How to Install Windows 11 on Raspberry Pi: a Complete Guide

Ever wondered if you could run Windows 11 on a Raspberry Pi? Yeah, I thought the same thing. Raspberry Pi OS is great and all, but sometimes you just want to mess around with something different. So, I decided to try installing Windows 11 ARM on my Pi 4, and later tested it on the Pi 5 too.

Fair warning: this isn't going to be as smooth as running the regular Pi OS. But if you're into tinkering and want to see Windows running on a tiny board, this guide will walk you through the whole process.

Before we dive in, grab these items:

For Raspberry Pi 4 or Pi 3:

1. Raspberry Pi board (4GB RAM minimum, trust me on this)
2. MicroSD card, 32GB or larger (or better yet, use a USB SSD)
3. USB keyboard and mouse
4. HDMI display
5. Ethernet adapter or USB cable for phone tethering
6. A Windows PC to prep everything

For Raspberry Pi 5, you'll also need:

1. A separate 1GB+ microSD card for UEFI firmware
2. An external USB SSD (64GB+) for Windows itself
3. Yeah, Pi 5 needs two storage devices, it's weird but necessary

1. You can't just grab any Windows ISO from Microsoft's site. We need the ARM64 version specifically for Raspberry Pi. I used the WoR (Windows on Raspberry) project's ESD downloader, which makes life way easier.
2. Head over to the WoR ESD download page at worproject.com/esd
3. Pick the latest stable Windows 11 version from the dropdown. I went with the stable build because I wanted something reliable.
4. Here's the important part: under Architecture, select ARM64. If you pick x64 or x86, it won't work. Period.
5. Choose your edition (I used Windows 11 Home Client), pick your language, then hit Download. The tool grabs official files straight from Microsoft's servers.

1. Now we need to get that Windows image onto your storage device. Download the WoR Imager from worproject.com/downloads and extract it.
2. Right-click WoR.exe and select "Run as Administrator." This part is crucial.
3. The welcome screen pops up, click Next. Now select your storage device - for Pi 4, use your microSD card. For Pi 5, choose your external SSD.
4. Here's a weird trick for Pi 5 users: select "Raspberry Pi 2/3" as your device type, NOT Pi 4/400. I know it sounds wrong, but picking Pi 4/400 causes an ACPI BIOS error. For Pi 4 users, just pick Pi 4/400 normally.
5. Browse to your downloaded Windows ESD file, select which edition you want (Home or Pro), then hit Install.
6. This takes 15-45 minutes depending on your PC speed. Go grab a coffee.

1. If you're on Pi 4 or Pi 3, jump to Step 4. But Pi 5 owners need this extra step because WoR doesn't officially support Pi 5 yet.
2. Download the latest Pi 5 UEFI firmware from the GitHub page at github.com/worproject/rpi5-uefi/releases
3. Format your spare microSD card to FAT32, then extract and copy all the UEFI files to the root of that card. This microSD acts like a custom BIOS chip for your Pi 5.
4. Insert this microSD card into your Pi 5. Keep it there permanently - Windows won't boot without it. Then connect your SSD with Windows on it.

1. This step helps ensure clean booting, especially on Pi 4 and Pi 3. Open Raspberry Pi Imager on your Windows PC.
2. Click Choose OS, scroll to "Misc utility images" then select "Bootloader."
3. Pick either SD card boot or USB boot depending on your storage choice. I recommend USB boot if you're using an SSD.
4. Flash this to a small microSD card, insert it into your Pi, and power on. The green LED blinks rapidly, then the screen turns solid green when successful. Power off, remove the bootloader card, and you're done.

1. Insert your Windows storage device into your Pi. For Pi 5, make sure both the UEFI microSD and Windows SSD are connected.
2. Power on your Pi. You'll see the WoR/UEFI splash screen, followed by the Windows logo.
3. The installer asks for your region and keyboard layout. Pick whatever works for you.
4. Now here's where it gets annoying. Microsoft really wants you to connect to the internet and sign in with a Microsoft account. But there's a workaround.
5. When you hit the "Let's connect you to a network" screen, press Shift + F10. This opens a Command Prompt window right in the middle of setup.
6. Type this exactly: OOBE\BYPASSNRO and hit Enter. The system restarts, and boom - you now have the option to create a local account without any internet connection.
7. Go through the privacy settings (I disabled most to save resources), skip all the Microsoft 365 upsells, and wait for the final reboot.
8. And there it is - Windows 11 running on your Raspberry Pi.

Let's be real about the limitations:

No WiFi: The onboard WiFi chip has no Windows ARM drivers. Use a USB-Ethernet adapter or phone tethering instead.

No GPIO: Don't expect to control LEDs or sensors through GPIO pins. Windows doesn't expose these like Pi OS does.

No HDMI Audio: Sound over HDMI doesn't work. You'll need to use the 3.5mm audio jack.

Slow Performance on Pi 4 2GB: It's painfully sluggish. A 4GB or 8GB Pi 4 works much better. The Pi 5 is significantly faster overall.

Boot times are around 4-5 minutes on Pi 4, under 2 minutes on Pi 5. Web browsing works but keep tabs to a minimum. Office apps run okay on Pi 5 with 8GB RAM. Heavy software like Photoshop will crash.

ACPI error on Pi 5? Choose "Pi 2/3" in WoR, not "Pi 4/400"

Freezing? Close apps, increase virtual memory, get more RAM

No local account? Shift + F10, type OOBE\BYPASSNRO

No network? Built-in WiFi won't ever work - use Ethernet adapter

Is it worth it? For learning and experimentation, absolutely. For daily use? Stick with Raspberry Pi OS. But if you're a tinkerer, you'll enjoy this project.

It's impractical but really fun, like strapping a jet engine to a bicycle.

The above guide is based on this comprehensive walkthrough: Install Windows 11 on Raspberry Pi