How to install Windows 11 from a USB stick

A clean installation is the most reliable way to get your computer running ‘like new’ — without accumulated errors and unnecessary programs. You will need: a USB stick of at least 8 GB (its contents will be erased), an internet connection and about an hour of your time.

Before you start: back up your important files. A clean installation erases the data on the system partition.

Step 1: download the Media Creation Tool

Open the official Microsoft page for downloading Windows 11 and download the Media Creation Tool. Download only from microsoft.com — versions from other sites have often been tampered with.

Step 2: make the stick bootable

1. Plug in the USB stick and run the Media Creation Tool.
2. Accept the terms and choose ‘Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file)’.
3. Choose the language and edition, then press Next.
4. Choose USB flash drive and select your stick.
5. Wait — about 5 GB is downloaded and written to the stick.

If the Media Creation Tool returns an error, download the ISO file and write it to the stick with the free program Rufus (GPT scheme, UEFI system).

Step 3: boot from the USB stick

1. Leave the stick plugged in and restart the computer.
2. Immediately after powering on, press the boot menu key — most often F12, F11, F9 or Esc; to enter BIOS/UEFI it is usually F2 or Delete. The key depends on the brand.
3. Select the USB device from the list.
4. If the stick does not appear: in BIOS/UEFI check whether Secure Boot is enabled and the mode is UEFI rather than Legacy.

Step 4: the installation

1. Choose the language, time and keyboard.
2. Press Install now.
3. On the key screen you can enter your product key straight away or choose ‘I don’t have a product key’ and activate afterwards.
4. Choose the edition — it must match your key (Home with Home, Pro with Pro).
5. Choose Custom: Install Windows only for a clean installation.
6. Select the partition you will install on. For a completely clean installation, delete the old partitions and let Windows create them again — caution: this erases the data. Do not touch ‘Recovery’ partitions if you are not sure.
7. Wait. The computer will restart several times — remove the stick at the first restart.

Step 5: initial setup

Follow the screens: country, keyboard, network, device name. On Windows 11 Pro you can choose ‘Set up for work or school’ → ‘Sign-in options’ → ‘Domain join instead’ in order to finish with a local account, without a Microsoft account.

Step 6: activation

1. Open Settings → System → Activation.
2. Choose Change product key.
3. Enter the 25-character key from the email and press Activate.

To check, open Settings → System → Activation again — it should say that Windows is activated. If something does not work, see the most common activation errors and their solutions.

After the installation

• Run Windows Update several times, until there are no new updates.
• Install the drivers from the website of the motherboard or laptop manufacturer.
• Check that Microsoft Defender is active.

Do not have a key? Genuine Retail licences: Windows 11 Pro and Windows 11 Home — the key normally arrives by email within 15 minutes during working hours. If you get stuck on any step, write to us at info@litsenzi.bg; we help with the installation free of charge.