Windows 11 ISO for Arm-based PCs and Virtual Machines released by Microsoft

Microsoft has released a Windows 11 disk image for Arm-based PCs. With its deployment, users can create bootable installation media or access the Windows installation from a running copy of Windows to perform a clean installation of the operating system (OS). However, those with an older Arm64 PC may need an additional workaround before they can boot it. The ISO contains the latest Windows 11 2024 update and can be downloaded from the official Microsoft website.

Windows 11 ISO for Arm64 PCs

According to For Microsoft, Windows 11 ISOs are primarily designed to install Windows 11 on an Arm virtual machine running on supported hardware for development purposes. However, it can also be used to install the operating system on Arm64 PCs. Users can perform a direct clean install of Windows 11 on devices powered by the latest Snapdragon

Meanwhile, older PCs will require drivers to be injected into the ISO by the device manufacturer for the operating system to boot successfully. If this is not followed, it may start in a state where the input is not functional. The ISOs can be downloaded from the official Microsoft website and contain the 24H2 version released last month as part of the Windows 11 2024 Update.

Windows 11 is available in disk image format in multiple languages. Depending on the version chosen, the image file takes up approximately 5.1 GB of space.

Recent changes

Microsoft recently introduced two significant changes with the latest Windows 11 Insider Preview on the Canary channel. This includes a Prism emulator for Arm-based PCs that allows additional extensions to devices running Windows 11 on Arm-based chipsets, improving support for running the latest apps as well as more apps and games elders.

Additionally, Windows 11 Insider Preview also brings a new on-screen gamepad keyboard layout that allows users to use the Xbox controller to navigate and type.