SOLVED: Windows 10 ISO file won’t download

by Aleksandar Ognjanovic

Editor

August 29, 2018

Getting hold of the Window 10 copy is easier than ever. Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool covers every option, including both direct upgrade and creation of the bootable installation media. And there you can choose between a USB flash stick or DVD ISO which you’ll need to burn to a DVD. The majority of users goes for the USB option, but ISO can be of use for some, nonetheless. However, some users had a hard time trying to download the Windows 10 ISO via the Media Creation Tool.

We prepared some solutions for this ache, and you can find them in the comment section below.

What to do if Windows 10 ISO download fails

Check your connection
Inspect the storage space
Restart the procedure
Download ISO directly
Try Insider options

1: Check your connection

Let’s start with the connection. The Media Creation Tool allows you to download the Windows 10 ISO file and it, obviously, requires the internet connection. It doesn’t matter if you’re bandwidth is slow as long you have a stable connection which allows direct download from Microsoft servers. With that in mind, we suggest inspection your network and troubleshooting possible issues.

READ ALSO: How to download Microsoft Store apps without using the Store

If you’re not sure what to do, here are some steps which might come in handy:

Restart your PC and Wi-Fi router.
Try using a LAN cable instead of Wi-Fi.
Disable Proxy/VPN temporary.
Disable Metered connection.
Flush DNS.

2: Inspect the storage space

This is also rather obvious but we had to put a reminder, just in case. The ISO file takes 3 to 5 GB of storage space, so make sure that you have that much. Of course, the default download location can be changed, so make sure to save the ISO to a partition which has enough space. In case there’s a lot of unknown content taking up space on the system partition (usually C), we suggest turning to a built-in utility called Disk Cleanup.

READ ALSO: How to delete temporary files using Disk Cleanup on Windows 10, 8, 7

If you’re in urgent need of some space and don’t know how to free it, here’s how to run the Disk Cleanup utility in Windows 10:

Press Windows key + S to open Search bar.
Type in dsk and open Disk Cleanup.
Choose the system partition and click OK.
Click on Clean system files and choose the system partition again. The calculation can take some time.
Check all boxes and click OK.

3: Restart the procedure

If something goes awry once, you can try again. Maybe we’re looking at the temporary halt on Microsoft’s side and you have nothing to worry about. So, wait it out a bit and try downloading the ISO file with the Media Creation tool again. The procedure should eventually work out for you and the ISO file will be ready for you to burn it to a DVD.

READ ALSO: Windows 10 April Update download completes in 30 minutes

Follow these steps to download ISO via the Media Creation Tool:

Download the Media Creation Tool, here.
Run the tool and accept the Terms.
Toggle the “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC” option and click Next.
Select the Language and Architecture. Click Next.
Select the ISO file option and click Next.
Choose where to store the file.
Wait for the tool to download the Windows 10 ISO file. It can take some time, depending on your bandwidth speed.

Of course, if you’re not in dire need to use the DVD as the installation media, we suggest creating a bootable USB drive instead. It’s much faster and will take you less time to create it and eventually boot into it in order to install Windows 10.

4: Download ISO directly

There are no many alternative ways to get your hands on the Windows 10 ISO. At least, not legitimate ways, to be precise. However, Microsoft, for reasons only known to them, decided to prevent downloading Windows 10 ISO files from the Windows platform. For example, Mac users can download the ISO file without any issues whatsoever. Now, even on Windows 10 (or other Windows iterations), you can trick the algorithm.

READ ALSO: Download WinReducer for Windows 10/8/7 to create custom ISO installs

You’ll need to emulate Safari through the Edge with a little meddling in the Developer Tools menu. After that, you should be able to work your way around the blockade and download the ISO file directly to your PC.

Follow these steps to download ISO directly to your PC:

Open the Edge browser.
Navigate to the official Microsoft’s Download site.
Press F12 to open the Developer menu.
Click on the Eject icon at the top of the right pane and open Emulation from the contextual menu.
In the User Agent string section, select Apple Safari (iPad).
The web page should reload and you can select Windows 10 from the drop-down menu. Click Confirm.
Choose the language and architecture.
Now, just click choose to save the file and you’re good to go. The download should start immediately.

5: Try Insider options

Now, even though, as we saw in the previous example, Microsoft blocks downloads for the official ISO, there is still insider (beta) system options. Of course, this stands only if you’re interested in the Windows 10 Insiders program. Me personally run Windows 10 with the Redstone 5 and it works just fine. Have in mind that this is an evaluation copy and it’ll last until the final end-user version is released.

READ ALSO: Windows 10 Redstone 6 is now available for Skip Ahead Insiders

Either way, if you’re in dire need of Windows 10 ISO, this is another option we had to mention. Just follow the steps provided here, on the official Windows Insider website. When you finalize the sign-up procedure and roll in the beta program, you’ll get the ISO with the latest Insider Preview version of Windows 10.

With that said, we can conclude this article. If you have additional questions or possibly a suggestion on how to resolve downloading issues concerning the Windows 10 ISO, you can post them in the comments section below.