TPM, Secure Boot and CPU requirements check and installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware devices. Microsoft now requires a computer to have a TPM 2.0 module to install Windows 11. However, new registry entries have been discovered that allow you to bypass the TPM requirement and the minimum memory and Secure Boot requirements. With Windows 11, Microsoft added new minimum system requirements that all devices must have a TPM 2.0 security processor to support some of the security features of the operating system. Fortunately, there is an easy way to create a USB installation disk for Windows 11 that not only avoids the TPM requirement of Windows 11, but also the need for 8 GB of RAM and a compatible CPU.
With a free tool called Rufus and a 16GB or larger flash drive, you can upgrade in-place from Windows 10 to 11 or perform a clean install of Windows 11 without going through those minimum requirements. All of this only means that you can continue with the setup manually if you choose to install Windows 11 on incompatible hardware. Although these devices will likely receive updates anyway, the company won't be obligated to provide security and driver updates or technical support. In addition to increased reliability, the supported processors increase security capabilities at the chip level.
These processors provide virtualization extensions and virtualization performance improvements. Windows 11 supports virtualization-based security which enables several security capabilities, including memory integrity, also known as hypervisor-protected code integrity . HVCI disables dynamic code injection into the Windows kernel. HVCI also provides driver control and ensures that all drivers loaded meet a policy of allowed drivers set by Microsoft and the user. The United States Department of Defense requires virtualization-based security on Windows 10 for their devices. In partnership with our OEM and silicon partners, we will be enabling VBS and HVCI on most new PCs over this next year.
And we will continue to seek opportunities to expand VBS across more systems over time. Windows 11 continues our strong commitment to compatibility. This means that devices can upgrade to Windows 11 and critical apps and devices will simply work.
Raising the Windows 11 minimum system requirements enables us to better support apps and hardware for drivers and devices. Feedback also shows us that unsupported hardware is more likely to have older drivers that are incompatible with new OS features such as VBS. Supported hardware also comes with modern drivers, which helps ensure not only the reliability we mentioned earlier, but also great hardware compatibility. The upgrade will now take place, follow the on-screen instructions to keep your programs and data. If it doesn't work despite the above trick – with reference to the missing TPM 2.0 – try another trick to bypass the update lock for TPM. Since the PC does not meet the system requirements of Windows 11, a corresponding warning may appear during the upgrade, as shown in the image above.
You then have to expect that Windows 11 will not run properly on the device, you may lose support claims and you cannot be sure that you will receive updates reliably. You therefore carry out the installation at your own risk. If this so-called in-place upgrade doesn't work, your only option is to reinstall.
You can read how this works with the help of the Media Creation Tool from Microsoft in the guide "How to start the update without waiting". Microsoft recommends installing Windows 11 only after the PC Health Check has passed your system, and that requires TPM 2.0 support and a strict list of compatible processors. But if your PC doesn't meet the criteria, Microsoft found two ways to bypass some of those rigorous checks, though in that case, it may not be eligible for Windows updates, including critical security updates. Proceed with caution, especially as we recommend most people skip Windows 11 for now anyway. It is a technology designed to bring robust hardware-based security to your PC.
This chip helps your computer generate, store, and restrict the use of encryption keys and other security credentials on your device. If all your hardware requirements are in order but the health check app is telling you that your processor isn't supported then it's the health check up's goof up. The app measures your system's criteria against 8th gen intel and Ryzen 2000 series processors, so as long as your system has a modern 64-bit, dual-core processor with 1 GHz clock speed, you will be just fine.
Microsoft has been notified of the app's issue and is working to fix it, but regardless of the verdict regarding your processor, as long as you meet the general criteria we've mentioned, you will be fine. Before performing the health check-up, make sure that your system meets the minimum requirements mentioned above. In the case of hardware requirements, you have no choice but to upgrade the component that needs updating. There is definitely a big change coming for those desktop and PC owners who need to upgrade their rigs physically if they want to meet the minimum requirements. Laptop owners who are adamant about using their legacy laptops may also have to consider upgrading.
In any case, even after you have an updated system you will need to bypass the health check to install and use Windows 11 which may not necessarily happen. Or workaround to easily bypass Windows 11 hardware requirements check during setup and forcefully install Windows 11 on incompatible devices which actually don't meet minimum system requirements for Windows 11. Microsoft notes that you should verify your device meets minimum requirements before you boot from media. That's because you'll be able to install Windows 11 if you have TPM 1.2, but the process will not check whether your processor is on the supported list or not. This note concerns Windows 10 users who want to bypass the restrictions.
This is another working way to disable all kind of hardware requirements check by Windows 11 setup and install the operating system on unsupported devices which are missing required chip and features. Windows 11 users who have installed Microsoft's operating system on devices that don't meet the minimum system requirements may have run into troubles installing recent updates. Updates may fail to install on these devices and users may be puzzled as to why that is happening.
Microsoft released the final Windows 11 build earlier this week, after several months of beta testing the new operating system. Windows 10 users who qualify for the upgrade can jump to Windows 11 right away. That's because Windows 11 has strict hardware requirements in place that caused quite an uproar over the summer.
Microsoft found itself having to explain time and again why not all Windows 10 devices can upgrade. Eventually, it relented and made it possible for unsupported PCs to install Windows 11, with some huge caveats. And now, the company provides detailed instructions on how to bypass the Windows 11 hardware restrictions. Navigate to the downloaded Windows 11 ISO file, and select it.
