Install Windows 11 on Incompatible Windows 10 PC
This article regarding the installation of Windows 11 on unsupported PC hardware running Windows 10 is being published without any warranties, guarantees or otherwise.
You, the reader, are not to follow or attempt anything written herein. This article is for my personal use and entertainment only.
Install Windows 11 on an Unsupported Windows 10 PC
Microsoft does not support any of these methods, and readers are warned that doing so may result in the loss of data, compatibility issues and that the PC will no longer be entitled to updates in the future.
With the disclaimers aside, one method for installing Windows 11 on an unsupported Windows 10 PC involves modifying the Windows registry. This method should allow you to keep your apps, settings, and files during the upgrade.
- Begin by taking a full system backup of your current system and data.
- Open the Registry Editor as an administrator, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup
- Create a new key named MoSetup (if it doesn’t exist), and then create a new DWORD Value named AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU with a value of 1.
- Next, download the Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft’s official download page. https://aka.ms/DownloadWindows11
- Mount the ISO in File Explorer, and run Setup.exe to begin the upgrade process.
- Watch carefully at the beginning of Setup for an option labeled “Change how setup downloads updates.” To increase your chances of a successful upgrade, click that link and choose the “Not right now” option. That should allow Windows Setup to finish faster.
For PCs lacking TPM support or UEFI boot mode:
- Use Rufus to create a bootable USB drive that bypasses the TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and RAM requirements.
- Download Rufus version 4.6 or later, select the downloaded Windows 11 ISO file, choose your USB drive.
- During the creation process, check the option to “Remove the requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0“.
- Once the USB is created, insert it into the target Windows 10 PC, open the drive in File Explorer, and run Setup.exe to start the installation without booting from the USB.
- Watch carefully at the beginning of Setup for an option labeled “Change how setup downloads updates.” To increase your chances of a successful upgrade, click that link and choose the “Not right now” option. That should allow Windows Setup to finish faster.
Conclusion
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