How to Create a Custom Gaming Windows 10 ISO

To create a custom gaming-optimized Windows 10 ISO, install Windows 10 in a virtual machine, debloat it using the Chris Titus Tech Windows Utility and O&O AppBuster, capture the customized installation with the DISM command, then swap the default install file inside the original ISO using AnyBurn. The result is a bootable ISO that installs a clean, minimal Windows 10 every time.

Applies to: Windows 10 (22H2) | Last updated: April 11, 2026

Key Takeaways

• A custom Windows 10 ISO removes all preinstalled bloatware and limits background apps to just Settings and Windows Security, dropping the running process count from around 140 down to 50.
• The method uses a virtual machine (VMware or VirtualBox), the Chris Titus Tech Windows Utility for debloating, O&O AppBuster for removing remaining Windows apps, DISM to capture the image, and AnyBurn to rebuild the ISO.
• The final ISO is fully bootable and can be flashed to a USB drive with Rufus for installing on any PC, with all your customizations and preferred apps already baked in.
• You can pre-install any software you want (browsers, utilities, game launchers) before capturing the image, so every fresh install is ready to go immediately.

Quick Steps

1. Download the official Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft and create a VMShare folder on your desktop containing the ISO.
2. Create a virtual machine in VMware or VirtualBox with two virtual hard disks — one for Windows, one for storing the captured image.
3. Install Windows 10 Pro in the VM and complete the initial setup with a local account.
4. Debloat the installation using the Chris Titus Tech Windows Utility (tweaks + updates) and O&O AppBuster (remove all Windows apps).
5. Optionally uninstall OneDrive, Microsoft Store, and Microsoft Edge, then install your preferred browsers and apps.
6. Initialize and format the second virtual disk as a “Data” partition in Disk Management.
7. Boot into Advanced Startup > Command Prompt and run dism /capture-image /imagefile:D:\install.wim /capturedir:C:\ /name:Windows10 to capture the image.
8. Set up VMware Shared Folders, install VMware Tools, then use AnyBurn to swap the original install.esd in the ISO with your custom install.wim.
9. Save the modified ISO as “Windows 10-Debloated” and flash it to a USB drive for installation.

What You Need Before Starting

This process requires a few things: the official Windows 10 ISO from Microsoft, virtualization software like VMware Workstation or VirtualBox, at least 50 GB of free disk space, and administrator privileges. If you are using a Chromium-based browser, you can press F12, open Network Conditions, change the User Agent to Chrome OS, and reload the Microsoft download page to get a direct ISO download link without the Media Creation Tool.

Tip: Create a folder called “VMShare” on your desktop and copy the Windows 10 ISO into it. You will need this folder later for shared folder access between the VM and your host PC.

How to Set Up the Virtual Machine

Open VMware and create a new virtual machine. Select “I will install the operating system later,” choose Microsoft Windows as the guest OS, and set the version to Windows 10 64-bit. Leave the VM name and disk capacity at their defaults and click Finish.

Before powering on the VM, right-click it and open Settings. Increase memory to 8 GB and processors to 4 (adjust based on your hardware). Under CD/DVD (SATA), select “Use ISO image file” and browse to the Windows 10 ISO in your VMShare folder. Then click Add at the bottom, select Hard Disk, choose the recommended virtual disk type (NVMe if available), and create a new virtual disk with default settings. You now have two disks — one for Windows, one to store the captured image.

Power on the VM and press Spacebar immediately when prompted to boot from the ISO. Install Windows 10 Pro with a local (offline) account. Skip the product key, accept the license, choose Custom install, select Drive 0, and let it finish. During setup, turn off all the location and diagnostic toggles — I always do this for a cleaner baseline.

How to Debloat Windows 10 for Gaming

Once you reach the desktop, right-click the Start button, open Windows PowerShell (Admin), and run the Chris Titus Tech Windows Utility:

irm https://christitus.com/win | iex

In the utility, go to the Updates tab and select Security Recommended Settings so you only receive security patches, not feature updates. Then switch to the Tweaks tab and select Recommended Desktop Tweaks. Click the button to activate the Ultimate Performance power plan, then click Run Tweaks. This removes Microsoft Edge (it will no longer launch), disables telemetry, and strips out unnecessary services.

After the tweaks finish, restart the VM. Then open PowerShell as Admin again and relaunch the utility with the same command. This time, use the Install tab to add any browsers or apps you want baked into your ISO. I installed Thorium and Floorp, but you can pick whatever you prefer.

Next, open a browser and download O&O AppBuster. Run it, go to Actions > Select all Windows apps, and click Remove. This strips out every remaining preinstalled app. After that, uninstall OneDrive from Settings > Apps, and if you do not plan to use the Microsoft Store, remove it with PowerShell:

Get-AppxPackage *Microsoft.WindowsStore* | Remove-AppxPackage

Clean up any remaining shortcuts from the desktop, taskbar, and Start menu. Go to Settings > Privacy > Background Apps and confirm everything is off. After a restart, open Task Manager — you should be down to around 50 processes, compared to the 140 you started with. That is a massive reduction in overhead for gaming.

