Windows 11 23H2 is finally available via Media Creation Tool

Windows 11 23H2 update has started rolling out to all eligible users through Windows Update. However, users wanting to fresh install the update through the Media Creation Tool faced issues, as Microsoft was pushing Windows 22H2 instead of 23H2. If you’re one of them, Microsoft has fixed that, and Windows 11 23H2 is now available through the Media Creation Tool.

Gabe Frost, global product leader at Microsoft, took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to inform that users can now create bootable USB and CD/DVD drives using the Media Creation Tool to fresh install Windows 11 23 H2 update on their PCs. Mind you, when you fresh install Windows, you don’t get the option to keep data on the selected drive, so you should back up all your important files in order to restore them later.

As for what forced Microsoft to make the 23H2 update release so late on Media Creation Tool, Frost said in his earlier post on X that the company was working towards fixing the package size optimization, which was causing the 22H2 update to appear instead of 23H2 via the Media Creation Tool. The Microsoft executive also said that the fix would arrive in mid-November. True to its word, the company has indeed pushed the update through Media Creation on time.

It’s important to note that you have other alternatives if you want to fresh install Windows. For example, you can use tools like Rufus to create bootable USB drives. If you’re using any of those tools, you need to have the ISO of the version of Windows you’re trying to install from scratch. You can also try the Windows Update Assistant Tool to upgrade to major versions of Windows, though you can’t fresh install Windows with it.