How to download Windows 11 22H2 ISO (preview)

You can now download the ISO file of the first preview of Windows 11 22H2, and here's how.

Windows 11 22H2 ISO preview
Windows 11 22H2 ISO preview

Although Windows 11 22H2 won’t be officially available until September 20, you can download the latest Insider preview ISO file using the “Windows Insider Preview Downloads” page or with the “UUP Dump” tool to perform a clean install or an in-place upgrade on a spare computer or virtual machine.

“UUP Dump” is a tool that allows you to create a custom Windows 11 ISO file from any public preview. The tool is a collection of other tools and scripts to download the latest builds from the official Microsoft servers and create an unofficial ISO file you can use to install the operating system. On the other hand, the “Windows Insider Preview Downloads” page also offers the same download. However, previews on the page are only available when Microsoft publish them.

Since the Windows 11 2022 Update is still under development, remember that features and experience may not work as expected, and you may come across problems, even data loss. It’s recommended to create a backup of your computer before installing this version. You have been warned.

This guide will teach you the steps to use the UUP Dump tool to download the ISO file for any publicly available preview of Windows 11 (version 22H2).

Important: The recommended and supported method is to get Insider builds using Windows Update or download the official ISO files from the Microsoft site when available. Use these instructions at your own risk. However, either method you choose will download the image from the Microsoft servers.

Download Windows 11 22H2 ISO file preview from Insider page

To download the Windows 11 2022 Update ISO from the Insider page, use these steps:

  1. Open Windows Insider Preview Downloads page.

  2. Sign in with your Windows Insider Program credentials.

  3. Under the “Select edition” section, select the “Windows 11 Insider Preview (Dev Channel) – Build 22621” option.

    Windows 11 22H2 ISO (official)

  4. Click the Confirm button.

  5. Select the product language.

  6. Click the Confirm button.

  7. Click the 64-bit Download button.

After you complete the steps, the final ISO for Windows 11 22H2 will download on your computer.

Create Windows 11 22H2 bootable USB using Rufus

To create a bootable USB with Rufus to install Windows 11 22H2, use these steps:

  1. Open Rufus website.

  2. Under the “Download” section, click the link to download the latest version.

  3. Double-click the rufus.3.xx.exe file to launch the tool.

  4. Under the “Device” section, use the drop-down menu and select the USB flash drive to create the Windows 11 bootable media.

  5. Under the “Boot selection” section, use the drop-down menu and select the “Disk or ISO image” option.

  6. Click the Select button.

    Rufus Windows 11 ISO download option

  7. Select the Windows 11 ISO file.

  8. Click the Open button.

  9. Under the “Image option” setting, select the “Standard Windows 11 Installation” option.

    Rufus Windows 11 bootable settings

  10. Under the “Partition scheme” section, select the GPT option.

  11. Under the “Target system” section, select the UEFI (non-CSM) option.

  12. Under the “Volume label” section, specify a descriptive name for the bootable USB drive. For example, Win11_Install_USB.

  13. Use the default settings for the File system and Cluster size options.

  14. Check the Quick format option.

  15. Check the “Create extended label and icon files” option.

  16. (Optional) Clear the “Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0” option.

    Quick note: If you check this option, you can use the USB media to install Windows 11 22H2 on unsupported hardware.
  17. (Optional) Check the “Set a local account using the same name as this user’s” option if you want an installation with a local account instead of a Microsoft account (not recommended).

  18. Click the Start button.

  19. Click the OK button to confirm the USB’s deletion and the bootable drive’s creation.

After you complete the steps, the tool will begin creating a USB media with the Windows 11 22H2 installation media.

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. Email him at [email protected].