Azure Local | PowerShell – Get Latest ISO image

Of course, you can log in to the Azure portal and manually browse for the latest ISO version, but why would you, when a simple PowerShell script can do the job for you? I often found myself repeatedly navigating through the portal to check for the most recent ISO under Azure Arc, and it quickly became tedious and time‑consuming.

To streamline this process, and admittedly because I prefer not to click through the portal every time, I created a lightweight PowerShell script that automatically retrieves the latest ISO for you. This eliminates the need for manual checks, reduces the chance of missing a new version, and makes the entire download process significantly more efficient.

The Script

The script is located on GitHub but here is a breakdown of it.

Parameters

The script is designed to be flexible, so you can tailor the download behavior to your environment and operational requirements:

How it works

URL Pattern

Microsoft releases Azure Local ISOs monthly using this URL pattern:
https://aka.ms/hcireleaseimage/YYMM

Where:

• YY = Last 2 digits of the year (e.g., 25 for 2025)
• MM = Two-digit month (e.g., 12 for December)

Example: https://aka.ms/hcireleaseimage/2512 = December 2025 release

Release Detection Logic

1. Generates the current month’s release code (e.g., 2601 for January 2026)
2. Checks if the URL is valid by:
   • Sending a lightweight request (only headers + first 8KB)
   • Verifying it doesn’t redirect to Bing search
   • Confirming it points to a Microsoft download URL
3. If not found, falls back to the previous month
4. Repeats until a valid release is found or max months reached

Download Methods

Windows (BITS):

• Uses Background Intelligent Transfer Service
• Supports automatic resume for interrupted downloads
• Monitors for stalled downloads and auto-recovers
• Best for large files on Windows

Non-Windows / BITS Fallback (HttpClient):

• Streams content in 1MB chunks
• Handles files larger than 2GB reliably
• No memory overflow issues
• Shows progress with speed and ETA

Output

========================================
Azure Local Release Downloader
========================================
Script version: 1.0
PowerShell version: 7.4.6
Current date: 2026-01-22 10:30:00
Current release code would be: 2601

========================================
Finding Latest Release
========================================
Searching for latest Azure Local release...
Checking up to 12 months back from current date

  Checking January 2026 (code: 2601)... ✗ Not available
  Checking December 2025 (code: 2512)... ✓ Found!

  Latest release found:
    Release: December 2025
    Code: 2512
    Short URL: https://aka.ms/hcireleaseimage/2512
    Download URL: https://software-static.download.prss.microsoft.com/[...]

========================================
Downloading Azure Local ISO
========================================
Starting download...
  Source: https://aka.ms/hcireleaseimage/2512
  Destination: C:\ISOs\AzureLocal-2512.iso

  Using BITS (Background Intelligent Transfer Service)
  This supports resume for interrupted downloads

Downloading Azure Local ISO: 4.23 GB of 8.45 GB (50.06%) - 45.2 MB/s - ETA: 00:01:34

========================================
Download Complete
========================================
  ✓ Azure Local ISO downloaded successfully!
  Release: December 2025 (2512)
  Location: C:\ISOs\AzureLocal-2512.iso
  Size: 8.45 GB

Next Steps:
  1. Mount the ISO:
     Mount-DiskImage -ImagePath 'C:\ISOs\AzureLocal-2512.iso'

  2. Or create bootable media for installation

  3. Follow Azure Local deployment guide:
     https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-stack/hci/deploy/deployment-quickstart

  4. Check release notes for this version:
     https://learn.microsoft.com/azure/azure-stack/hci/release-information

Alex ter Neuzen

IT Professional on a journey to discover the cloud platforms and become certified and an expert.
A Blog that follows the journey to get to the Cloud.

Azure Local | Azure Bicep | Azure Virtual Desktop | Powershell | Azure Certified | MCSA | Microsoft 365