For years, the concept of a Windows ARM ISO vanished. Microsoft retreated, focusing on making Windows 10 run flawlessly on the ever-powerful Intel and AMD chips. The ARM architecture was left to Apple and Android.

For the first time, you could download an ISO, flash it to a USB drive, and install full Windows 10 or 11 on a phone or a third-party tablet. It was a buggy, glitchy experience—Wi-Fi might not work, the touchscreen might invert, and sleep mode was often a gamble. But it proved a vital point: The universal key could be cut for ARM locks.

The primary fear surrounding Windows ARM has always been software compatibility. "Can it run my apps?" is the question that killed Windows RT.