Windows 11 was officially released on 5th October, 2021. More and more people around the world are upgrading to Windows 11. You may also want to upgrade to Windows 11 to enjoy its new features. But Windows 11 is strict with system requirements. Before upgrading, you’ll need to check if your computer is compatible with Windows 11.
If you have a modern PC running Windows 10, your PC probably is compatible with Windows 11. If you have an old PC running Windows 8/7, your PC highly unlikely meets all Windows 11’s requirements. So in this post, we only introduce how to check Windows 11 compatibility on Windows 10.
Check for Windows Updates
Owners of Windows 10 get free upgrades to Windows 11. If your computer is compatible with Windows 11, you can install Windows 11 via Windows Updates. So check for Windows Updates and see if Windows 11 shows up. If it shows up in Windows Update, it means your computer is compatible with Windows 11.
On Windows 10, navigate to: Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates and check if Windows 11 shows up. If it shows up, you can just install Windows 11 by following the on-screen instructions.
Tip: Before upgrading to a new operating system, always backup your PC and ensure your important files and documents are saved properly.
If Windows 11 doesn’t show up, your PC currently doesn’t meet the system requirements. Then you can make a further check by using PC Health Check. Read on to find how.
Check if your PC is compatible with Windows 11
Microsoft has released the PC Health Check app that allows you to check Windows 11 compatibility easily on Windows 10. The PC Health Check app will check if your hardware (processor, RAM, ect.) meets the system requirements, and tell you which hardware doesn’t meet the system requirements.
To use PC Health Check to assess compatibility, you can follow these steps:
1) Download PC Health Check from Microsoft official website.
2) Double-click on the downloaded .msi file to run PC Health Check.
3) Click the Check now button. Then PC Health Check will assess your PC compatibility immediately.
You’ll get an unsupported error message saying “This PC doesn’t currently meet Windows 11 system requirements”. Click See all results then you’ll know which hardware doesn’t meet the system requirements.
Note: This unsupported error message doesn’t really mean that your PC is not compatible with Windows 11. Many modern PCs get this message due to the missing Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 and Secure Boot support.
In most cases, these two features are available on the PC but are disabled by default. If that’s your case, you just need to enable them manually. You can click the link provided by Microsoft (under the result) to get the instructions on how to do it.
If some other PC hardware like the processor and the RAM doesn’t meet the system requirements, it means your PC is really not compatible with Windows 11. In that case, you can choose to upgrade the hardware or buy a new PC. Then you may want to know the detailed system requirements to run Windows 11. Read on to learn more.
Minimum system requirements to run Windows 11
Following are the minimum system requirements to run Windows 11 on a PC:
| Processor | 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC) |
| Memory | 4 GB RAM |
| Storage | 64 GB or larger storage device |
| System firmware | UEFI, Secure Boot capable |
| TPM | Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0 |
| Graphics card | Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver |
| Display Resolution | High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9” diagonally, 8 bits per colour channel |
| Internet connection | Microsoft account and internet connectivity required for setup for Windows 11 Home |
What if your PC is not compatible with Windows 11?
If your PC is not compatible with Windows 11, you have four options: continue to use Windows 10, upgrade to your hardware components, buy a new PC or install Windows 11 on an unsupported PC.
Upgrading hardware or buying a new PC can cost you a lot of money. Installing Windows 11 on an unsupported PC can put your PC at a risk of running into compatibility issues. If you don’t have to upgrade to Windows 11, the best option is to keep using Windows 10. Windows 10 will still get support until 2025.
Hopefully you find this post helpful. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below. I’ll get back to you ASAP.