Microsoft has released Windows 11 disk image for Arm-based PCs. With its rollout, users can create bootable installation media or access Windows Setup from within a running copy of Windows to clean install the operating system (OS). However, those with an older Arm64 PC may require some additional workaround before being able to boot it. The ISO contains the latest Windows 11 2024 Update and can be downloaded from the official Microsoft website.
Windows 11 ISOs for Arm64 PCs
According to Microsoft, Windows 11 ISOs are primarily designed for installing Windows 11 on an Arm virtual machine running on supported hardware for development purposes. However, it can also be used to install the OS on Arm64 PCs. Users can perform a direct clean install of Windows 11 on devices powered by the latest Snapdragon X chipsets and while devices will boot up successfully, they will not have full functionality until the remaining drivers are installed.
Meanwhile, older PCs will require the injection of drivers into the ISO from the device manufacturer for the OS to be successfully bootable. If this is not followed, it may boot to a state where input is non-functional. The ISOs can be downloaded from the official Microsoft website and it contains the version 24H2 released last month as part of the Windows 11 2024 Update.
Windows 11 is available in the disk image format in multiple languages. Depending on the version chosen, the image file occupies approximately 5.1GB of space.
Recent Changes
Microsoft recently introduced two significant changes with the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview to the Canary channel. This includes a Prism emulator for Arm-based PCs which allows for additional extensions to devices running Windows 11 on Arm-based chipsets, improving support for running the latest apps as well as more legacy apps and games.
Additionally, the Windows 11 Insider Preview also brings a new on-screen gamepad keyboard layout which allows users to use the Xbox controller to navigate and type.
