Download Windows 8 Consumer Preview 32-bit and 64-bit

Download Windows 8 Consumer Preview 32-bit (x86) and 64-bit (x64) (Build 8250 a.k.a Windows 8 Beta) -- the waiting is over!

Download Windows 8 Consumer Preview

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview is now live and the upcoming version of Windows is available in the following ISO images with different languages.

Before installing ‘Consumer Preview’ you should check to see if your PC can run this operating system and select the correct installation file download. Microsoft has created a “Windows 8 Consumer Preview Setup” that will help with these steps. The Setup will also give you a compatibility report and upgrade assistance.

If you want to create a bootable USB or DVD, I’ll recommend you visiting this previous article — How to create a Windows 8 bootable USB drive or bootable DVD.

Windows 8 Consumer Preview ISO Images

An ISO image must be converted into installation media stored on a DVD or a USB flash drive. Instructions are provided on this page. Developer tools are available for download from Windows Dev Center.

Important Note: Microsoft is letting people know that if you decide to go back to your previous operating system, you’ll need to reinstall it from backup or the installation DVD.

English 

  • Windows 8 download 64-bit (x64) — 3.3 GB                   
  • Sha 1 hash — 1288519C5035BCAC83CBFA23A33038CCF5522749 
  • Download 32-bit (x86) — 2.5 GB                    
  • Sha 1 hash — E91ED665B01A46F4344C36D9D88C8BF78E9A1B39 
  • Product Key: DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J

Chinese (Simplified) 

  • Download — 64-bit (x64) — 3.4 GB                    
  • Sha 1 hash — DF69B851F9A81DECBB16648CC452461894416EB0 
  • Download 32-bit (x86) — 2.6 GB                    
  • Sha 1 hash — E29A2072745A48C14A1C2E5A61F5230841BEDB45 
  • Product Key: DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J

French 

  • Download 64-bit (x64) — 3.3 GB                    
  • Sha 1 hash — A9358E6799ABEEF29EDBA054AD34849C02C7F51F 
  • Download 32-bit (x86) — 2.5 GB                    
  • Sha 1 hash — 2EF8013B9F50B93AEAC8068F4827E2C1DC0DC0B1 
  • Product Key: DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J

German 

  • Download 64-bit (x64) — 3.3 GB                    
  • Sha 1 hash — DB1003A47C266697B3832BE2A23319988EE34495 
  • Download 32-bit (x86) — 2.5 GB                    
  • Sha 1 hash — 91075AEA665C5D6F42A24714B3A3390762C94457 
  • Product Key: DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J

Japanese 

  • Download 64-bit (x64) — 3.3 GB                    
  • Sha 1 hash — A8F0DB12CAECEA0BE8B27EA124F2234212D9103A 
  • Download 32-bit (x86) — 2.5 GB                    
  • Sha 1 hash — C8A322ED86058086207CAAECD46B4DDACF9E247A 
  • Product Key: DNJXJ-7XBW8-2378T-X22TX-BKG7J

Windows 8 Consumer Preview system requirements

Windows 8 Consumer Preview works great on the same hardware that powers Windows 7:

  • Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster
  • RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2GB (64-bit)
  • Hard disk space: 16GB (32-bit) or 20GB (64-bit)
  • Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device or higher
  • To use touch, you need a tablet or monitor that supports multitouch
  • To access Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768
  • To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768

Update, May 31, 2016: The links to download the ISO files to install Windows 8 Consumer Preview are no longer available, but you can download the ISO files for Windows 8.1 using these new links.

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.