How to Install Windows 10 Pro - Complete Beginner's Guide (Step by Step)

How to Install Windows 10 Pro - Complete Beginner's Guide (Step by Step)

So you want to install Windows 10 Pro on your computer? Don’t worry — it’s way easier than it sounds. This guide will walk you through every single step like you’re doing it for the first time (because you probably are, and that’s totally fine).

By the end of this guide, you’ll have a fresh, clean Windows 10 Pro running on your PC.

What You’ll Need Before You Start

Before we jump in, make sure you have these things ready:

  • A computer (desktop or laptop) where you want to install Windows 10 Pro
  • A USB flash drive — at least 8 GB in size (everything on it will be erased, so back up anything important)
  • Another working computer with internet access (to download the Windows files and create the USB installer)
  • Your Windows 10 Pro product key (a 25-character code like XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX) — you can also skip this during installation and enter it later
  • About 1–2 hours of free time (most of it is just waiting)

💡 Tip: If your USB drive has important files on it, copy them somewhere else first. The process will completely wipe the USB drive.

Step 1: Download the Windows 10 Installation Tool

First, we need to download Microsoft’s official tool that will help us create a bootable USB drive.

  1. On your working computer, open a web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox — any will do)
  2. Go to the official Microsoft page: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
  3. Click the “Download tool now” button
  4. A file called MediaCreationTool.exe (or similar) will download — it’s about 18 MB
  5. Wait for the download to finish

💡 Tip: Make sure you download from the official Microsoft website only. Don’t trust random websites offering Windows downloads.

Step 2: Create a Bootable USB Drive

Now we’ll use that tool to put Windows 10 on your USB drive.

  1. Plug in your USB flash drive (8 GB or larger) into the working computer
  2. Double-click the downloaded MediaCreationTool.exe file to open it
  3. If Windows asks “Do you want to allow this app to make changes?” — click Yes
  4. Wait a moment while it gets things ready
  5. Read the license terms and click “Accept”
  6. You’ll see two options — select “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC”
  7. Click Next

Choose Your Settings

On the next screen, you’ll see language, edition, and architecture options:

  • Language: Choose your preferred language (e.g., English)
  • Edition: Select Windows 10
  • Architecture: Select 64-bit (x64) — almost all modern computers use 64-bit

💡 Tip: If the checkbox “Use the recommended options for this PC” is checked and you’re installing on the same computer, leave it checked. If you’re installing on a different computer, uncheck it and choose the settings manually.

  1. Click Next
  2. Select “USB flash drive” and click Next
  3. Select your USB drive from the list (make sure you pick the right one!) and click Next
  4. The tool will now download Windows 10 and copy it to your USB drive — this can take 20–60 minutes depending on your internet speed
  5. When it says “Your USB flash drive is ready”, click Finish

🎉 Your bootable USB drive is ready! Now let’s install Windows on your target computer.

Step 3: Change Boot Order in BIOS

This is the part that sounds scary, but it’s actually simple. We need to tell your computer to start from the USB drive instead of the hard drive.

  1. Plug the USB drive into the computer where you want to install Windows
  2. Turn on (or restart) the computer
  3. Immediately start pressing the boot menu key — this varies by manufacturer:
Computer BrandKey to Press
HPF9 or Esc
DellF12
LenovoF12 or Fn + F12
AsusF8 or Esc
AcerF12
MSIF11
GigabyteF12
SamsungF2 or Esc
ToshibaF12 or F2
Custom-built PCUsually F12, F8, or Del

💡 Tip: You need to press the key repeatedly (tap it over and over) right after you press the power button — before the Windows logo appears. If you see the Windows logo, you were too slow. Turn off and try again.

  1. A boot menu will appear with a list of devices
  2. Select your USB flash drive from the list (it might show up as “USB HDD”, “UEFI: USB Drive”, or the brand name of your USB stick like “SanDisk” or “Kingston”)
  3. Press Enter

If You Don’t See a Boot Menu

If pressing the key doesn’t work, you may need to enter the BIOS/UEFI setup instead:

  1. Restart and press F2, Del, or F10 (varies by brand) repeatedly
  2. Look for a tab called “Boot” or “Boot Order”
  3. Move USB to the top of the boot order list
  4. Save and exit (usually F10 then confirm Yes)
  5. The computer will restart and boot from the USB

Step 4: Start the Windows Installation

Once your PC boots from the USB drive, you’ll see the Windows Setup screen. Here we go!

