People often use Chrome's DevTools to troubleshoot website issues, so it's well worth getting to know it better.Volume descriptor: CD001 at 32769. To do this, we'll be using Chrome's DevTools feature. If you change the user agent on Chrome, you can hide the fact you're on Windows and force the website to reveal the direct Windows ISO download link. This prompts the Microsoft website to direct you toward the update tool or media creation tool. When you use Chrome on Windows to access the Microsoft website, it tells the Microsoft website that you're browsing on a Windows machine. The User Agent property is a string that the browser sends to the website to let it know your device and OS it is running. Method 1: Change the User Agent Property in Chrome These methods will trick the Microsoft website into thinking that you are using another device (non-Windows) using Chrome. Whenever you visit the Microsoft website or any other website for that matter, it knows what OS, device, and browser you are using. This section will elaborate on different methods to force the Windows website to display the direct download links on the page. How to Download Windows ISOs From the Microsoft Website Using Chrome You can create a USB installation media using tools like Rufus, or mount the ISO and run the Windows installer from there. Downloading just the ISO files makes installation much easier, because you can download the files once and then reuse them as much as you like, even when offline. If the system disconnects from the internet, the installer halts and needs to restart all over again. While it makes sense to get the media creation tool to check your system compatibility before downloading an ISO, you need an internet connection to download and install files.

However, if you use another OS like macOS or Linux, it displays the direct ISO download links instead. If you visit the ISO download website on a Windows PC, all of the available download paths will eventually lead to the media creation tool. Both the update tool and media creation tool check the system compatibility before installing the OS. Microsoft wants its users to check if their system is compatible with the OS version they are trying to install.

Why Doesn’t the Microsoft Website Offer Direct Download Links for ISOs?

Windows iso