If you have a Windows ISO file, you can make a bootable USB media and use it to reinstall your operating system. In this post, MiniTool Partition Wizard introduces some methods to download a Windows 8.1 ISO file and you can have a try if you need.

Windows 8 is an operating system produced by Microsoft. It received a mixed critical reception. In October 2013, Windows 8.1 was released to address complaints of Windows 8 users and reviewers, and it is better than Windows 8. Nowadays, Microsoft has stopped providing support and updates for Windows 8 RTM.

Since Windows 8 devices no longer receive important security updates, Microsoft recommends users to upgrade Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, and they can make it by downloading a Windows 8.1 ISO file, create a bootable USB flash drive with the ISO file, and install Windows 8.1. It also works when users need to reinstall Windows 8.1.

Tip: Windows 8 ISO file is unavailable. Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 8.1 on January 9, 2018. In 2023, the extended support will be ended. Therefore, you might be interested in Windows 10, the latest version of Windows operating system. Click here to know how to install Windows 10.

You might wonder how to download Windows 8.1 ISO file. Don’t worry. Here are some methods for you.

Method 1: Get Windows 8.1 ISO Download from Microsoft

Microsoft supports Windows 8.1 ISO download free. Therefore, an easy way to download Windows 8.1 ISO is to visit the support page of Microsoft. Here are the detailed steps.

Step 1: Open your browser and search for Windows 8.1 ISO download. Click the first result which comes from the official website of Microsoft.

Step 2: Scroll down and select the Windows 8.1 edition you want. Then click the Confirm button to continue.

select edition

Step 3: Select the product language and click Confirm.

Step 4: On the following page, select an architecture (64-bit or 32-bit) and then the Windows 8.1 download process will start.

select architecture

Then you just need to wait until the download is finished.

Method 2: Download Windows 8.1 ISO File Using a Third-party Program

There are some reliable third-party programs which enable you to download Windows 8.1 ISO file, such as HeiDoc.net Windows ISO Downloader, Rufus, etc.

If you use HeiDoc.net Windows ISO Downloader, you need to:

  1. In the right pane, select Windows 8.1 under the Windows
  2. In the left pane, select an edition according to your need and click Confirm.
  3. Select your language and click Confirm.
  4. Click 64-bit Download or 32-bit Download.
  5. In the pop-up window, click Save and choose a location. Then click Save to start the downloading process.

download Windows 8.1 ISO file

In Rufus, you can follow the steps below to download Windows 8.1 ISO file.

  1. Run Rufus.
  2. Click the down arrow under the Boot selection section and select DOWNLOAD. Then click the DOWNLOAD
  3. In the pop-up window, select Windows 8.1 and click Continue.
  4. Select Release options and click Continue. Then configure Editions, Language, and Architecture.
  5. Click Download.
  6. In the pop-up window, select a location and click Save.

click Download

After downloading the Windows 8.1 ISO file, you can use it to create a bootable USB flash drive and then install Windows 8.1 on your PC.

Tip: If you plan to reinstall Windows 8.1 on an old computer, you should back up your data in advance.
What Is Rufus? Is Rufus Safe? Here Is Everything You Need to Know
What Is Rufus? Is Rufus Safe? Here Is Everything You Need to Know

If you’ve burned ISO to USB, you might be familiar with Rufus. Other users might hear it for the first time. What is Rufus? Is Rufus safe? Here are the answers.

Read More
  • linkedin
  • reddit

About The Author

Sherry

Position: Columnist

Sherry has been a staff editor of MiniTool for a year. She has received rigorous training about computer and digital data in company. Her articles focus on solutions to various problems that many Windows users might encounter and she is excellent at disk partitioning. She has a wide range of hobbies, including listening to music, playing video games, roller skating, reading, and so on. By the way, she is patient and serious.