In the main window, choose the version of Windows or Office you'd like to download.Ĭhris Hoffman is the former Editor-in-Chief of How-To Geek. It's free and it's a portable tool, so there's no installation. You can also use the tool to download ISOs for certain versions of Microsoft Office.įirst, head over to and grab the Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool. This includes various builds of the Windows 10 Insider Preview. This free utility provides a simple interface that lets you select the version of Windows you want, then downloads an ISO for that version straight from Microsoft's download servers. Enter the Microsoft Windows and Office ISO Download Tool.

The ISOs can be hard to find, though, and for versions of Windows other than the most current, the site tries really hard to push you into using the Media Creation Tool instead.

Instead, they're stored on its TechBench site. Microsoft used to make all these ISOs available through a site called Digital River, but it doesn't anymore.

After that, you should be able to do a clean installation of Windows 8.1 using the new product key and won't have to worry about installing Windows 8 first and going the upgrade route.ĭownload Any Windows or Office ISO Using a Free Third-Party Tool You can find that product key in a number of different ways and save it for the future. After you do the upgrade, Windows will assign the new product key to the installation. Instead, you'll have to install Windows 8, then do a free upgrade to 8.1. And the product keys are different for Windows 8 and 8.1, so if you have a Windows 8 product key, you can't just use it to install Windows 8.1. One caveat you should be aware of up front is that you can no longer download an ISO for Windows 8-just 8.1. Related: Where to Download Windows 11 ISO Images Legally The process for using the tool is largely the same for both versions of Windows, so we'll be using the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool for our example. If you've got access to a Windows machine, the official method for downloading ISOs for Windows 8.1 and 10 is the Media Creation Tool. Download the Windows 10 or 8.1 ISO Using the Media Creation Tool The most important thing is that you have a valid license key. If it won't activate, you can always install and then call Microsoft to get them to straighten it out and allow your copy to activate. Depending on the OEM version of Windows that you are running, you might run into an issue using the OEM key with a retail version of Windows.

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