Language and Region

  1. Language to install: Choose your language (e.g., English)
  2. Time and currency format: Choose your region (e.g., English (India), English (United States))
  3. Keyboard or input method: Choose your keyboard layout (e.g., US)
  4. Click “Next”
  5. Click “Install now”

Product Key

You’ll be asked for a product key:

  • If you have a product key: Type it in and click Next
  • If you don’t have one yet: Click “I don’t have a product key” — you can enter it later in Settings after installation

💡 Tip: Windows 10 works fine without a product key, but you’ll see a small “Activate Windows” watermark on the bottom right of your screen and some personalization features will be locked until you activate it.

Choose Your Edition

If you clicked “I don’t have a product key”, you’ll be asked to choose an edition:

  • Select “Windows 10 Pro” from the list
  • Click Next

Accept the License

  1. Check the box “I accept the license terms”
  2. Click Next

Choose Installation Type

You’ll see two options:

  • Upgrade: Keeps your files, settings, and apps (only works if you’re upgrading from an existing Windows)
  • Custom (advanced): Clean install — erases everything and starts fresh

👉 Choose “Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)” — this is what we want for a fresh installation.

Step 5: Choose Where to Install Windows

This is the part where you pick which drive/partition to install Windows on.

If You Have a Brand New or Empty Drive

  1. You’ll see your drive listed as “Unallocated Space”
  2. Select it and click “Next”
  3. Windows will automatically create the necessary partitions and start installing

If Your Drive Already Has Windows or Data

You’ll see one or more partitions. Here’s what to do:

⚠️ WARNING: The following steps will ERASE ALL DATA on the selected drive. If you have important files (photos, documents, etc.), back them up to another USB drive or external hard drive BEFORE doing this.

  1. Select each partition on the drive where you want to install Windows
  2. Click “Delete” for each one (you may need to delete multiple partitions like “System”, “MSR”, “Primary”)
  3. Once all partitions on that drive are deleted, you’ll see “Unallocated Space”
  4. Select the Unallocated Space and click “Next”

💡 Tip: If you have multiple drives (like an SSD and a hard drive), make sure you’re deleting partitions on the correct drive. You can identify drives by their size. For example, if you have a 256 GB SSD and a 1 TB HDD, the SSD will show as ~238 GB and the HDD as ~931 GB.

Step 6: Wait for Installation to Complete

Now sit back and relax! Windows will:

  1. Copy files
  2. Prepare files for installation
  3. Install features
  4. Install updates

This process takes about 15–45 minutes depending on your computer’s speed. Your PC will restart several times — this is completely normal. Don’t press any keys and don’t remove the USB drive until you see the setup screens (next step).

💡 Tip: If after a restart it tries to boot from the USB again (you see “Press any key to boot from USB”), just don’t press anything. It will automatically boot from the hard drive after a few seconds.

Step 7: Set Up Windows 10 Pro (First-Time Setup)

After installation finishes and the PC restarts, you’ll go through the initial Windows setup. This is the fun part!

Region and Keyboard

  1. Select your region (e.g., India, United States, etc.) and click Yes
  2. Select your keyboard layout and click Yes
  3. Add a second keyboard layout? — Click Skip (you can add more later)

Network Connection

  1. If you see a “Let’s connect you to a network” screen:
    • If you have Wi-Fi: Select your Wi-Fi network and enter the password
    • If you use Ethernet/LAN cable: It should connect automatically
    • If you want to skip: Look for “I don’t have internet” at the bottom left, then click “Continue with limited setup”

💡 Tip: If you connect to the internet, Microsoft will push you to create/sign in with a Microsoft account. If you prefer a simple local account (offline account, no Microsoft account needed), disconnect from the internet or click “I don’t have internet” → “Continue with limited setup”.

Account Setup

If connected to internet (Microsoft Account):

  1. Sign in with your Microsoft account (email and password)
  2. Or click “Create account” to make a new one
  3. Set up a PIN for quick sign-in

If offline (Local Account):

  1. Enter a name for your account (e.g., your first name)
  2. Enter a password (or leave blank for no password — not recommended)
  3. If you set a password, you’ll need to set up 3 security questions

Privacy Settings

You’ll see a bunch of privacy toggles. Here’s what they mean in simple terms:

  • Location: Let apps know where you are — Turn off if you want privacy
  • Diagnostics: Send data to Microsoft — Choose Required only
  • Inking & typing: Improves suggestions — Turn off if you want privacy
  • Tailored experiences: Personalized ads/tips — Turn off
  • Advertising ID: Targeted ads — Turn off

Click “Accept” when you’re done.

