Download Windows 8 Consumer Preview or Windows 8 Beta

Welcome to our Windows 8 Beta or Windows 8 Consumer Preview Download page.

You can download the Windows 8 Consumer Preview Below.

ISO images

An ISO image must be converted into installation media stored on a DVD or a USB flash drive. Instructions are provided on this page. Developer tools are available for download from Windows Dev Center.

English

64-bit (x64)                    Download (3.3 GB)                    Sha 1 hash — 1288519C5035BCAC83CBFA23A33038CCF5522749

32-bit (x86)                    Download (2.5 GB)                    Sha 1 hash — E91ED665B01A46F4344C36D9D88C8BF78E9A1B39

Product Key:   3NJQY-JPB4W-FGV9R-MCDC8-7FMQW

Chinese (Simplified)

64-bit (x64)                    Download (3.4 GB)                    Sha 1 hash — DF69B851F9A81DECBB16648CC452461894416EB0

32-bit (x86)                    Download (2.6 GB)                    Sha 1 hash — E29A2072745A48C14A1C2E5A61F5230841BEDB45

Product Key:   3NJQY-JPB4W-FGV9R-MCDC8-7FMQW

French

64-bit (x64)                    Download (3.3 GB)                    Sha 1 hash — A9358E6799ABEEF29EDBA054AD34849C02C7F51F

32-bit (x86)                    Download (2.5 GB)                    Sha 1 hash — 2EF8013B9F50B93AEAC8068F4827E2C1DC0DC0B1

Product Key:   3NJQY-JPB4W-FGV9R-MCDC8-7FMQW

German

64-bit (x64)                    Download (3.3 GB)                    Sha 1 hash — DB1003A47C266697B3832BE2A23319988EE34495

32-bit (x86)                    Download (2.5 GB)                    Sha 1 hash — 91075AEA665C5D6F42A24714B3A3390762C94457

Product Key:   3NJQY-JPB4W-FGV9R-MCDC8-7FMQW

Japanese

64-bit (x64)                    Download (3.3 GB)                    Sha 1 hash — A8F0DB12CAECEA0BE8B27EA124F2234212D9103A

32-bit (x86)                    Download (2.5 GB)                    Sha 1 hash — C8A322ED86058086207CAAECD46B4DDACF9E247A

Product Key:   3NJQY-JPB4W-FGV9R-MCDC8-7FMQW

System Requirements

Windows 8 Consumer Preview works great on the same hardware that powers Windows 7:

  • Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster
  • RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
  • Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
  • Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device or higher
  • To use touch, you need a tablet or monitor that supports multitouch
  • To access Windows Store and to download and run apps, you need an active Internet connection and a screen resolution of at least 1024 x 768
  • To snap apps, you need a screen resolution of at least 1366 x 768

If you are looking to download Windows 8 Developer Preview, go here instead.

If you are looking to download Windows 8 Release Candidate, go here instead.

If you're getting ready to test Windows 8 Beta out, you will have 4 options.

  1. You can test Windows 8 Beta on a Desktop PC.
  2. You can test Windows 8 Beta on a laptop/notebook/ultrabook.
  3. You can test Windows Server 8 Beta on a Windows Server
  4. You can test Windows 8 Beta on a Windows Tablet.

While you have the option to try and install Windows 8 Beta alongside your current Operating System, I strongly recommend that you find a separate piece of hardware to use for Beta testing.

Keep in mind that this is Beta Software and is not 100% stable at this point.

If you dont have spare hardware sitting around, here are some resources for you to find cheap Windows hardware for you to test Windows 8 Beta on.

Desktop PC's for Windows 8 Beta Testing

Microsoft Store - http://bit.ly/MicrosoftStore-Desktops
Amazon -

Laptops for Windows 8 Beta Testing

Microsoft Store - http://bit.ly/MicrosoftStore-Laptops
Amazon -

Servers for Windows Server 8 Beta Testing

Amazon -

Windows Tablets for Windows 8 Beta Testing

Microsoft Store - http://bit.ly/MicrosoftStore-Tablets
Amazon -

You should be able to find the hardware you need to test Windows 8 Beta.

Once again, it's highly recommended that you test beta software on components separate from your primary computer.

Now for more information about Beta testing...

What is a Beta release of software?

Beta is the software development phase following alpha (beta is the second letter of the ancient Greek alphabet, used as the number 2).

It generally begins when the software is feature complete. The focus of beta testing is reducing impacts to users, often incorporating usability testing.

The process of delivering a beta version to the users is called beta release and this is typically the first time that the software is available outside of the organization that developed it.

The users of a beta version are called beta testers. They are usually customers or prospective customers of the organization that develops the software, willing to test the software without charge, often receiving the final software free of charge or for a reduced price.

Windows 7 had a very open Beta which was open to the public. It's pretty certain based on the success ofn that release that Windows 8 will have that as well.

Stay tuned to this page to download Windows 8 Beta.

Important

Number One, If you would like to be notified once the Windows 8 Beta is released, sign up for our Newsletter below.

Once  we know about Windows 8 Beta, we'll send you an email with a link to the download. If this service is valuable to you, please use the Google +1 button to give us a thumbs up!

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