hyper-V Server, Server Insider, ADK + WinPE and MDT.

→8 downloads

Admin and developer tools

Windows Admin Center, RSAT, Sysinternals, PowerShell 7, Terminal, WinGet, .NET and the VC++ runtime.

→7 downloads

Lab and media utilities

Proxmox VE, VirtIO Windows drivers, Rufus, Ventoy, balenaEtcher and 7-Zip — with verification steps.

→

Support status decides more than the ISO does

Section titled “Support status decides more than the ISO does”

Downloading an ISO is easy; running an unsupported one is the expensive mistake. These dates come from Microsoft’s lifecycle pages, not from a blog.

ProductStartMainstream endExtended endStatus
Windows Server 20252024-10-312029-11-132034-11-14Current LTSC
Windows Server 20222021-08-172026-10-132031-10-14Mainstream ending
Windows Server 20192018-11-122024-01-092029-01-09Extended only
Windows Server 20162016-10-142022-01-112027-01-12Extended only, near end
Windows 10 (Home/Pro)2015-07-282025-10-14—End of support
Windows 11 26H2 (Home/Pro)2026-09-282028-10-09—Current
Windows 11 26H2 (Enterprise/Edu)2026-09-282029-10-08—Current

Two things this table implies:

  • Windows 10 is past end of support. The ISO is still downloadable; free security updates are not. Use it for compatibility testing only.
  • Windows Server 2022 mainstays end on 2026-10-13. If you are standing up a new Server lab now, start on 2025 and keep 2022 only where a vendor requires it.

Verify before you install

Section titled “Verify before you install”

Microsoft publishes a SHA-256 next to most ISO downloads. If the page does not show one, verify what you can:

Terminal window
# hash the file you actually downloaded
Get-FileHash .\Win11_26H2_x64.iso -Algorithm SHA256


# compare with the hash on the vendor download page (same language, same build)
# then check that an installer/tool is genuinely signed
Get-AuthenticodeSignature .\WindowsAdminCenter.msi | Format-List Status, SignerCertificate

For Sysinternals-style tools, sigcheck -h file.iso prints hashes and the signing chain. A hash mismatch is not “probably fine” — delete the file and download again from the vendor page.

Licence boundaries that catch people

Section titled “Licence boundaries that catch people”
  • Evaluation is not a free licence. Windows Server evaluation runs 180 days and must be activated over the internet within 10 days; Windows client evaluations are time-limited too.
  • An ISO does not include a product key. A multi-edition ISO installs the edition your key unlocks.
  • Hyper-V Server 2019 is a free hypervisor, not free Windows. Guest operating systems still need their own licences.
  • Windows 11 IoT Enterprise LTSC evaluation is a replacement install. Microsoft explicitly says not to upgrade an existing Windows with it.

Re-checking this page

Section titled “Re-checking this page”

The catalogue is a data file (src/data/downloads.ts) with a checkedAt field per item. Re-running the URL check and updating that date is the maintenance step; the pages themselves do not need editing.

Sources