Rufus will populate the rest of the settings, which you have to change according to your system of choice.Under the Image Options label, select Extended Windows 11 in installation (no TPM / no Secure Boot). You should see the Target System label reflect your BIOS Mode as you switch the Partition Scheme.If you have a rather old 64-bit system you're attempting this on, check the Add fixes for old BIOSes option. Your final Rufus screen should look something like this.
Start the Windows 11 update software, click "Change how setup downloads updates" and select "not right now", or disconnect from the Internet before pressing "Next". The reason is that there's now a new version of the updater that disables the "back" button on the "Unsupported Hardware" screen. Click "Next", after some checking, a screen "This PC doesn't currently meet Windows 11 system requirements" appears. A 3rd party software "Rufus" allows users to create Windows 11 bootable USB and disable all hardware requirements check which are performed by Windows 11 setup at installation time.
This PC doesn't meet the minimum system requirements for running Windows 11 - these requirements help ensure a more reliable and higher quality experience. Installing Windows 11 on this PC is not recommended and may result in compatibility issues. If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won't be entitled to receive updates. Damages to your PC due to lack of compatibility aren't covered under the manufacturer warranty.
Windows 11 is finally here, and one can install the first Insider Preview on any compatible computer . However, the new Windows brings in a lot of hardware requirements and supports only certain processors. This could be a bummer for users having older yet powerful machines.
Anyways, Windows is Windows after all, and it's possible to install it even on incompatible computers. Here's how you can install the Windows 11 Insider Preview on an unsupported PC. On the other hand, Microsoft does not recommend installing Windows 11 on unsupported computers, but the company has decided to share steps on how to do it. This doesn't bypass a CPU check, which does not seem to be present in the dev builds.
If Microsoft changes this, other work around might apply in future. Do not expect Windows 11 to work flawlessly just because you installed it on a unsupported hardware. The rest of the process is just like any regular old bootable USB installation. Attach the USB drive to the system you want to upgrade to Windows 11, and boot it up. You can now boot into the Windows 11 bootable USB by bringing up your Boot device menu by pressing the boot options key specific to your system.
It's usually the Delete key or one of the function keys. You can look up the key binding specific to your system. Once the boot device menu shows up, select the USB drive, and follow the Windows 11 installation setup. Microsoft has an official support page that details its stance on installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware.
First of all, there are possible compatibility issues. Windows 11 is still very early and hasn't been tested enough to determine if there will be any crippling compatibility issues if you run it on unsupported hardware. It is safe to assume that this is a potential problem you may face.
Microsoft also says that if you install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, your system loses the guarantee of system updates, including but not limited to security updates. I think the statement Microsoft made was that they "may" block updates on unsupported hardware. So it might work now, but stop working in the future.
Or you might not be able to update to the later builds of Windows 11 when they come out. For those who are using a PC that won't upgrade, and who aren't ready to transition to a new device, Windows 10 is the right choice. We will support Windows 10 through October 14, 2025 and we recently announced that the next feature update to Windows 10 is coming later this year. Whatever you decide, we are committed to supporting you and offering choice in your computing journey.
If you want to see the full Windows 11 minimum system requirements, you can visit this page. If you really can't do the above or just want to take the new OS for a test drive, however, this is how you install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. Officially, you need to meet minimum CPU and TPM requirements to have a flawless upgrade. Even if you bypass these limitations, Windows 11 setup still warns you about potential performance issues and limited security updates in the future.
However, that doesn't stop you from upgrading your PC. But you need to be running at least Windows 10 version 2004. Although Microsoft has already revealed a walkaround to bypass the TPM 2.0 and processor requirements, the company has also warned users against installing the operating system on unsupported devices. In recent years, more and more people are using video conferencing, productivity tools and games on their computers.
To ensure that devices with Windows 11 installed can meet these needs, Microsoft has set minimum system requirements to improve hardware compatibility. Knowing that some users may want to install Windows 11 on systems that don't meet all the hardware requirements, Microsoft has provided a registry hack that will relax them a bit. This hack allows you to install on a system that has at least TPM 1.2 and an unsupported CPU.
However, we recommend the above scripts as they do not require any TPM. Microsoft has been back and forth about the minimum system requirements that a system will need for Windows 11. There was a backlash against the original system requirements, and Microsoft then loosened them a little bit and revealed that it will not prevent you from installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware. One of the biggest controversies with Windows 11 is the minimum hardware requirements.
Officially, Windows 11 only installs on PCs that have a TPM 2.0 chip, an Intel 8th gen or Ryzen 2000 series or newer processor. Turns out, though, that you can, in fact, install Windows 11 on any hardware, but with the caveat of not getting security updates. So, did Microsoft back off the hardware requirements for Windows 11? Following the results of our testing, we are making a small number of additions to the compatible processor list , but otherwise will maintain the minimum system requirements as originally set. After a heavy buzz of rounded-corners design and android apps support following its announcement in August, Windows 11 finally arrived earlier this month on October 5.
The arrival certainly means big for Microsoft Windows fans as they are getting to try their hands on the brand-new operating system. But not everyone is happy with the arrival of the latest update, thanks to a big if that came with the promise of a free upgrade to Windows 11. If you use the ISO file to perform a clean installation, you will need to create a bootable media using a third-party tool like Rufus or Command Prompt to start the setup process with a USB flash drive.
Yes, you can install Windows 11 on an ineligible PC with Windows 11 Check & Enable, but remember that your PC might face some compatibility issues. Also, the devices that do not meet the set requirements don't get any of the official updates including the security updates. Still, if you want to install Windows 11 on your PC, it is recommended to take the complete system backup. Microsoft has released Windows 11 as a free upgrade with a completely new interface and several new features.
