How to download the Windows 10 November update ISO file using Media Creation Tool

Microsoft makes available the Windows 10 ISO file with the November update to make an upgrade or perform an clean installation of the operating system, but you need to use the Media Creation Tool to get it.

Media Creation Tool for Windows 10 November update

Windows 10 November update (version 1511) is rolling out through the Windows Update, but there are going to be many users that may want to reinstall the operating system from scratch that being to upgrade their current version of Windows 10 or to move from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, and for this task, they will need the ISO version of the operating system.

As such, Microsoft is now making available the installation files to install Windows 10 (build 10586), but the company isn’t releasing the new operating system on an ISO format, instead you will have to download the Media Creation Tool to download the files and create either a bootable media using a USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file.

The process to get an ISO file to Windows 10 with the November update included is very straight forward, just follow the steps below.

Download Windows 10 ISO

  1. Head to the “Get Windows 10” web page and click the Download tool now to get the Media Creation Tool.

  2. Launch the Media Creation Tool. If you get the Windows SmartScreen dialog box, click Run anyway. Then the Windows 10 Setup will appear with the options to perform an upgrade or to create an installation media, click “Create installation media for another PC”.

    Upgrade or create media of Windows 10

  3. Next, you need to select your language, architecture, and edition. The Media Creation Tool can detect automatically the version of the operating system you’re running, as such you can simply click Next to continue. However, if you’re creating a Windows 10 ISO media for another computer, you may want to uncheck the “Use the recommended options for this PC” option, and select the correct settings.

    Windows 10 editions selectors

  4. Then, you’ll be given the choice of the media you want to use, select ISO file and click Next.

    Create a USB flash drive or ISO file for Windows 10

    After you select where you want to save the ISO file, Windows 10 (1511) will download to your system, and the Media Creation Tool will prepare the ISO file to make a clean install of the operating system or any way you like.

    Finally, you have the “Open DVD burner” option to launch the Windows Disc Image Burner tool, which you can use to create a bootable DVD, but you can also simply do this later by right-clicking the file, and select “Burn disc image” to create a bootable DVD.

    Burn Windows 10 ISO to disc

Create USB bootable drive for Windows 10

If you like to create a USB bootable media for Windows 10 with the November update, use the Media Creation Tool follow the steps mentioned above, but use the USB flash drive option, and then click Next to begin the process.

Note: Remember that you need a USB flash drive with at least 4GB of storage.

It’s good to see Microsoft offering a variety of ways to install its operating system, in previous versions the company didn’t offer such flexibility, and many users had to resource to download the unofficial ISO files from file-sharing or torrent sites, which were not practical methods.

In addition, making the Windows 10 ISO available for download helps the company test its new activation method that allows users to make a clean install of Windows 10 using the genuine product key of Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, without having to go through the upgrade first. Something that should have been since day one.

About the author

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.