How to Install Windows 11 Without USB Drive (Clean Install Method)

Did you know that you can perform a clean installation of Windows 11 without needing a USB flash drive? Most people assume they’re stuck with an in-place upgrade if they don’t have external media, but there’s actually a little-known method that works surprisingly well. In this guide, I’ll walk you through the exact step-by-step process I use to perform clean Windows installations without any external media.

The best part? This method uses only built-in Windows tools, requires no complicated software, and even works on PCs that don’t meet the official Windows 11 system requirements. I’ve made this guide as thorough and beginner-friendly as possible so that even non-tech savvy users can follow along.

Key Takeaways

• You can perform a clean Windows 11 installation without a USB drive by creating a partition on your existing drive
• This method works on computers that don’t meet Windows 11’s hardware requirements using a simple bypass command
• You can set up Windows 11 with a local account instead of a Microsoft account using the registry trick explained in this guide

Requirements

• A working Windows computer (Windows 10 or 11)
• At least 10GB of free space on your hard drive or SSD
• A stable internet connection to download the Windows 11 ISO file
• Basic knowledge of navigating Windows settings

Why Install Windows 11 Without a USB Drive?

There are several scenarios where installing Windows without external media becomes necessary:

• You don’t have a USB flash drive available
• Your computer’s USB ports are damaged or not functioning
• You need to perform a clean installation on a new hard drive or SSD without a USB flash drive
• You’re in a remote location without access to a USB drive

While using a USB drive for Windows installation is generally the preferred method, this alternative approach provides a viable solution when external media isn’t an option.

Creating a Partition for Windows Installation Media

The first step is to create dedicated space for the Windows installation files on your existing drive.

Open Disk Management

1. Right-click on the Start button
2. Select “Disk Management” from the menu

Shrink Your Existing Partition

1. In the Disk Management window, identify the partition you want to use (typically your C: drive if you only have one drive)
2. Right-click on the partition and select “Shrink Volume”
3. Enter 10000 MB (10 GB) in the amount to shrink field
4. Click “Shrink” to confirm

You should now see a block of unallocated space on your drive. This is where we’ll create the partition for the Windows installation files.

Create and Format the New Partition

1. Right-click on the unallocated space
2. Select “New Simple Volume”
3. Click through the wizard using the default settings
4. When you reach the Format screen, change the volume label to something recognizable like “Windows Installer Media”
5. Complete the wizard by clicking “Next” and then “Finish”

Note: Formatting this partition correctly is crucial. If not properly labeled, you might have trouble identifying it later during the installation process.

Downloading the Windows 11 ISO File

Next, we need to download the Windows 11 installation files.

1. Visit the Windows 11 downloads page (I have a detailed guide on this process)
2. Scroll down to the “Windows 11 disk image (ISO)” section
3. Select “Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO)” from the dropdown menu
4. Click “Download”
5. Select your preferred language and click “Confirm”
6. Click the “Download” button to start downloading the ISO file

If you prefer to install Windows 10 instead, you can follow my guide on how to download Windows 10 ISO without the Media Creation Tool.

Mounting the ISO and Copying Installation Files

Once the ISO file is downloaded, we need to extract its contents to our newly created partition.

1. Navigate to the location where you downloaded the ISO file (typically the Downloads folder)
2. Right-click on the ISO file and select “Mount”
3. A new File Explorer window will open showing the ISO contents
4. Select all files (Ctrl+A) and copy them (Ctrl+C)
5. Navigate to “This PC” and open the Windows Media partition you created earlier
6. Paste all files (Ctrl+V) into this partition
7. Once copying is complete, return to “This PC” and unmount the ISO by right-clicking the virtual drive and selecting “Eject”

Pro Tip: If you’re an advanced user, you can include an autounattend.xml (answer file) in the root of this partition. The Windows setup will read and apply it during installation, allowing for automated setup.

Restarting into Recovery Mode

Now we need to restart the computer into recovery mode to access the command prompt.

Method 1: Using Shift + Restart

1. Hold down the Shift key on your keyboard
2. Click the Start button, then Power, then Restart
3. Keep holding Shift until the recovery options appear

Method 2: Using Windows Settings

1. Open Settings
2. Navigate to System > Recovery
3. Under “Advanced startup,” click “Restart now”
4. Confirm by clicking “Restart now” again when prompted

Accessing Command Prompt in Recovery

Once your computer restarts into the recovery environment:

1. Select “Troubleshoot”
2. Select “Advanced options”
3. Select “Command Prompt”
4. If prompted for your user account password, enter it

Identifying the Installation Media Drive

In the recovery environment, drive letters often change, so we need to identify which drive contains our Windows installation files.

Using Notepad to Find the Drive Letter

1. In the command prompt, type notepad and press Enter
2. In Notepad, click File > Open
3. Navigate to “This PC” to see all available drives
4. Look for the drive labeled “Windows Installer Media” (or whatever you named it)
5. Note the drive letter assigned to this partition

Verifying the Installation Files

1. In the command prompt, type the drive letter followed by a colon (e.g., C:) and press Enter
2. Type dir and press Enter to list the files
3. Verify you see folders like “boot”, “sources”, and the “setup.exe” file

Starting the Windows Setup Process

Now we can launch the Windows setup directly from the command prompt.

