Windows 11 26H2 will be released in September or October, but you can download the ISO file via the Windows Insider Program download page and using the UUP Dump tool.
This approach is ideal for performing a clean install or in-place upgrade on a backup computer or virtual machine with the most up-to-date version of the operating system.
Windows 11 26H2 ISO files can be created early using Microsoft's UUP Dump and preview build files.
The process uses the builds in the 26300 series and converts them into a bootable ISO image.
Rufus can convert the ISO to a bootable USB for clean installations or in-place upgrades. As you already know, Rufus options allow you to bypass TPM, Secure Boot, RAM, and Microsoft account requirements on unsupported hardware.
Below we will see how you can download the latest preview of the operating system from Microsoft's servers or how to use the UUP Dump tool.
For the first option, you can use the Windows Insider program page to download the ISO file for the latest preview build 26H2. It should be noted that the preview build is still listed as 25H2, but Microsoft has already changed the build number to 26H2 in the operating system from preview build 26300.8697.
UUP Dump is now a widely used utility that allows you to create a custom Windows 11 ISO from publicly available preview builds. It works by downloading the required files directly from Microsoft's update servers and packaging them into an installation image.
The resulting ISO is unofficial, but the files come from Microsoft, making it a reliable option for advanced users.
To download the Windows 11 26H2 ISO file with the UUP Dump tool, open the UUP Dump on the 26H2 page to download the latest build for the 26300 build series . The official Windows 11 26H2 (preview) release starts with build 26300.9278 and later.
Select the “Windows 11, version 26H2” option to download the latest ISO file (x64), for example, version 26300.8597 or any later version (from the Dev channel).
Select the 26H2 build versions to be included in the Windows 11 ISO file, and then click “Download and convert to ISO.”
Select “Include updates (Windows converter only)”.
This step will allow the script to add the updates, resulting in an ISO of version 26H2.
Click the “Create download package” button to save the tool to your computer.
Open the zip and click the Extract All button. Right-click on the “uup_download_windows.cmd” file and select Run as administrator.
Click More info and select “Run anyway” to start the long process.
Press the “R” key to run the script once, then press Enter.
Press the 0 key when prompted to close the screen.
Once you complete the steps, the Windows 11 26H2 ISO file will be created in the folder where you extracted the UUP Dump tool. This process can take up to an hour, depending on your internet connection and the time it takes to run the script.
Now you have the ISO, and you can use Rufus to customize it to your needs.
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