ISOs are the standard format for installing operating systems on virtual machines in Hyper-V, VMware, or Azure. 3. Step-by-Step Download Process

For over a decade, the VLSC was the only place for VL downloads. It remains active for older agreements.

| Feature | Volume Licensing ISO | Public (Retail) ISO | |---------|----------------------|----------------------| | Activation | KMS/MAK keys only | Digital license / retail key | | Customization | Supports VL-specific answer files (unattend.xml) | Limited | | Edition | Enterprise, Education, Server | Home, Pro, Pro Workstation | | Pre-activated? | No (requires KMS/MAK) | No (requires key entry) | | File integrity | SHA-1 hash provided | SHA-1 hash provided |

: Select the Volume licensing tab at the top of the page.

Do you actually need the ISO? For many modern IT environments, the answer is no.