Feeling adventurous? Want to download the Windows 10 May 2020 Update ISO image right now? Directly from Microsoft? Then have we got just the trick for you!
This latest release of the OS is officially in the house. And like pretty much all major Windows 10 updates, it has had a storied launch.
Microsoft is rolling out the update in phases, very cautiously due to the prevalence of a few bugs mostly related to hardware compatibility. But seeing as this release brings along a whole array of exciting new features, there are folks that want to force the upgrade manually.
Yes, you also have the option of getting the UUP dump of the final build, but an ISO is an ISO, right?
Advantage ISO
The company has made the ISO images of Windows 10 version 2004 available to everyone via its download website. But there’s a catch. If you open the Windows 10 download page on a device running Windows, you will be directed to download the Media Creation Tool first.
This little utility is the simplest way to install Windows 10 feature updates, but downloading the ISO images is a much better option, and usually preferred.
That’s because having the ISO bits in your hand lets you do a clean install manually using third-party tools like Rufus. Plus, it makes for the ultimate troubleshooting technique. You simply do a fresh deployment on your system.
And equally importantly, it also lets you use the offline installer to upgrade multiple PCs at once, without having to prepare them one by one and download the same files again. Save bandwidth along the way, particularly if you manage a bunch of systems.
In short, the advantages of installing Windows 10 feature updates via ISO are numerous.
Spoofing the browser
Let’s get down to the business of downloading the ISO files directly. For that, we will need to spoof our web browser so that the Microsoft server thinks that we are using a different device — like an iPhone or an Android tablet.
And the easiest way to do that is by changing the user agent of our browser to reflect that.
We’ll be focusing on the two major browsing platforms on the market for this, Chrome and Firefox. Since the new Edge is one of the several web browsers that shares the Chromium codebase, the trick for the former practically works on it and other browsers like Vivaldi.
While you can dig down into developer tools to temporarily change your user agent, a much better route is that of downloading an extension.
On the Chrome side of things, you have an abundance of choices on the Chrome Web Store.
A recommended one is User-Agent Switcher that lets you change the user agent of your web browser to a whole range of different platforms. There is also User-Agent Switcher and Manager that does a similar job, and a Google developed solution that conveniently goes by as User-Agent Switcher for Chrome.
Plenty of choices in the world of Firefox, too.
Starting with User-Agent Switcher and Manager, which is a fully featured addon that makes quick work of the process. And then there is the friendly User-Agent Switcher if you want to take a simple approach, and User Agent Switcher if you want just the very basics.
Deploy any of these extensions on your browser of choice, take a look around, and get ready to pose as another browser to download the ISO image that you need.
Download Windows 10 May 2020 Update ISO
Once you have spoofed your web browser, simply head over to Microsoft’s download website and you will be treated to the disc image. Changing your user agent to an Android or iOS device works best here, as you are then able to easily access the hidden download section.
It looks something like this.
Simply grab your personalized link, which are valid for 24 hours from the time of creation. During this duration you can pause and resume your download. The download link expires the next day, and you will not be able to get the file beyond this period.
But considering the fact that the size of the update is around 4GB for the 64-bit edition, you should be fine even on a slow connection.
Once you have the link, you can change your browser user agent back to its default.
Conclusion
Downloading a Windows 10 ISO in this fashion requires you to jump a few hoops. But it is totally worth it, seeing as Microsoft is taking a cautious approach to the rollout, and not yet providing direct links for the final bits of the May 2020 Update.
And on the plus side, you also learned a bit about spoofing your browser along the way. And can use this technique on other sites too that serve up different type of content based on the user agent.
Happy downloading!
