Windows 11 IoT LTSC Setup Guide

Introduction

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My daily driver is a Mac, but I also have a Linux laptop running a dual-boot setup: NixOS on one side, Windows 11 IoT LTSC on the other. The Windows partition handles the handful of tasks that aren’t convenient on macOS or Linux.

Why LTSC? I just wanted a clean Windows. No Microsoft Store, no Copilot, no pile of pre-installed UWP apps, and noticeably lower resource usage. If you like building up your system from a blank slate, LTSC is a solid choice.

This post documents my installation and configuration process, for reference only.

Before You Install

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LTSC vs IoT LTSC

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LTSC (Long-Term Servicing Channel)¹ is a special branch of Windows Enterprise designed for devices that demand extreme stability and continuity. Regular LTSC gets 5 years of support; IoT LTSC gets 10. The feature set is nearly identical, with a few key differences:

• IoT LTSC supports digital entitlement activation
• IoT LTSC doesn’t enable BitLocker encryption by default
• IoT LTSC allows installation on devices that don’t meet TPM requirements

One thing to note: IoT LTSC ships with English only, so you’ll need to download language packs manually after installation. If that sounds like a hassle, regular LTSC includes multiple languages out of the box — install and you’re good to go.

Back Up Your Data

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Back up all your data, software configs, and personal files before reinstalling. Since this is a dual-boot machine, I also needed to make sure the NixOS partition and bootloader wouldn’t get wiped — I’d recommend writing down your partition layout beforehand.

Prepare Essential Tools

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Download these beforehand so you’re not stuck with no network drivers after a fresh install:

• Ethernet and Wi-Fi drivers for your hardware
• An activation tool (HEU² works fine)

Download and Install

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Download the ISO

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The official download channel for Windows 11 IoT LTSC requires filling out enterprise information³, which is a hassle. A more convenient option is to grab the ISO directly through the links provided by MAS⁴ — no registration required.

Create a Bootable Drive

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I use Ventoy⁵ — just drop the ISO onto the USB drive and you’re done. No need to write images with Rufus every time.

Installation

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Boot into PE, format the target partition, then launch the Windows installer. Nothing special about the process — just follow the wizard. Dual-boot users: make sure you select the right partition and don’t overwrite your Linux data. If GRUB gets wiped, boot from a NixOS installer USB and repair it.

System Configuration

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Installing the system is the easy part. The real work begins after.

Add Chinese Language Pack

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IoT LTSC ships with English only by default. After connecting to the network, go to system settings and download the Chinese language pack, then set it as the display language and regional format. If this step bothers you, consider installing regular LTSC instead — it comes with Chinese out of the box.

Disable Windows Reserved Storage

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Windows reserves a portion of disk space for system updates by default. If you don’t need it:

DISM.exe /Online /Set-ReservedStorageState /State:Disabled

Delete Hibernation File

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If you don’t use hibernation, the hibernation file wastes several GB of disk space. Run in an administrator terminal:

powercfg -h off

Disable Windows Defender

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Windows Defender is a decent antivirus, but its false positive rate is high and it frequently hogs resources, sending fans into overdrive. I use tools from Lenovo’s knowledge base to disable it — they work on both Windows 10 and 11. That said, after disabling Defender I’d recommend installing a reliable third-party antivirus. Running bare is not a great idea.

Uninstall Microsoft Edge

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Edge is actually a decent Chromium browser, but it’s incredibly pushy: Copilot banners on ChatGPT, Edge banners when downloading Chrome, widgets popping up uninvited. Remove-MS-Edge⁶ handles the uninstall. Make sure to keep WebView2 — just select the first option to remove only the browser itself.

Update WebView2

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Many third-party apps depend on WebView2⁷. After removing Edge, download and install the latest stable offline installer from the Microsoft developer site.

Install VC++ Runtimes

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Most Windows applications need the VC++ runtimes. Download the VC++ 2015-2022 bundle from Microsoft’s website and install it.

Install Microsoft Store (Optional)

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If you need UWP apps, open PowerShell as administrator and run:

wsreset -i

There’s no progress bar — you’ll get a notification when it’s done.

Windows Update

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After connecting to the network, run a full system update. If downloads are slow, temporarily enable Delivery Optimization (P2P acceleration) — remember to turn it off after updating.

Disable Automatic Driver Updates

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I recommend disabling automatic driver updates after completing a full system update. This prevents Windows Update from overwriting your graphics drivers, so you can install WHQL-certified versions from the vendor’s website instead.

Closing Thoughts

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Overall, IoT LTSC feels clean and stable. No bloatware, no Copilot pushing, and the IoT version doesn’t even ship with AI-related components. Resource usage is noticeably lower than the regular edition. If you need it for gaming, just install the necessary runtimes and components — LTSC itself won’t hold you back.

For me, starting from a clean system and gradually installing software and configuring things to my liking is part of the fun.

References

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• https://massgrave.dev/windows_ltsc_links
• https://info.microsoft.com/ww-landing-windows-11-enterprise.html