How long does it take to install Windows 10?

Windows 10 has been one of the most popular flavors of Windows to date, and it is obvious that everyone with a compatible Windows PC/Laptop, want a taste of the new OS. In this article, we will take a look at how long it actually takes to perform a clean install of Windows 10.

We will perform this tutorial in two stages –

1. Downloading Windows 10 and preparing installation media.
2. Performing the Windows 10 installation.

Let’s get started –

Stage 1 – How long does it take to Download Windows 10 –

Whenever you download a file, the duration of the download depends on two aspects, your internet speed and the size of the file you are downloading. For this tutorial, the file you have to download is the Windows 10 ISO file. This is essentially the Windows 10 OS image which you will burn into a CD or place into a USB. The Windows 10 ISO file can be downloaded via the Media Creation Tool found on Microsoft’s website.

Next, let’s create the installation media. To do this, you have two choices – You can place the ISO file in a USB Flash Drive (Select option 1 in the Setup below), or you can burn the ISO into a DVD (Select option 2 in the setup below). Follow the on-screen instructions and you are ready for the next stage of the tutorial.



install windows 10



Please Note – No matter which media you use, it will take you about 30 minutes – 1 hour to complete this stage of the tutorial.

Stage 2 – How long does it take to Perform the Installation –

Once you have finished downloading the Windows 10 ISO and created the installation medium, its time to perform the installation of Windows 10 on your PC.

While most users will report varying installation times, the average waiting period for the installation to complete is around 20-30 minutes, assuming there are no errors. The upper limit is around 60 minutes.

Why the change in times? Well, the installation of Windows 10 directly depends on the hardware that you are using. For example, an SSD would take only 15 minutes to complete the whole installation, while an older computer might take more than hour as well,

To put things in perspective, I would suggest you keep 2 hours of your time aside for this whole process. Also, better the computer, faster the process if going to be, so if you are someone who has a slightly older computer, do not be frustrated if the installation gets slightly slower than usual.