Cortana and Other Screens

  • If asked about Cortana (Microsoft’s assistant): Click “Not now” if you don’t want it
  • If asked about Activity History: Click “No”

Step 8: You’re Done! Welcome to Windows 10 Pro 🎉

After a few minutes of “Getting things ready” and “This might take a few minutes”, you’ll finally see the Windows 10 desktop!

Congratulations — you just installed Windows 10 Pro from scratch!

What to Do After Installation

Your fresh Windows install needs a few more things to be fully ready:

1. Activate Windows

If you didn’t enter a product key during installation:

  1. Open Settings (press Win + I)
  2. Go to Update & Security → Activation
  3. Click “Change product key”
  4. Enter your 25-character product key
  5. Click Next and follow the prompts

2. Run Windows Update

Get the latest security patches and fixes:

  1. Open Settings → Update & Security → Windows Update
  2. Click “Check for updates”
  3. Let it download and install everything
  4. Restart when prompted
  5. Repeat this 2–3 times until it says “You’re up to date”

3. Install Drivers

Drivers are small programs that help Windows communicate with your hardware (graphics card, Wi-Fi, sound, etc.).

  • Windows Update usually installs basic drivers automatically
  • For better performance, visit your computer manufacturer’s website and download the latest drivers:

4. Install Essential Software

Here are some must-have programs for your new Windows:

  • Web Browser: Google Chrome or Firefox
  • Antivirus: Windows 10 comes with Windows Defender built in — it’s actually pretty good! You don’t necessarily need a third-party antivirus
  • Media Player: VLC Media Player — plays everything
  • File Compression: 7-Zip — for opening ZIP/RAR files
  • PDF Reader: SumatraPDF — lightweight and fast
  • Office Suite: LibreOffice (free) or Microsoft Office (paid)

5. Create a System Restore Point

This creates a safety snapshot you can go back to if something breaks:

  1. In the search bar, type “Create a restore point” and open it
  2. Select your main drive (usually C:)
  3. Click “Configure” → Select “Turn on system protection” → Click OK
  4. Click “Create” → Type a name like “Fresh Install” → Click Create

6. Remove the USB Drive

You can now safely remove the USB flash drive. You don’t need it anymore (but keep it safe in case you ever need to reinstall).

Troubleshooting Common Issues

”No device drivers were found” during installation

This usually happens with newer hardware:

  • Try a different USB port (use a USB 2.0 port instead of USB 3.0 — the USB 2.0 ports are usually black inside, while USB 3.0 ports are blue)
  • Download your PC’s storage drivers from the manufacturer’s website and load them during installation

PC doesn’t boot from USB

  • Make sure Secure Boot is disabled in BIOS (some old USB drives need this)
  • Try re-creating the USB drive using the Media Creation Tool
  • Make sure the USB drive is working properly — try it on another computer

Installation is stuck / very slow

  • Be patient — some steps can take 30+ minutes on older computers
  • If truly stuck for over an hour, force restart and try again
  • Make sure your USB drive isn’t faulty — try a different one

”Windows cannot be installed to this disk” error

  • If it says “GPT partition style”: In BIOS, change boot mode to UEFI (instead of Legacy/CSM)
  • If it says “MBR partition style”: In BIOS, change boot mode to Legacy/CSM (instead of UEFI)
  • Or delete all partitions on the drive and let Windows create new ones

No internet after installation

  • Connect via Ethernet/LAN cable first, then run Windows Update — it usually installs Wi-Fi drivers automatically
  • Or download Wi-Fi drivers from your PC manufacturer’s website using another computer, copy them via USB

Windows 10 Pro vs Home — What’s Different?

Since you’re installing the Pro edition, here are some extra features you get over Windows 10 Home:

FeatureHomePro
BitLocker encryption❌✅
Remote Desktop (host)❌✅
Group Policy Editor❌✅
Hyper-V virtualization❌✅
Windows Sandbox❌✅
Assigned Access❌✅
Domain join❌✅

These features are great for power users and professionals, but if you’re just using your PC for everyday tasks like browsing, watching videos, and office work — you’ll barely notice the difference.

Conclusion

That’s it! You’ve successfully installed Windows 10 Pro from a USB drive. It might have seemed intimidating at first, but as you can see, it’s mostly just clicking “Next” and waiting.

Quick recap of what we did:

  1. Downloaded the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft
  2. Created a bootable USB drive
  3. Booted the PC from the USB drive
  4. Installed Windows 10 Pro
  5. Set up your account and preferences
  6. Installed updates, drivers, and essential software

If you ever need to do this again (or help a friend), you already have the USB drive ready to go. Just plug it in and follow the same steps!