Microsoft has announced that there is a problem that makes it impossible to create installation media for Windows 11 25H2.
In a Windows 10 22H2 environment, the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool (MediaCreationTool.exe) may not work properly.
The Windows 11 Media Creation Tool is an app (tool) that allows you to download Windows 11 ISO files and create installation media on a USB flash drive. However, in Windows 10 22H2 environments, there is a bug where this app may unexpectedly quit without any error message.
As a result, you will not be able to create installation media for Windows 11 25H2.
This issue may occur in the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool version 10.0.26100.6584, which was released on September 29, 2025 (US time).
When I tried it in my Windows 10 22H2 environment, I confirmed that the app crashed immediately after running the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool.
The following operating systems are affected by this issue:
OS affected by the bug
- Windows 10 version 22H2
This issue only occurs in Windows 10 22H2, and other operating systems, such as Windows 11 and Windows Server, are not affected.
As an aside, separate from the above issue, the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool is currently not supported in environments with ARM64 CPUs (including Windows 11 as well as Windows 10).
Solutions and workarounds
If you are unable to create an ISO file or installation media for Windows 11 25H2 due to the above issue, do not use the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool; instead, download the ISO file directly from Microsoft’s Windows 11 download page.
Then, use an installation media creation app such as Rufus to create installation media using the downloaded ISO file.
