Microsoft finally releases a direct-download Windows 11 on Arm ISO

Microsoft is making ISO images of Windows 11 on Arm available at last, years after the hardware architecture made its debut.

The ISO is for the current release, Windows 11 24H2, and is an indicator the Windows-maker is taking the platform seriously. This is important, as Microsoft wants customers to take its Copilot+ PCs seriously too, and Arm's CEO, Rene Haas, recently claimed a 50 percent market share on PCs was achievable within five years.

Setting aside how a company that isn't Apple could shift so many users onto an entirely new platform in that timescale, getting an ISO of Windows 11 on Arm is at least a step in the right direction.

Up until this point, it has been possible to get hold of Windows on Arm, but only as VHDX files to be used as virtual hard disks or via various third parties. The availability of an official ISO means checking out the operating system on Arm-based hardware is considerably easier as long as the appropriate drivers are available.

Customers can also use the ISO image to create a bootable image. According to Microsoft, a device with a Snapdragon X Series processor is supported without needing additional drivers. While booting will be possible, drivers for the rest of the hardware will still likely be required - something Microsoft notes could be achieved through Windows Update.

Users with earlier generations of Snapdragon processors must inject drivers into the image or risk their devices failing to boot.

Other Arm users can use the ISO image to create virtual machines (VMs). The image is not a precursor to running Windows natively on Apple Silicon - Microsoft recommends creating an Arm64 VM on Apple devices. Similar limitations apply to other Arm-based hardware, such as the Raspberry Pi 5, although there will doubtless be drivers from enthusiasts before long.

The official release of an ISO has been a long time coming, and despite Microsoft's protestations around Copilot+ PCs being the future, its absence left a lingering question mark over Windows on Arm's longevity.

Its arrival means easier support for Windows on Arm hardware and the potential for more devices in the future. ®