Install.wim: What Is It & Why do You Need It?

Automatically create a .wim file with Image Capture Wizard

3 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

Share this article

Improve this guide

Read our disclosure page to find out how can you help Windows Report sustain the editorial teamRead more

Key notes

Windows PCs run into several problems due to corrupt system files affecting its performance. These corrupt system files can be repaired by using the install.wim file as the repair source. Hence, this guide will discuss why you need install.wim and how to create a.wim on Windows PCs.

Alternatively, you can read our article about ways to fixcorrupted system fileson Windows 11.

What is install.wim?

The install.wim file (Windows Image File) is a compressed file that contains a mirror image of the Operating system files. It includes the associated file system metadata found in any Windows installation Media under the Sources folder.

Additionally, an install.wim file may contain several install.wim files that are used for Windows editions. Each Windows image in a Windows image file (.wim) contains a list of all the components, configurations, and packages available with that Windows image.

Why do I need install.wim?

Using the install.wim file has lots of advantages and some are:

If you don’t need all that,convert the install.wim file to install.esd.

Check our post aboutwhat a disk image isand how to use it on your PC to have more knowledge about it.

How can I create a .wim on Windows?

1. Manually create a .wim file (capture image)

(C: is the partition to be captured; D:\CapturedImage.wim is the place of the captured file; Captured image is the name of the file).

Manually creating an install.wim file (capture image) allows you to use it to deploy Windows to new devices.

2. Automatically create a .wim file

There you go, that’s the basics of using install.wim on your PC.

In conclusion, you may be interested in our comprehensive article about how toopen a WIM file in Windows 11by using the best available tools.

Also, read about ways to fix thedisc image file corruptederror in Windows 11.

Install.wim: What Is It & Why do You Need It?#

What is install.wim?#

Why do I need install.wim?#

How can I create a .wim on Windows?#

1. Manually create a .wim file (capture image)#

2. Automatically create a .wim file#