Windows 11 Compatibility Check: System Requirements
Users can upgrade from Windows 10 or perform a clean install of the Windows 11 operating system on their PC. To install this OS on a PC, the device hardware must be compatible with Windows 11.
Microsoft has set some pretty strict system requirements for Windows 11. You won’t be able to install Windows 11 on a PC that doesn’t meet the minimum hardware requirements for the device (desktop or laptop).
This means that you must meet the minimum hardware requirements of Windows 11. If the PC meets the recommended parameters, then you can upgrade to the 11th version of the OS with Windows 10 installed, or cleanly install a new system on the computer.
During installation or upgrade, Windows 11 compatibility is checked. If the device does not meet the requirements, then the installation of the operating system stops.
In general, your PC should have modern hardware, especially regarding the CPU, motherboard, memory, and graphics subsystem. At this point in time, Microsoft has put forward the following minimum requirements for Windows 11, summarized in a table for convenience:
| CPU | 64-bit, two or more cores clocked at 1 gigahertz (GHz) or more per core |
| Random Access Memory (RAM) | At least 4 GB |
| Internal storage (HDD or SSD) | At least 64 GB |
| Motherboard system firmware | UEFI with Secure Boot |
| Trusted Platform Module (TPM) | TPM2.0 |
| video card | DirectX 12 or later supported with WDDM 2.0 driver |
| Display | 9″ or more HD (720p) display, 8 bits per color channel |
| Internet connection | Windows 11 Home installation requires a Microsoft account and an internet connection on first use |
To upgrade to the 11th version of the OS, a PC is suitable with an installed version of Windows 10 2004 or higher, 64-bit.
Microsoft claims that slightly higher system requirements are necessary for the reliable and secure operation of the computer.
On supported devices, you can upgrade to the new operating system free of charge for one year. If the PC does not meet the requirements for Windows 11, then the user must continue to use Windows 10, which will end in 2025, or buy a new PC.
After the requirements were first published, processors starting with 8th generation Intel or AMD Ryzen 2000 and above were initially supported, later support for some 7th generation Intel processors was added. You can view Microsoft’s documentation for compatible processors by clicking on the links.
In many cases, the lack of a TPM cryptographic module on the motherboard causes problems. This chip is not on a large number of computers. In addition, in countries such as Russia or China, the TPM module is not certified.
On some computer models, the Trusted Platform Model (TPM) can be enabled in the BIOS (UEFI).
The user can independently or using specially created applications check whether the Windows 11 system requirements on his device meet. In this article, you will get acquainted with several similar free programs that will help you get the information you need.
The test computer does not comply with Windows 11 due to the 4th generation Intel CPU and the lack of a TPM module on the motherboard.
Windows PC Health Check
The Windows PC Health Check is an application created by Microsoft to determine whether a computer is ready to upgrade to the next operating system.
The PC Health Check program can be downloaded from the official Microsoft website: https://aka.ms/GetPCHealthCheckApp . After downloading to the PC, the application must be installed.
The Windows 11 requirements check is done as follows:
- Run the PC Health Check program.
- The PC Health at a Glance window displays some information about this computer.
- Click on the “Check Now” button.
- After that, a pop-up window will open with information: “This PC meets the requirements for Windows 11” or “This PC does not meet the system requirements for Windows 11.”
You can click on the “Show all results” button to see which configuration settings do not meet the requirements.
After clicking on the “Device Specifications” button, you will be taken to the Microsoft website with a description of the minimum system requirements for Windows 11 and answers to frequently asked questions.
The PC Health Checker checks the following:
- Presence of a TPM.
- processor generation.
- Safe boot.
- The amount of system memory.
- System disk size.
- The number of cores in the processor.
- Processor clock speed.
As a result, we have determined that this PC does not meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11. Microsoft is delivering the PC Health Check Tool to PCs as update KB5005463.
Ashampoo Windows 11 Compatibility Check
Ashampoo Windows 11 Compatibility Check is designed to check the compatibility of Windows 11. The application scans your computer and then compares the results with the official system requirements developed by Microsoft.
To work, this program must be installed on your computer. During the installation process of the utility, you will be asked to register with Ashampoo using your email. The application works in Russian, which can be enabled by clicking on the settings button (gear).
The program is available for download from the Ashampoo website at the link: https://www.ashampoo.com/ru/rub/dld/1804/windows-11-compatibility-check/ .
Ashampoo Windows 11 Compatibility Check checks for:
- CPU.
- Memory.
- Disk space.
- UEFI firmware.
- secure boot.
- Security module
- DirectX.
- Screen size.
