Skip to content

Quick Start#

Get from download to bootable USB in the shortest path possible.

What You Need#

Before starting, have these ready:

  • A Windows 11 ISO — download from Microsoft (Business or Consumer editions both work)
  • A Driver MSI package — e.g. Surface drivers from Microsoft Surface Support
  • A USB drive — 14GB minimum, 32GB+ recommended, all data will be erased
  • 25GB+ free space on C: drive for working files
  • A Windows 10 or 11 machine with administrator access

Step 1 — Download the Application#

Download WinImagePrep_full.exe from the Releases page.

This is a single self-contained executable — no installation, no .NET runtime required. Just download and run.

Step 2 — Run as Administrator#

Right-click WinImagePrep_full.exe and select Run as administrator.

Note

The application will detect if it is not running with elevated privileges and prompt you to restart with elevation automatically.

Step 3 — Select Your ISO#

Click Browse... next to 1. Select Windows ISO and choose your Windows 11 ISO file.

Optionally, click Verify to confirm the ISO contains valid boot.wim and install.wim files and that you have enough disk space.

Step 4 — Select Your Driver MSI#

Click Browse... next to 2. Select Driver MSI and select your hardware driver MSI file (e.g. a Surface driver package).

Step 5 — Configure Options (Optional)#

Click Select Specific Windows Editions to choose which editions to include in the prepared image. By default all editions are processed — selecting only the editions you need (e.g. Pro only) significantly reduces processing time.

To remove built-in Windows apps from the image, click the Apps button. When you enable app removal, the application will offer to scan the ISO automatically and load the full list of provisioned apps present in that image. You can also click the green Load Apps from ISO button at any time to trigger the scan manually.

Step 6 — Prepare the Image#

Click Prepare Image with Drivers.

Read the time warning — this process typically takes 45–90 minutes depending on the number of editions selected and your hardware. The application will appear unresponsive during DISM driver injection operations — this is normal.

Warning

Do not close the application during processing. DISM operations are running in the background even when the UI appears frozen.

The Operation Log at the bottom of the window shows real-time progress at each stage.

Step 7 — Create the Bootable USB#

Once image preparation completes:

  1. Insert your USB drive (14GB+ required)
  2. Click Refresh to detect it
  3. Select your USB drive from the 3. Select USB Drive dropdown
  4. Confirm the data erasure warning
  5. Wait for the USB to be formatted and files copied (~5–10 minutes)

Danger

All existing data on the selected USB drive will be permanently erased. Double-check the drive selection before confirming.

Step 8 — Done#

Your bootable Windows 11 USB is ready. Boot the target device from the USB in UEFI mode to start the installation with all drivers pre-loaded.

Save for Later#

After the USB is created, the application asks if you want to save the prepared image. Saved images are stored in C:\Win11ImagePrep\SavedImages\ (the default working root, configurable via Tools > Options) and can be used to create additional USB drives much faster — skipping the full ISO extraction and driver injection process.

Next Steps#