How to Install Windows 10
Part 1: Booting to the Windows 10 Installer
1 Make sure your Windows 10 installation media is connected. In order for you to
install Windows 10, your Windows 10 installation file must be loaded onto a disc or flash
drive, and the disc or flash drive must be inserted into your computer.
2 Open the Start menu. Either click the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner of the
screen, or press the ⊞ Win key.
3 Click the power icon. This is the circle with a line through its top that's in the bottom-
left corner of the Start window.
4 Click Restart. It's in the pop-up menu above the power icon. Doing so will restart your
computer.
5 Press and hold Del or F2 to enter setup. This key may also be a different key—
most computers will display a message on startup that says "Press [key] to enter setup"
or something similar, so look for this message when your computer restarts to confirm the
key you should press to access the BIOS.
• Consult your computer's manual or online support page to confirm your computer's BIOS
key.
6 Navigate to the Boot tab. You'll use the arrow keys to select it.
• The Boot tab may instead say Boot Options, depending on your computer's
manufacturer.
7 Select a device from which to boot. You have a couple of options here:
• For a USB flash drive, select the Removable Devices option.
• For a disc installation, select the CD-ROM Drive option.
8 Press the + key until your boot option is first. Once either Removable Devices
or CD-ROM Drive is at the top of the list, your computer will select your choice as its
default boot option.
• On some computers, you'll instead press one of the function keys (e.g., F5 ) to navigate
an option up to the top of the menu. The key will be listed on the right side of the screen.
9 Save your settings. You should see a key prompt (e.g., F10 ) at the bottom of the
screen that correlates to "Save and Exit"; pressing it should save your settings and restart
your computer. You may have to press ↵ Enter to confirm the changes
10 Wait for your computer to restart. Once your computer finishes restarting, you'll
see a window here with your geographical data. You're now ready to begin setting up
your Windows 10 installation.
Part II Installing
1 Click Next when prompted. You can also change the options on this page (e.g., the
setup language) before continuing if need be.
2 Click Install Now. It's in the middle of the window.
3 Enter your Windows 10 key, then click Next. If you don't have a Windows 10 key,
instead click Skip in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
4 Click the "Accept" box and click Next. This will indicate that you accept the terms
of use.
5 Click Upgrade. It's at the top of the "Which type of installation do you want?" window.
This option installs Windows 10 while preserving your files, apps, and settings.
• You can click Custom instead to clean install Windows 10 on your computer. Doing so
will prompt you to select a partition to format before continuing.
6 Wait for Windows 10 to install. This process may take anywhere from half an hour
to several hours, depending on your computer's previous operating system and
processing speed.
• If prompted to press a key in order to boot from a CD, do not press a key.
7 Follow the on-screen setup instructions. Once Windows 10 has been installed on
your computer, you'll be able to customize its settings (e.g., your region, your preferred
language, location settings, etc.). Once you finish this process, you will be taken to your
computer's desktop.
• You can also click Express Settings to set up Windows 10 with the recommended
settings.
Step after 5 could be: Select “Custom: install Windows only (Advanced) “
• Select the drive where you want to install Windows 10.
• Note: Make sure the drive is formatted, if not you can format by selecting the format
option provided.