Go through the steps:
- The Ashampoo Windows 11 Compatibility Check initial window lists the Windows 11 system requirements.
- To find out if the computer meets the current requirements, click on the “Check” button.
- The next window will display a comparison of the characteristics of this PC with system requirements.
- At the bottom it will say whether your PC is suitable for using the Windows system
The Ashampoo Windows 11 Compatibility Check window visually displays the recommended requirements and available configuration of this device, which are opposite each other for comparison.
From the program window, you can click on links to learn more about TPMs or supported processors.
WiseCleaner Checkit
Compatibility Checker – WiseCleaner Checkit checks the computer requirements required for Windows 11. The application has support for the Russian interface language, which can be selected in the lower left corner of the application window.
Download the utility from the link from the official website: https://www.wisecleaner.com/checkit.html . Unzip the archive, and then run the WiseCleaner Checkit program from the folder.
Immediately after launch, the application scans the system, and then produces results according to the specified characteristics:
- CPU.
- Memory.
- Storage.
- Section style.
- System firmware.
- Safe download.
- Video card.
- TPM2.0.
Opposite each parameter there are icons, after clicking on which the WiseCleaner website will open with explanatory information.
WhyNotWin11
WhyNotWin11 is a utility for checking the compatibility of computer hardware with Windows 11.
You can download the program from GitHub: https://github.com/rcmaehl/WhyNotWin11 . Run the application file as an administrator.
After running the script, the Windows 11 Compatibility Results window will display data based on currently known requirements:
- Architecture.
- System boot method.
- Processor compatibility.
- The number of processor cores.
- CPU frequency.
- DirectX + WDDM2.
- Disk partition type.
- The amount of RAM.
- secure boot.
- TPM version.
Hover your mouse over the attention icon for more information on individual options.
Windows 11 Compatibility Checker
Windows 11 Compatibility Checker is an application for checking PC for compatibility with the system requirements of the new Windows.
Download the utility from the GitHub page: https://github.com/orangegrouptech/Windows-11-Compatibility-Checker . Run the program as an administrator, check the scan result.
The program scans the following computer components:
- CPU – central processing unit.
- RAM is random access memory.
- GPU – video adapter.
- CPU Architecture – processor bit depth.
- BIOS Mode – type of BIOS.
- Secure Boot – secure boot.
- TPM is a cryptographic module.
- Screen Resolution – screen resolution.
ReadySunValley
ReadySunValley is a Windows 11 system compliance app.
The program can be downloaded from the Microsoft Store or from GitHub: https://github.com/builtbybel/ReadySunValley/ .
Unpack the ZIP archive, run the program from the folder as an administrator.
Checking the readiness of your PC for Windows 11 is carried out according to the following parameters:
- The number of processor cores.
- Processor frequency.
- processor architecture.
- Download type.
- secure boot.
- Disk partition.
- The amount of installed RAM.
- Monitor size.
- Disk storage.
- Free place.
- TPM.
- DirectX.
- WDDM2.
- Internet.
Click on the “Find out why your computer is incompatible” button for more information on this issue.
Some remarks
In Windows 11, the requirements for PC hardware have increased significantly. Therefore, a huge number of computers will not be suitable for this operating system, and it will be very difficult to replicate the success of Windows 10 distribution among users.
New PCs ship with Windows 11, and the update will affect a smaller proportion of PCs with modern hardware. In Windows 10 settings, under Update & Security, on the Windows Update tab, a message will appear prompting you to upgrade to a new OS.
For other users, Microsoft is offering to buy new devices to use Windows 11. But if the PC is up to the task at hand, there is not much point in replacing a device due to the release of a new operating system, not to mention the financial factor.
This OS will not be delivered to computers for upgrade if it does not meet the requirements for installing Windows 11. When installing the system, the PC will be checked for compatibility with Windows 11.
Windows 11 minimum system requirements do not mean that an unsupported PC cannot run on that system. Most likely, Microsoft wants to remove responsibility for possible failures and malfunctions that could potentially occur on the old hardware.
Older PCs will be able to install Windows 11 or upgrade if the device has at least 4 GB of RAM and TPM version 1.2 or higher. Microsoft will not prevent you from manually installing the operating system from an ISO image or through the Media Creation Tool on older computers.
There are methods to bypass some of the minimum requirements of Windows 11, allowing you to install the system on an unsupported device.
Article Conclusions
In Windows 11, system requirements have seriously increased, so you won’t be able to install this operating system on any computer. The user can check if their PC is ready to meet Windows 11 system requirements.
You can get the necessary information using specialized applications. The program will check the hardware of the computer and return a result on whether it is suitable for the operating system, or which configuration components do not meet the requirements.