Windows 11 is just days away, with Microsoft gearing up to release its new operating system on 5 October. That’s when we’ll see the first hardware running Windows 11 out of the box, and free upgrades from Windows 10 will get underway.
It may be several months before the OS becomes available for your device, though. The upgrade is being delivered to Windows 10 users in several waves – if you’re running older hardware, you may be waiting until well into 2022 for it to arrive.
However, provided your PC or laptop meets Windows 11’s complex hardware requirements, there’s a way to get that final version right now. As with the beta, it involves the Windows Insider Program. On 23 September, Microsoft moved Build 22000.194 into the Release Preview Channel.
That’s one of the last stages before general availability. It’s much more stable than the Dev or Beta channels, with no key features missing compared to the version releasing on 5 October.
There’ll be no Android app support at launch, but Microsoft has already confirmed that it won’t be available until later.
With that in mind, downloading the latest Insider Preview build provides access to a version of Windows 11 that’s almost indistinguishable from the final version. Here’s how to install it on your device.
How to get the final version of Windows 11 now
Before proceeding, it’s worth clarifying what we mean by ‘final version’. This is the version that will be released on 5 October, but Windows 11 will continue to get updates throughout its lifespan.
To help illustrate that, Windows 10 will continue getting updates until October 2025, despite being replaced as Microsoft’s main OS.
First, make sure your device is compatible with Windows 11. Microsoft has released a new version of its PC Health Check app to do just that – it’s available to download now.
You’ll also need to sign up to the Windows Insider Program if you haven’t already. Head over to the landing page on the Microsoft website and click ‘Register’, then follow the steps to connect your account.
Once those are taken care of, here’s what you need to do from a Windows 10 device:
- Head to Settings > Update & Security and choose ‘Windows Insider Program (or Programme)’ from the left pane
- Click ‘Get started’ and link the same account you used to register for the Insider Program
- Follow the steps on screen, making sure you choose the ‘Release Preview’ channel
- Agree to the terms and conditions, then reboot your device when prompted to apply the changes
- Once back up and running, head into Settings > Update & Security. Provided you’ve installed all previous updates, you should now see the option to get Windows 11
- Click ‘Download and install’ to begin the upgrade process. Your device will be out of action for a while, so make sure you time this carefully
If you’ve already installed an early build of Windows 11, you’ll just need to change which channel of the Insider Program you’re a member of:
- Open Settings > Windows Update
- Under ‘More options’, choose ‘Windows Insider Program (or Programme)’
- Click ‘Choose your Insider settings’ and select ‘Release Preview Channel’
- Head back to the main Windows Update page and click ‘Check for updates’
- This process can take a few minutes, but you should eventually see an update become available. If not, you’re already running the latest version
If you don’t want access to early builds in the future, just select ‘Stop getting preview builds’ from that same Windows Insider Program settings menu.
Make sure you choose ‘Unenroll this device when the next version of Windows releases’, otherwise you’ll have to clean install Windows 10 again.
This version is also available as an ISO file, meaning you can install Windows 11 from a USB or other flash drive. Download links are accessed via the Microsoft website, but you’ll still need to be signed up to the Insider Program.
