Official downloads: Windows, Office, macOS, Linux

Windows

Official Microsoft pages. A genuine license (or the free evaluation period) is required to use Windows.

• Windows 11 ↗ISO, Media Creation Tool and Installation Assistant
• Windows 11 on Arm ↗ISO for Arm64 PCs
• Windows 10 ↗Support ended in October 2025; Extended Security Updates are available
• Windows 11 Enterprise (evaluation) ↗90-day free evaluation, ISO and VHDX
• Windows Server 2025 (evaluation) ↗180-day free evaluation
• Microsoft Evaluation Center ↗LTSC, Server and other evaluations
• Windows Insider Preview ISO ↗Requires a free Windows Insider registration
• Windows 11 release information ↗Versions, builds and support dates

Microsoft Office

Install Office with your Microsoft 365 subscription or a purchased license.

• Install Microsoft 365 / Office from your account ↗Sign in with the account that owns the license
• Office on the web (free) ↗Word, Excel and PowerPoint in the browser
• Office Deployment Tool ↗Custom installs for IT, including Office LTSC
• Office Customization Tool ↗Create the configuration file for the Deployment Tool
• Deploy Office LTSC 2024 ↗Volume licensing guide
• Office for Mac update history ↗Official installer and update packages
• Microsoft 365 Apps update history ↗Versions and release dates

macOS

Apple provides every recent macOS version for free through the App Store.

• How to download and install macOS ↗Links to each macOS version in the App Store
• Create a bootable installer for macOS ↗USB installer with createinstallmedia

Linux

Free to download and use. Try most of them from a USB stick before installing.

• Ubuntu Desktop ↗The most widely used desktop Linux
• Linux Mint ↗Familiar for Windows users
• Fedora Workstation ↗Up-to-date GNOME desktop
• Debian ↗Stable, community-run
• Pop!_OS ↗Good for gaming and NVIDIA GPUs
• Zorin OS ↗Windows-like, beginner friendly
• elementary OS ↗macOS-like design
• openSUSE ↗Leap (stable) and Tumbleweed (rolling)
• Arch Linux ↗Rolling release for experienced users
• Kali Linux ↗Security testing distribution

Other systems

• ChromeOS Flex ↗Turn an old PC or Mac into a Chromebook
• FreeBSD ↗Free Unix-like operating system

USB installer tools

Write an ISO file to a USB stick to install or try a system.

• RufusCreate bootable USB drives from ISO images.
• VentoyBoot many ISO files from one USB drive.
• balenaEtcherFlash OS images to USB drives and SD cards safely.
• 7-ZipFile archiver with a high compression ratio.

Guides

• Check that a download is genuineCompare the SHA-256 checksum of a file with the one published by the developer.
• Make a bootable USB installerWrite a Windows or Linux ISO to a USB stick with Rufus, Ventoy or Etcher.
• Clean install Windows 11Back up, boot from USB and install a fresh copy of Windows.
• Install many apps at once with wingetUse the package manager built into Windows to install and update apps.