Would you like to try out Windows 10 in a virtual machine, or maybe create a USB installer for Windows 7 or 8? Then you’ll probably have to track down an image of that particular build.

Everything you need should be on Microsoft.com, in theory, but if you’ve already wasted enough of your life there, you might prefer Windows ISO Downloader.

The program is a portable tool which offers a very simple way to find and download genuine ISOs for Windows 7, 8.1, 10, 10 Insider Preview, Office 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013 and 2016.

The interface is very basic, just a sidebar with a list of the main downloads and a content area (a web page) which displays further options.

We selected Windows 10 Insider Preview, and were presented with a list of 8 recent builds, many of which were available in multiple formats: Client, Enterprise, Education Insider, Core Single Language, China Only, IOT Core.

The interface is stripped back, just a list of downloads on the right and build options on the left

Click the build you need, select a product language and you’re presented with 32-bit (if appropriate) and 64-bit download links.

These direct download links point to the genuine ISOs on the Microsoft site, not dubious files hosted elsewhere, so it’s safe to click and download them as usual.

Windows ISO Downloader doesn’t always work as you’d expect. Select “Office 2013/ 2016”, for instance, and there are no lists of options, just links to the developer’s website. Click one of these, the website opens in your default browser, and you’re left to find what you need.

The program doesn’t have every possible download available, and it’s always going to lag a little behind the official site (the latest editions won’t appear immediately, if Microsoft changes something then links might be broken for a while).

Windows ISO Downloader is undeniably easy to use, though, and if you know exactly what you need then it might save you some time. It’s portable and safe to try, so if you’re interested, take a look.

Windows ISO Downloader is a free tool for Windows 7 and later.