How to download the Windows 10 version 1803 ISO file after version 1809 releases

It's possible to download the Windows 10 April 2018 Update ISO file if you must downgrade from October 2018 Update, and in this guide, you'll learn how.

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@Pureinfotech
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Download Windows 10 version 1803 ISO
Download Windows 10 version 1803 ISO

If you need to perform a clean installation of Windows 10, rollback to a previous version because you’re not ready for version 1809 (October 2018 Update), or your device is having problems with the new version, it’s still possible to download the ISO file for Windows 10 version 1803 to rollback.

Typically, when a new version of Windows 10 launches, Microsoft also updates the Media Creation Tool and Update Assistant to upgrade devices to the latest release. This means that if you install the October 2018 Update, you won’t be able to use these tools to downgrade if you’re having issues or you just don’t like the update. (Of course, you can use the recovery feature to rollback, but the option is only available for ten days, and many times it doesn’t work.)

However, there’s a workaround to download the Windows 10 ISO file for version 1803 even after version 1809 has been released, which you can use to create a USB bootable media to upgrade or perform a clean installation with the April 2018 Update. 

In this guide, you’ll learn the steps to download the Windows 10 version 1803 ISO file directly from the Microsoft servers without having to use the Media Creation Tool or untrusted sources.

Important: Using this method, you can only download the last two feature updates. This guide was published before version 1903, so it was possible to download version 1809 and version 1803. Now that the May 2019 Update is available, you can download version 1903 and version 1809. When the 19H2 releases, then you’ll only be able to download version 1909 and version 1903, and so on and so forth. However, you can use this guide to download ISO files for older versions of Windows 10.

How to download Windows 10 version 1803 ISO using Microsoft Edge

To download the Windows 10 version 1803 ISO file, you need to trick the Microsoft support website that you’re using an unsupported operating system. The steps below will show you how to download the ISO file using Microsoft Edge, but you can do the same using Chrome or Firefox with these steps.

  1. Open a new tab on Microsoft Edge.

  2. Copy and paste this Microsoft support site link https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO in the address bar, and press Enter. (If you get redirected, it’s an expected behavior.)

  3. Right-click on the page and select Inspect element.

    Quick Tip: If you don’t see the option, open about:flags from the address bar, and check the “Show ‘View source’ and ‘Inspect element’ in the context menu” option.

  4. Click on Emulation.

  5. Under “Mode”, change the user agent string to Apple Safari (ipad).

  6. Refresh the page if the browser doesn’t reload automatically.

  7. Using the drop-down menu, select the Windows 10 April 2018 Update option.

    Download April 2018 Update ISO file directly from Microsoft
    Download April 2018 Update ISO file directly from Microsoft

  8. Click the Confirm button.

  9. Pick your product language from the drop-down menu.

    Windows 10 ISO file language selection
    Windows 10 ISO file language selection

  10. Click the Confirm button.

  11. Click the 32-bit Download or 64-bit Download button depending on the architecture you need.

    Windows 10 ISO download
    Windows 10 ISO download

Once you’ve completed the steps, the ISO file for the older version of Windows 10 download. Then you can simply use a tool like Rufus to create an USB bootable media to install Windows 10 version 1803 on any device. 

How to download Windows 10 version 1803 ISO using Chrome

In the case that you’re using Chrome, you can download April 2018 Update ISO using these steps:

  1. Open a new tab on Chrome.

  2. Copy and paste this Microsoft support site link https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO in the address bar, and press Enter. (If you get redirected, it’s an expected behavior.)

  3. Right-click on the page and select the Inspect option.

  4. Click the three-dotted menu button on the top-right of the developer tools interface, and under “More tools”, select the Network conditions option.

  5. Under “User agent”, clear the Select automatically option.

  6. Use the “User agent” drop-down menu and select the Safari – iPad iOS 9 option.

    Switch user agent on Chrome
    Switch user agent on Chrome

  7. Refresh the page if the browser doesn’t reload automatically.

  8. Select the Windows 10 April 2018 Update option.

  9. Click the Confirm button.

  10. Pick your product language from the drop-down menu.

  11. Click the Confirm button.

  12. Click the 32-bit Download or 64-bit Download button depending on the architecture you need to download the file.

How to download Windows 10 version 1803 ISO using Firefox

Alternatively, if you’re using Firefox, you can use these steps to download the ISO file for an older version of Windows 10:

  1. Open a new tab on Firefox.

  2. Copy and paste this Microsoft support site link https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO in the address bar, and press Enter. (If you get redirected, it’s an expected behavior.)

  3. Use the Ctrl + Shift + M keyboard shortcut to open “Responsive design view.”

    Ctrl + Shift + M mode in Firefox
    Ctrl + Shift + M mode in Firefox

  4. Click the Responsive button at the top, and select the iPad option from the list.

  5. Click the Refresh button.

  6. Select the Windows 10 April 2018 Update option.

  7. Click the Confirm button.

  8. Pick your product language from the drop-down menu.

  9. Click the Confirm button.

  10. Click the 32-bit Download or 64-bit Download button depending on the architecture you need to download the file.

After downloading the ISO file, you can use tools, such as Rufus to create a bootable media of Windows 10.

If you want to prevent the device from trying to upgrade to the October 2018 Update after the installation, you need to use these steps.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

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 15 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 21 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. Email him at [email protected].