Windows 11 is Microsoft’s latest desktop operating system, and for most Windows 10 users, it’s easy to upgrade. Just go to Settings and download it like any other update.
But what if your device is not supported by Windows 11? Microsoft introduced many new hardware requirements, including a CPU with a TPM 2.0 security chip, Secure Boot support, and a minimum of 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage.
If you clicked on this article, you are probably one of the unlucky ones. However, the good news is that there is still a way to install Windows 11 and run it without any problems.
This method is of course not officially supported by Microsoft, so you proceed at your own risk. It is not urgent either, since Windows 10 will receive updates until October 2025.
But if you’ve decided it’s time to move to Windows 11, here’s what you can do.
Getting Windows 11 on an unsupported device
To install Windows 11 on a PC or laptop that does not meet the hardware requirements, you must make changes to the registry. These can be permanent so it’s worth backing up your device and carefully following the steps in this article.
This article assumes you want to install Windows 11 on the device you’re downloading it from, but there are ways to move it to another device as well.
Download and install Windows 11
Anyron Copeman / Foundry
Go to the official Download page for Windows 11. Under “Windows 11 Installation Assistant,” click “Download Now.” To install it on another device, choose the installation media or ISO options instead.
Open the downloaded file and follow the instructions to start the installation. If it doesn’t meet the hardware requirements, you should see a message saying “This PC can’t run Windows 11.”
It is worth noting that following these steps may affect the performance or stability of Windows 11. Proceed with caution and if possible try on a device other than your main PC.
Is it safe to install Windows 11 on an unsupported device?
Not quite. Windows 11’s main hardware requirements focus on security, so running the operating system without a TPM 2.0 chip or Secure Boot is a risk. However, you should still be fine if your device meets most of the other requirements.
But the older the hardware is, the more risky this becomes. In any situation, we recommend installing on a laptop or PC that is not your main device. If this is unavoidable, make a full backup of your device first to make sure you don’t lose anything.