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Blaise56's avatar
Blaise56
Copper Contributor
Nov 06, 2025

install win 11 pro on a new machine that came with win 11 Home

I am buying a new laptop. It will come with Windows 11 Home. I have a Win 11 Pro key and a Win 11 ISO file on hand. How can I install pro on the new machine without going through the Home installation process that begins when I turn the new machine on. The only way I know how to do this is to use the Windows media creation tool - or Rufus - to make a bootable USB Windows installation drive. 

Is there an easier way? If not, I'm thinking that Rufus is the only way to use the ISO file I have to make a bootable USB. I think the media creation tool will either want to download Windows to create the bootable USB stick, or tell me to burn the ISO to a CD disk. Do I have that right?

Thanks!

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2 Replies

  • TheoDalton's avatar
    TheoDalton
    Iron Contributor
    Nov 07, 2025

    Primarily designed to download the latest Windows 11 ISO and create a bootable USB or DVD. It doesn't support using a custom ISO directly, nor does it allow for installing a specific edition like Pro without downloading or burning the image itself.

    • Blaise56's avatar
      Blaise56
      Copper Contributor
      Nov 07, 2025

      Thanks for the response. That's what I thought, but I figured I should be sure before spending the time to use Rufus. It's a shame that I can't turn the new machine on, which will start configuring Windows 11 Home, and enter my Win 11 Pro product key to update the machine to Pro immediately, and have the machine configure itself as a Pro machine. 

      If memory serves, the last time I bought a new machine that came will Win 11 Home, I turned the machine on and went through the Home configuration. Once that was done, I upgraded to Win 11 Pro by just changing the product key to Win 11 Pro. That is, there was very little actual "upgrading" (installing software), which leads me to believe that Windows 11 Home installation and a Pro are really the same - it's just that the Pro key enables the additional Pro features and behaviors. I could be wrong about that, but that what it looked like.

      The reason I want to avoid going through the Home configuration is that I want to set the machine up with a local account, not a Microsoft account. I'm running a domain, so I have never logged into Windows with a Microsoft account.

      Thanks again!

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