1. In the command prompt, with the installation media drive selected, type setup.exe and press Enter
2. The Windows Setup wizard will launch
3. Select your language preferences and click “Next”
4. Click “Install now”

If your computer meets the Windows 11 requirements, you can proceed normally. If not, you’ll need to use the bypass method below.

Bypassing Windows 11 Hardware Requirements

If you see a message that your PC doesn’t meet Windows 11 requirements, here’s how to bypass it:

1. Close the Windows Setup wizard
2. In the command prompt, type setup.exe /product server and press Enter
3. This will relaunch the Windows Setup wizard, but it will skip the hardware checks
4. Proceed with the installation as normal

Important: While this bypass allows you to install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, you may not receive future updates from Microsoft, and performance might be affected.

Selecting and Preparing the Installation Disk

Now you’ll need to select where to install Windows and prepare the disk.

Deleting Existing Partitions

Warning: This step will delete all data on the selected partitions. Make sure you’ve backed up any important files before proceeding.

1. On the “Where do you want to install Windows?” screen, you’ll see all available drives and partitions
2. DO NOT delete the partition containing the Windows installation media
3. Select any other partition on the drive where you want to install Windows
4. Click “Delete” and confirm
5. Repeat for any other partitions you want to remove (except the installation media partition)

Creating the Installation Partition

1. Select the unallocated space
2. Click “Next” (Windows Setup will automatically create the necessary partitions)

Completing the Windows 11 Installation

The installation process will now begin and will take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on your hardware.

Your computer will restart several times during this process. When it’s complete, you’ll be taken to the Windows 11 out-of-box experience (OOBE) to set up your new installation.

Setting Up Windows 11 Without a Microsoft Account

If you prefer to use a local account instead of a Microsoft account, follow these steps:

Disconnect from the Internet

1. For desktop PCs: Unplug the ethernet cable
2. For laptops: Enable airplane mode or disable Wi-Fi (usually using a function key combination)

Use the Registry Bypass

1. On the region selection screen, press Shift + F10 to open Command Prompt
2. Type regedit and press Enter to open Registry Editor
3. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OOBE
4. Right-click in the empty space and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value
5. Name it BypassNRO
6. Double-click the new value and set it to 1
7. Close Registry Editor and Command Prompt

If the above mentioned method didn’t work for you, try bypassing the Microsoft account requirement with this alternative guide on Windows 11 Microsoft account bypass methods.

Complete the Setup

1. Continue with the setup process
2. When prompted for internet connection, select “I don’t have internet”
3. Enter a username for your local account
4. Set a password if desired (or leave blank for no password)
5. Adjust privacy settings as preferred (I recommend disabling most of them)

Post-Installation Configuration Tips

After reaching the Windows 11 desktop, there are a few important steps to take:

Reconnect to the Internet

1. Plug in your ethernet cable or enable Wi-Fi
2. Connect to your network

Fix Region Settings

If you used the “English (World)” option during setup to get a clean Start menu:

1. Open Settings
2. Navigate to Time & Language > Region
3. Change the Country or region to your actual location
4. This ensures Microsoft Store and other regional services work correctly

Check for Updates

1. Open Settings
2. Navigate to Windows Update
3. Click “Check for updates”

Understanding Partition Limitations

There’s one important limitation to be aware of when using this installation method:

After installation, you won’t be able to expand your C: drive to reclaim the space used by the installation media partition. This is because Windows creates a recovery partition between your main C: drive and the installation media partition.

For this reason, I recommend:

1. Keeping the installation media partition as is (it can serve as a recovery tool)
2. Using a USB flash drive for Windows installation if you need full control over partitioning

If you’re looking to optimize your new Windows 11 installation, check out my guide on Winhance – a Windows 11 enhancement utility that can help debloat and optimize your system.

a Note from Memory….

Installing Windows 11 without a USB drive is entirely possible using the method I’ve outlined in this guide. While it does have some limitations regarding partition management after installation, it’s an great solution when you don’t have access to external media or when your USB ports aren’t functioning.

The ability to bypass hardware requirements and set up Windows 11 with a local account gives you additional flexibility that many people appreciate. This method works reliably and uses only built-in Windows tools, making it accessible to almost anyone.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Will this method work for Windows 10 as well?

Yes, the exact same method works for both Windows 10 and Windows 11. The only difference is that you’ll download the Windows 10 ISO instead, and you won’t need to use the hardware requirements bypass command since Windows 10 has less strict hardware requirements.

Is it safe to bypass Windows 11 hardware requirements?

While the bypass method works, Microsoft doesn’t officially support running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. You may experience performance issues, and there’s a possibility that future updates might not be available. Use this method at your own discretion, especially on production machines.

Can I delete the installation media partition after Windows is installed?

You can delete it, but you won’t be able to reclaim the space for your C: drive due to the recovery partition that Windows creates between them. I recommend keeping it as a recovery tool or for future reinstallations.

Why does my Start menu still have bloatware even though I used the English (World) trick?

The English (World) region trick works best on fresh installations. If you’re upgrading from a previous Windows version or if you’ve connected to the internet before changing this setting, you might still see some bloatware. In that case, you can use debloating tools like Winhance to clean up your Start menu.

Can I use this method if I only have one partition on my drive?

Yes, as demonstrated in this guide, you can shrink your existing partition to create space for the installation media. Just make sure you have at least 10GB of free space available on your drive before starting.