How to Perform a Windows 11 In-Place Upgrade?

What Is Windows In-Place Upgrade?

A Windows in-place upgrade is to use the Windows OS installer to replace the current operating system files on your computer. Unlike a clean install of Windows, you can start a Windows in-place upgrade when your OS is still running. And an in-place upgrade can keep your files, settings, & apps during the upgrade process. So, this is a welcomed method to upgrade to Windows 11.

When Should You Perform a Windows 11 In-Place Upgrade?

When your Windows operating system encounters issues like the menu not opening properly, the desktop icons keep moving, File Explorer not working, and more, you can perform a Windows 11 in-place upgrade to fix the problem. Or if you can’t fix Windows 11 using an emergency repair method, you can also do this to make your Windows 11 computer go back to normal. Due to this, a Windows in-place is also called an upgrade repair install.

Unlike Windows 10, you can’t use Windows 11 Media Creation Tool to perform an in-place-upgrade. But you can use the Windows 11 ISO file or the Windows 11 bootable USB drive to do such a job. In the next part, we will introduce these two methods separately.

How to Perform a Windows 11 In-Place Upgrade?

Method 1: Use the Windows 11 ISO File

Microsoft has released a direct download link of WIndows 11 ISO images in the Windows 11 software download page. So, there is one more way to get a Windows 11 ISO file. After downloading the ISO image, you can use it to perform a Windows 11 in-place-upgrade.

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Step 1: Download a Windows 11 ISO file from the Windows 11 software download site.

Step 2: After downloading, you need to click the downloaded ISO file to open it.

Step 3: Double-click the setup file to continue.

Step 4: Click Yes if you see the User Account Control interface.

Step 5: You will see the following interface. Click Next to continue.

Step 6: Windows 11 Setup will begin to get updates. You can follow the on-screen wizard to finish the in-place upgrade process.

Method 2: Use Windows 11 Bootable USB Drive

If you have created a Windows 11 bootable USB drive, you can also in-place upgrade Windows 11 via this USB drive.

Step 1: Connect the Windows 11 bootable USB drive to your computer.

Step 2: Open the drive.

Step 3: Click the setup file in the drive.

Step 4: Finish the upgrade install process by following the on-screen guide.

After a Windows 11 in-place upgrade, your computer should run without issues.

Recover Your Lost Files on Windows 11

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Bottom Line

In this post, we show you 2 methods to perform a Windows 11 in-place upgrade. You can select a proper method according to your situation to solve the system issue you face. Should you have any other related issues, you can let us know in the comments.