Note: If you want an even easier approach to debloating and optimizing Windows, check out Winhance — my own Windows enhancement utility that handles all of this in one tool. For Windows 10 and 11 installations, UnattendedWinstall can also automate the debloating during the initial setup using an answer file.

How to Capture the Custom Windows Image with DISM

Before capturing the image, you need to prepare the second virtual disk. Click Start, search for “Disk Management,” and open Create and Format Hard Disk Partitions. When prompted to initialize the new disk, leave GPT selected and click OK. Right-click the unallocated space, select New Simple Volume, click through the defaults, and set the volume label to “Data.” This label helps you identify the drive in the next step.

Now go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and click Restart Now under Advanced Startup. Select Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt. After selecting your account, you will land in a recovery command prompt. Use dir on each drive letter to identify which is your Windows installation (look for the Windows, Users, and Program Files folders) and which is your empty Data partition. In my case, C: was Windows and D: was Data.

Navigate to the root by typing X: and pressing Enter, then run the DISM capture command:

dism /capture-image /imagefile:D:\install.wim /capturedir:C:\ /name:Windows10

Replace the drive letters if yours are different. This command captures your entire customized Windows installation into a single install.wim file on the Data drive. It takes a while — just wait until you see “The operation completed successfully.”

Type exit and select Turn off your PC to shut down the VM.

How to Build the Bootable ISO with AnyBurn

Before relaunching the VM, you need to set up shared folders so the VM can access your host computer’s files. Right-click the VM in VMware, open Settings > Options > Shared Folders, select Always Enabled, click Add, and browse to the VMShare folder on your desktop. Back on the Hardware tab, uncheck “Connect at Power On” under CD/DVD so the VM boots from the hard disk instead of the ISO.

Power on the VM. Install VMware Tools by clicking Player > Manage > Install VMware Tools, then running the installer from File Explorer with default settings. Restart when prompted. After restarting, open File Explorer, click the Network tab, enable Network Discovery when prompted, and navigate to VMware-host > Shared Folders > VMShare. You should see your original Windows 10 ISO file there.

Now download and install AnyBurn (free). Open it and click Edit Image File. Browse to the ISO file through Network > VMware-host > Shared Folders > VMShare. Open the Sources folder inside the ISO, find the install.esd (or install.wim) file, select it, and click Remove. Then click Add, navigate to your Data drive, and select the install.wim file you captured earlier. You have now swapped the default Windows image with your custom debloated one.

Click Next, rename the output file to something like “Windows 10-Debloated,” and click Create Now. AnyBurn saves the ISO directly to your host computer through the shared folder. Once it finishes, shut down the VM — you are done with it.

How to Use Your Custom Windows 10 ISO

Your custom ISO is now a fully bootable Windows installer. Flash it to a USB drive using Rufus and boot from it on any PC. The installation skips the initial setup screens entirely — it loads straight into your user account with all debloating already applied, your preferred apps installed, and background processes minimized.

After installing, you may notice the process count is slightly higher than the 50 you had in the VM (some services re-enable during a fresh install). If that happens, just run the Chris Titus Tech utility one more time with the same recommended tweaks to bring it back down. From there, install your graphics drivers and games — that is all you need.

For a complete walkthrough on installing Windows from a USB drive, check out my guide on how to install Windows 10 from USB. If you are interested in other approaches to creating custom ISOs, I also have a guide on the best custom Windows ISO tools and a tutorial on using Tiny11 Builder to create a debloated Windows 11 ISO.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a virtual machine to create a custom Windows 10 ISO?

A virtual machine is not strictly required. You can install Windows 10 on a spare physical drive, debloat it there, and capture the image the same way. However, a VM is safer because it isolates the process completely and you can delete it when you are done without affecting your main system.

Will my custom ISO work on any computer?

Yes. The ISO is hardware-agnostic because Windows handles driver installation during setup. The only thing baked in is the Windows edition (Pro, Home, etc.) you selected during the initial install. You will need to install the correct graphics and hardware drivers after installing on each new machine.

What if the DISM capture command fails?

The most common cause is incorrect drive letters. In the recovery command prompt, drive letters can shift — use dir on each letter to confirm which drive contains your Windows files and which is the empty Data partition. Also make sure you have enough free space on the Data drive to hold the captured image (typically 5-10 GB).

Can I add my own software and drivers to the custom ISO?

Absolutely. Install any programs you want before running the DISM capture command. Browsers, game launchers, utilities — whatever you install becomes part of the image. Just avoid installing hardware-specific drivers (like GPU drivers) since those should be installed fresh on each target machine.

Is there an easier way to debloat Windows without creating a custom ISO?

If building a custom ISO feels like too much work, you can use UnattendedWinstall to create an answer file that automatically debloats Windows during installation. Alternatively, Winhance can debloat and optimize an existing Windows installation after the fact — no ISO creation needed.