Microsoft Seems to Halt Downloads of Windows 10 and 11 for Users in Russia
Microsoft may have banned official downloads for the Windows operating system in Russia.
This past weekend, users in the country began noticing they could no longer download the Windows 10 and 11 installation files from Microsoft’s website. Instead, the company’s site triggered an error message that read: "404 - File or Directory not found."
Russian state news agency TASS also encountered(Opens in a new window) error messages when trying to download the OS from Microsoft’s website. The agency was only able to download the Windows installation packages using a VPN service, which can reroute your computer’s internet connection to a server in a different country.
On Tuesday, PCMag used a VPN server located in Russia to access the country’s local internet. We tried to download both the Windows 10 and Windows 11 Disk Image ISOs, which can be used to manually install the operating systems on a new PC. But the site returned an “Error” message that said: “We encountered a problem with your request. Please visit Microsoft Support Contact Us page for assistance.”
BleepingComputer also reports(Opens in a new window) that in some cases the Windows 11 Media Creation tool remains downloadable in the country, but it'll trigger an error if you attempt to run it in Russia.
It remains unclear if Microsoft is deliberately blocking the downloads or if it really is an error. The company hasn’t responded to a request for comment.
The decision to halt downloads would be in line with Redmond’s March decision to suspend all “new sales” to Russia. The company did so when condemning the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine as “unlawful.” However, Microsoft has been mum on the exact specifics of the sales ban, including how it affects consumer PCs.
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