Tiny11 is an unofficial custom ISO image of Windows 11 that removes all the clutter that is usually not necessary, such as default apps, services, and features to be able to install the operating system on low-end unsupported hardware.
The custom image is based on Windows 11 22H2 and while it strips out many of the default elements, everything works as expected, including Windows Update, activation, and the included apps. It also maintains many of the security features, such as Microsoft Defender Antivirus and Firewall, Core isolation, Data encryption, and more. In addition, the Windows 11 Tiny11 installation also removes Microsoft Edge, which means that you will have to bring your preferred web browser after finishing the setup.
As this guide will show, the clean installation experience is not much different from the official setup. The only difference is that it removes some of the annoyances, including the requirement for TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, memory, storage, Microsoft account, and needless steps. In other words, Tiny11 makes it an ideal solution for those who want to run the operating system on less powerful, unsupported hardware, and you only need 2GB of RAM and 8GB of storage.
According to the creator (NTDEV on Twitter), you can use the Tiny11 image to perform a clean installation, or you can upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 10.
If you want to install Windows 11 (at your own risk) using the Tiny11 image, you will first need to download the ISO file (no sysreq) from the Archive.org website that requires free registration, and then you would need to use Rufus to create a USB bootable flash drive. If you plan to create a virtual machine, you can simply mount the Tiny11 ISO file to the VM.
You also have to ensure that the computer can start from USB, which means you will have to change the BIOS or UEFI settings. The only caveat is that since most computers have different settings, you will have to check your manufacturer support website for more specific details.
Install Windows 11 from Tiny11 ISO with USB
To install Windows 11 using the Tiny11 ISO image, use these steps:
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Start the PC with the Tiny11 Windows 11 USB.
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Click the Next button.
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Check the “I accept the license terms” option.
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Click the Next button.
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Select each partition in the hard drive you want to install Windows 11 and click the Delete button. (Typically, the “Drive 0” is the drive that contains all the installation files.)
Warning: When you delete a partition, it also deletes all data on the drive. Also, it is not required to delete the partitions from a secondary hard drive. -
Select the hard drive (Drive 0 Unallocated Space) to install Windows 11.
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Click the Next button.
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Select your region setting after the installation on the first page of the out-of-the-box experience (OOBE).
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Click the Yes button.
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Select your keyboard layout setting.
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Click the Yes button.
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Click the Skip button if you do not need to configure a second layout.
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The computer will automatically connect to the network if it uses an Ethernet connection. If you have a wireless connection, you must set up the connection manually (a security key may be required).
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Confirm a name for the Windows 11 local account.
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Click the Next button.
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Create the account password.
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Click the Next button.
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Confirm the account password.
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Click the Next button.
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Set the three security questions to recover your account.
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Click the Next button.
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Confirm the privacy settings that best suit your situation by turning on or off the toggle switch for each setting.
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Click the Next button.
Once you complete the steps, Windows 11 will continue the installation using the Tiny11 setup on the computer.
Although the Tiny11 provides an alternative method to install Windows 11, there are some caveats to consider. For example, Microsoft does not support this setup method. You may risk your computer to security problems because it’s unclear the vulnerabilities that this modified image opens up, and no one knows if anything extra has been added to the image that may be considered a privacy concern.