Microsoft enables clean install Windows 11 Preview with ISO files

Microsoft has released the ISO files for a Preview build of Windows 11. Anyone who has access to the Windows 11 Insider Program can download the ISO files and perform a clean install with them.

It concerns Windows 11 version 22000.132 of which the ISO files are now available, Microsoft writes in a blog. That is not the latest version numbered 22000.160, but it does allow a clean installation of the operating system.

Until now, the Preview build only allowed an upgrade from a Windows 10 installation. With the ISO files, Insiders get an ‘out of the box experience’. This means that during installation, users will be presented with the new setup menu to set up the Windows machine.

The version that can be installed with the ISO files does not yet contain the new changes in Preview-Build 2200.160. According to Microsoft, this new build fixes issues with the taskbar, where the location reporting icon remained visible when turned off in settings. Microsoft has also started testing the display of the time it takes to perform an update. At the moment this feature is only available for PCs with an SSD.

It is not yet known when Windows 11 will be released. There have been hints of a possible release in October, but Microsoft has not made an official announcement yet.