If you plan to upgrade to Windows 11 22H2 (also referred to as the “2022 Update”), you can use the Media Creation Tool instead of Windows Update.

The Media Creation Tool has been designed to download the installation files and create a USB flash drive or ISO file to perform an in-place upgrade or clean install of Windows 11.

In this guide, you will learn the steps to use the Media Creation Tool to create a USB bootable media or ISO file for Windows 11 22H2.

  • Create Windows 11 22H2 USB flash drive with Media Creation Tool
  • Create Windows 11 22H2 ISO file with Media Creation Tool

Create Windows 11 22H2 USB flash drive with Media Creation Tool

To use the Media Creation Tool to create a bootable Windows 11 22H2 USB install media, use these steps:

  • Open Microsoft support website.
  • Under the “Create Windows 11 installation media” section, click the Download Now button.
  • Double-click the MediaCrationToolW11.exe file to launch the tool.
  • Click the Accept button.
  • Click the Next button.
  • Quick note: Clear the “Use the recommended options for this PC” option to select the correct language, architecture, and edition to create a Windows 11 USB for another device.
  • Select the USB flash drive option.
  • Click the Next button.
  • Select the USB flash drive from the list, but make sure it does not have any important files, as this process will erase everything on it.
  • Click the Next button.
  • Click the Finish button.

Once you complete the steps, you can start a device using UEFI with the USB drive to install Windows 11.

Open Microsoft support website.

Under the “Create Windows 11 installation media” section, click the Download Now button.

Double-click the MediaCrationToolW11.exe file to launch the tool.

Click the Accept button.

Click the Next button.

Select the USB flash drive option.

Select the USB flash drive from the list, but make sure it does not have any important files, as this process will erase everything on it.

Click the Finish button.

Create Windows 11 22H2 ISO file with Media Creation Tool

To download the Windows 11 22H2 ISO file with the Media Creation Tool, use these steps:

  • Open Microsoft support website.
  • Under the “Create Windows 11 installation media” section, click the Download tool now button.
  • Double-click the MediaCrationToolW11.exe file to launch the tool.
  • Click the Accept button.
  • Click the Next button.
  • Select the ISO file option.
  • Click the Next button.
  • Select the location to save the file.
  • Confirm a name for the image – for example, Windows_11_22H2_Setup.
  • Click the Save button.
  • Click the Finish button.

After completing the steps, the tool will create an ISO file that you can use to create a bootable media or mount in File Explorer to launch the Windows 11 2022 Update setup.

Under the “Create Windows 11 installation media” section, click the Download tool now button.

Select the ISO file option.

Select the location to save the file.

Confirm a name for the image – for example, Windows_11_22H2_Setup.

Click the Save button.