The official is a standalone executable ( .exe ) file. If you find a website offering this tool as a .rar or .zip archive, it is likely malware or a "repacked" version that could contain viruses, ransomware, or spyware. How to Safely Get Windows 10 21H2
: If you visit the download page using a non-Windows device (or by changing your browser's "User Agent" to mobile), Microsoft will allow you to download the ISO file directly instead of the Media Creation Tool. Steps to Create Installation Media Safely
Since version 21H2 is an older release of Windows 10 (succeeded by 22H2), Microsoft typically redirects users to the latest version. However, you can still obtain legitimate files using these methods: Download Media Creation Tool21H2 rar
: If the tool only offers the latest version (22H2), use the Rufus method mentioned above to target 21H2 specifically.
: Use a blank USB flash drive with at least 8GB of space. The official is a standalone executable (
: You do not need to extract it. Simply double-click the file.
: Only download the MediaCreationTool.exe from microsoft.com . Steps to Create Installation Media Safely Since version
: The popular, open-source tool Rufus has a built-in "Download" script that allows you to select specific older versions of Windows, including 21H2 , directly from Microsoft's servers.