The new Windows 10 release is just around the corner. Follow these steps to download Windows 10 ISO without using the media creation tool.
Microsoft is releasing a new Windows 10 version every six months with new features, stability improvements, user interface improvements, and security fixes. Every time there is a new major update, Windows 10 automatically downloads and installs it.
If you want to create a bootable USB drive then you need to download the Windows 10 ISO file. However, if you go to the official Microsoft page, you are forced to download the Media Creation Tool.
Microsoft does this by detecting your system and your browser’s user agent. If you visit the same download page from any other operating system other than Windows, you will be able to download the ISO file directly.
Jump to:
- Edge browser (Chromium)
- Chrome browser
- Firefox browser
Problems with Media Creation Tool
The benefit of using the Media Creation Tool is that you just open the application, select the appropriate option and you are good to go. The tool will do everything for you. It’s easy, it’s simple and gets the job done.
As good as it is, on occasion, you might face some problems while using the Media Creation Tool. Though not many, the few problems it has might be a deal-breaker for many.
Some of the problems of the Media Creation Tool include but not limited to:
- From time to time, the media creation tool throws random errors and stops downloading. A good example would be having no administrative privileges, corrupted downloads folder, not having necessary Windows updates installed, etc.
- There is no easy way to pause and resume download.
- The download speed may not be that great when using the Media Creation Tool.
- Last but not least, for whatever reason, Media Creation Tool is painfully slow. I mean, why should I wait for at least two to four minutes at the “Gettings a few things ready” screen?
To avoid all this, use the below methods to download Windows 10 ISO without using the Media Creation Tool.
Download Windows 10 ISO Without Media Creation Tool
As I said before, Microsoft detects your browser’s user agent and redirects you to download the media creation tool. So, all we have to do is fool the Microsoft website into thinking that we are not using Windows. You can do that by changing the browser user agent.
Since the Media Creation Tool doesn’t work on other operating systems like Mac, iOS, or Android, the download page provides you with the direct download link for Windows 10 ISO.
Though sounds complicated, it is pretty easy to do. No need to install any browser extensions or software.
1. Edge Browser (Chromium)
This method works only in the new Edge browser that is built on Chromium.
1. Launch the new Edge browser.
2. Now, go to the official Microsoft Download page.
3. In the page, right-click anywhere and select “Inspect” option.
4. In the Developer Tools, click on the “Toggle Device Toolbar” icon.
5. The responsive mode with change the user agent to a mobile browser. To make the changes take effect, reload the page.
6. After refreshing the page, you will see a new drop-down menu.
7. Select the OS version and language to get the direct download links to download Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft page.
2. Chrome Browser
1. Launch the Google Chrome browser
2. Now, go to the official Microsoft Download page.
3. Next, right-click anywhere on the page and select the “Inspect” option.
4. The above action will open the Developer’s Tools window either to the right-side or at the bottom of the page. In the Developer’s Tools window. Click on the “Toggle Device Toolbar” icon.
3. The above action will instantly change Chrome’s user agent to emulate Android mobile. To make the changes take effect, reload the page.
4. Since we’ve changed the user agent, you will see a completely different page with a new drop-down menu.
A quick tip: You can change the user agent by selecting a new device from the drop-down menu appearing at the top. By default, the drop-down menu is set to “Responsive”.
Also, the user agent will only change when you are using the Developer Tools. When you close the Developer Tools window, the page will be back to normal.
5. Select “Windows 10” from the drop-down menu.
6. Select your language. In my case, I’ve selected “English International”.
7. You can now see the direct download links to Windows 10 ISO. Just click on the download link and you can download the ISO file. Do keep in mind that the generated download links are only valid for 24 hours.
Reset user agent to default:
To reset the Chrome user agent to default, just click on the “Toggle Device Toolbar” icon again and you will be good.
3. Firefox Browser
1. Launch the Firefox browser.
2. Now, go to the official Microsoft Download page.
3. In the page, right-click anywhere and select the “Inspect Element” option. This action will open the Developer Tools. Here, click on the “Responsive Design Mode” icon on the toolbar.
4. Unlike Chrome or Edge, Firefox doesn’t automatically change the user agent. So, select a new device from the top drop-down menu. In my case, I’m selecting the “iPad” option.
5. Now, reload or refresh the page and you will see a new drop-down menu on the page.
6. Select the operating system version and language from the drop-down menu and you will see the direct download link for Windows 10 ISO. Click on the appropriate link to start the download.
Reset user agent to default:
To reset the user agent to default, click on the “Responsive Design Mode” icon again and you are good to go.
Wrapping Up
That’s all there is to it. Isn’t that simple and pain-free when compared to using the Media Creation Tool?
Let me know what you think about this approach to direct download Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft website.
