--- title: Win11 Creator weight: 8 prev: /userguide/automation/ --- ## Using Winutil's Win11 Creator Winutil includes a built-in **Win11 Creator** tool that lets you take an official Windows 11 ISO and produce a customized, debloated version. The resulting image can remove telemetry, bypass hardware requirement checks, and enable local account setup out of the box. You can export the result as a new ISO file or write it directly to a USB drive. {{< image src="images/win11creator-tab-new" alt="Win11 Creator tab in Winutil" >}} > [!IMPORTANT] > You need an **official Windows 11 ISO** from [Microsoft's website](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11) before starting. Custom, modified, or non-official ISOs are not supported. The process uses ~10–15 GB of temporary disk space, so make sure you have room. > [!NOTE] > This workflow is intended for fresh Windows installs, not in-place upgrades of an existing installation. --- ### Step 1 — Select Your Official Windows 11 ISO 1. Open Winutil and go to the **Win11 Creator** tab. 2. Click **Browse** and select your **official Windows 11 ISO file** from Microsoft (must be 4 GB or larger). Custom or modified ISOs are not supported. 3. The file path and size will appear on screen once selected. --- ### Step 2 — Mount & Verify 1. Click **Mount & Verify ISO**. 2. Winutil mounts the ISO, checks for a valid `install.wim` or `install.esd`, and reads the available editions (Home, Pro, Enterprise, etc.). 3. Once verified, select your desired **edition** from the dropdown — Pro is selected by default if available. > [!NOTE] > This step takes around 10–30 seconds depending on your drive speed. --- ### Step 3 — Run the Modification Click **Run Windows ISO Modification and Creator** to start the customization process. Winutil will: **App & Component Removal:** - **Remove 40+ bloat apps** — Clipchamp, Teams, Copilot, Dev Home, new Outlook, Bing apps, Solitaire, and more - **Delete OneDrive setup** from the image **System Customization:** - **Bypass hardware checks** — removes TPM, Secure Boot, CPU, RAM, and storage requirement enforcement so the ISO installs on unsupported hardware - **Enable local account setup** — injects an `autounattend.xml` that skips the Microsoft account screen during OOBE - **Disable BitLocker and device encryption** — removes startup overhead - **Disable Chat icon** — removes chat taskbar button - **Strip unused editions** — keeps only your selected edition, saving 1–2 GB per removed edition - **Clean the component store** — runs DISM cleanup to reclaim another 300–800 MB **Privacy & Telemetry Tweaks:** - **Disable telemetry** — advertising ID, tailored experiences, input personalization, speech online privacy - **Disable cloud content features** — app suggestions, Microsoft Store recommendations - **Remove telemetry scheduled tasks** — CEIP, Appraiser, WaaSMedic, and others - **Disable OneDrive folder backup** — prevents automatic backups to cloud - **Prevent DevHome and Outlook post-setup installation** - **Prevent Teams installation** — blocks auto-install after OOBE - **Prevent new Outlook Mail app installation** - **Disable Windows Update during OOBE** — re-enabled automatically on first login - **Disable Copilot and search box suggestions** **Optional: Driver Injection** - If enabled, it injects all drivers from your current system into the install.wim and boot.wim — useful for offline installations on machines with missing drivers. This is an optional checkbox in Step 3. A live log shows progress as each step completes. This stage usually takes **10–30 minutes** depending on disk speed. The WIM dismount near the end is the slowest part, so do not close Winutil while it is running. --- ### Step 4 — Export Your Result Once the modification is complete, choose how to save your image: {{< tabs >}} {{< tab name="Save as ISO" selected=true >}} 1. Click **Save as an ISO File**. 2. Choose a save location (defaults to your Desktop as `Win11_Modified_yyyyMMdd.iso`). 3. Winutil builds a dual BIOS/UEFI bootable ISO using `oscdimg.exe`. > [!NOTE] > `oscdimg.exe` (part of the Windows ADK) is required. If it's not found, Winutil will attempt to install it automatically via winget. If that fails, install it manually: `winget install -e --id Microsoft.OSCDIMG` {{< /tab >}} {{< tab name="Write to USB" >}} 1. Click **Write Directly to a USB Drive**. 2. Select your USB drive from the dropdown (click **Refresh** if it doesn't appear). 3. Click **Erase & Write to USB** and confirm the warning — **all data on the drive will be permanently erased**. 4. Winutil formats the drive as GPT with a 512 MB EFI partition and copies the modified Windows files. > [!WARNING] > Double-check you have selected the correct drive before confirming. This operation cannot be undone. **Minimum USB size:** 8 GB recommended. Writing takes 10–20 minutes. {{< /tab >}} {{< /tabs >}} --- ### Step 5 — Clean Up (Optional) Click **Clean & Reset** to delete the temporary working directory (~10–15 GB) and return the tool to its initial state, ready for a new ISO. You will be asked to confirm before anything is deleted. --- ### What the Modified ISO Does Differently When you install Windows 11 from your modified ISO: - **No Microsoft account required** — create a local account directly during setup - **No hardware checks** — installs on machines without TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, or supported CPUs - **Dark mode enabled by default** - **Empty taskbar and Start Menu** — no pinned apps, Chat icon removed - **Windows Update disabled during OOBE** — automatically re-enabled on first login to prevent setup interruptions - **BitLocker disabled** — removes startup overhead on first boot --- ### Troubleshooting | Problem | Fix | |---------|-----| | "install.wim not found" | Not a valid Windows 11 ISO — download a fresh one from Microsoft | | "oscdimg.exe not found" | Run `winget install -e --id Microsoft.OSCDIMG` then retry | | USB drive not showing up | Plug it in, wait a few seconds, then click **Refresh** | | Modification seems stuck | The WIM dismount step is slow — wait at least 10 minutes before assuming it's frozen | | "Access Denied" error | Make sure Winutil is running as Administrator | --- ## Additional Resources - Download official Windows 11 media from [Microsoft](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11). - If you prefer to write a finished ISO with another tool, common choices include [Rufus](https://rufus.ie/) or [Ventoy](https://www.ventoy.net/). > [!NOTE] > Always download Windows ISOs from official Microsoft sources or trusted tools like Rufus/UUP Dump to avoid tampered images. > [!NOTE] > Newer Windows 11 ISOs may not boot correctly on older versions of Ventoy — make sure Ventoy is up to date before use. If issues persist after updating, this is a Ventoy compatibility limitation outside of Winutil's control.