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How to Download the Latest Windows 10 ISO without the Media Creation Tool

We show you how to download the latest, official version of Windows 10 without using the bloated Media Creation Tool.

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For most people, the Media Creation Tool is the best way to download and install 's OS. However, in offering the tool Microsoft has made it much more difficult to obtain via the traditional method – a Windows 10 iso download.

This is a problem for a number of reasons. For starters, it requires more free hard drive space. However, it also adds in an unnecessary installer that slows down the process.

Thankfully, it's entirely possible to download a Windows 10 ISO without the Media Creation Tool. On non-Windows OSes, Microsoft will only offer a direct Windows 10 Pro or Home ISO file download. By tricking the webpage into thinking you're on a different OS, you can grab the latest ISO from Microsoft on any operating system.

Today, we're going to show you how to do so that you don't have to deal with any sketchy download sites. Let's get started:

How to Download an Official Windows 10 ISO without the Media Creation Tool

Obtaining Windows 10's official ISO requires changing your browser's user agent string to one that isn't Windows. This way, Microsoft assumes you can't run its Media Creation Tool and offers you the more widely compatible ISO instead.

We'll be using for the purpose of this tutorial, but the general concept should work on any major browser – including and Edge. As long as they allow you to change your user agent string, it should work.

  1. Navigate to the Windows 10 download site and open the context menu


    Head to this webpage where you can download Windows 10 Pro, Home, and other editions. Initially, it will show the download for the Media Creation Tool, but don't worry about that just yet. Instead, click the three dots in the top-right of your browser window to open the context menu.

  2. Open developer tools


    You can do so under the “More tools > Developer tools” headings, or by press Ctrl + Shift + I.

  3. Open the Network conditions panel


    With the developer panel now open, you'll see another three dots in its top-right corner. Click those, then press “More tools > network conditions”.

  4. Untick ‘Select automatically'


    You'll find the option under the “User agent” heading of the “Network conditions” tab.

  5. Change your Chrome user agent


    You can now click the dropdown box below to select a different user agent. We recommend the BlackBerry – BB10 option.

  6. Refresh the page


    Press the refresh button next to your address bar or hit F5 to refresh the page.

  7. Select your Windows 10 edition


    The web page will have changed slightly. This is because the site thinks you're accessing it from a BlackBerry device. Find the “Select edition” dropdown, then click “Windows 10”.

    For us, this is under the Windows 10 October 2020 Update, so we'll get a Windows 10 20H1 ISO download. Depending on when you're reading this, however, you may have a later version.

  8. Click “Confirm”


  9. Select your language and press “Confirm” again


  10. Grab your Windows 10 x64 or x86 ISO download


    The version you want will depend on your processor. If you're unsure, check our guide to checking your PC specs. If it's listed as 64-bit of x64, you want the 64-bit download. If it says 32-bit, or x86, you want the 32-bit download.

    Click the relevant button and wait. You have now successfully downloaded a Windows 10 ISO without the Media Creation Tool!

    Windows 10 - Microsoft Windows Download Website - Choose a Link

    If you found this tutorial useful, you may want to find out how to download ISO files with the Creation Tool, or how to turn your ISO into a bootable USB drive.

 
 
 
 

Last Updated on July 1, 2021 10:58 am CEST by Markus Kasanmascheff

Ryan Maskell
Ryan Maskellhttps://ryanmaskell.co.uk
Ryan has had a passion for gaming and technology since early childhood. Fusing the skills from his Creative Writing and Publishing degree with profound technical knowledge, he enjoys covering news about Microsoft. As an avid writer, he is also working on his debut novel.