: This is a special version of Windows 10 designed to run on computers with ARM processors. It's not a standard Windows 10 ISO found on Microsoft's main website. Access to these builds is primarily through the Windows Insider Program , where Microsoft releases preview builds for testing and development. Occasionally, you may find community-shared VHDX (a Microsoft virtual hard disk format) or QCOW2 images online, but the official and most reliable source is the Insider Program.
Set your drive settings to use aio=threads or aio=native within your QEMU/Proxmox configuration for faster QCOW2 read/write cycles.
This command creates a 64 GB QCOW2 disk image named windows10_arm.qcow2 .
file—the format Microsoft uses for Windows on ARM distribution—and convert it using the 1. Obtain the Windows 10 ARM Image Microsoft primarily distributes Windows on ARM through the Windows Insider Program as a VHDX file. Official Source : Download the Windows 10 ARM Insider Preview (requires an Insider account). Alternative : Tools like windows 10 arm qcow2
: Set to virt for the standard ARM virtual machine model.
Will you deploy this image on , Proxmox , or UTM ?
Before building or launching your Windows 10 ARM VM, ensure your host environment meets the following requirements: : This is a special version of Windows
Shrink a bloated QCOW2 (after TRIM inside guest):
If you choose to run Windows 11 ARM instead, be aware that Microsoft imposes TPM 2.0 and SecureBoot requirements. These can be bypassed using registry modifications during installation, but this adds an extra layer of complexity.
qemu-img create -f qcow2 windows10-arm.qcow2 40G file—the format Microsoft uses for Windows on ARM
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Unlike raw .img or .vhd files, a qcow2 disk grows dynamically. A fresh Windows 10 ARM installation might report 20GB used inside the guest, but the actual host qcow2 file could be as small as 5–7GB. This makes it perfect for:
Are you using or a Linux ARM server ?