You can now buy official Microsoft Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro USB drives

While the vast majority of people are happy downloading software these days, there are some who still gain comfort from owning physical installation media. Microsoft has listened and you can now buy Windows 11 and install it without the need to download anything -- or even needing an internet connection.

Microsoft has not exactly shouted about the availability of physical Windows 11 installation media, but it does exist. You can buy an official USB drive containing Windows 11 Home or Windows 11 Pro.

See also:

• Microsoft warns that the KB5012643 update is causing problems with lots of Windows 11 apps
• Microsoft releases new PowerToys v0.58.0, fully embracing .NET 6, fixing a huge number of bugs, and pleasing Windows 11 users
• KB5012643 update is causing screen flickering for some Windows 11 users

You can see the packaging for the USB drives at the top of this article, and they cost the same as the digital versions of the operating system. This means that the Windows 11 Home USB drive costs $139.99, and the Windows 11 Pro USB drive costs $199.99. Both come complete with a single-use product key.

While the USB drives have been available since the middle of last month, there has been little in the way of promotion. Their existence was brought to light over the weekend on twitter:

If you're interested, you can buy the drives from Amazon and Best Buy:

• Windows 11 Home USB drive (Amazon)
• Windows 11 Pro USB drive (Amazon)
• Windows 11 Home USB drive (Best Buy)
• Windows 11 Pro USB drive (Best Buy)