End of support for Windows 10 has arrived, on October 14, so it’s probably a good time to upgrade to Windows 11 if you haven’t already – assuming your current device supports it. There’s a slight problem, however, as Microsoft has confirmed that there’s a bug right now if you try to upgrade with the media creation tool.

The media creation tool is often used for installing Windows and serves as an official way to create a bootable USB or DVD for your installation files, but the current bug causes the tool to crash without an error message. It’s not immediately clear how many users will be affected; a recent report suggests that millions of people are expected to continue using Windows 10 despite the end of support.

Windows 11 media creation tool has issues on Windows 10 – but there’s a workaround

Microsoft is working to produce a fix as soon as possible, which “will be released in a future update,” though no time period has been given at the moment. In the meantime, you’ll be glad to hear that a workaround is currently in place while the problem is dealt with. You can download bootable media directly from Microsoft’s website.

To create a bootable USB or DVD, head to the download page (via the link above) and locate the “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices” section. From there, select “Windows 11 (multi-edition ISO for x64 devices)” in the dropdown menu and select “Download Now” to manually download the ISO file and mount it with File Explorer.

If you don’t need to create a bootable drive and wish to upgrade directly from Windows 10, then using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant is the best way to do so. This method will automatically configure Windows 11 based on your current settings, so it won’t feel like you’re starting completely afresh.

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.