How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 now

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On October 14, 2025, Microsoft volition stop delivering information updates to your Windows 10 PC unless you're consenting to wage for a subscription to the Extended Security Updates program.

If you effort to upgrade to Windows 11 connected a PC that's much than 5 old, you'll astir apt brushwood an mistake connection telling you -- successful nary uncertain presumption -- that your aged PC doesn't suffice due to the fact that its CPU isn't connected the official database of compatible processors. Microsoft has made it abundantly wide that it volition not revise those requirements. You volition besides deed roadblocks if your PC doesn't person a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) mentation 2.0.

Also: Windows 10 PC can't beryllium upgraded? You person 5 options and 6 months to instrumentality action

That mightiness beryllium the authoritative policy, but -- arsenic with everything Windows-related -- it pays to work the good print.

Those pesky restrictions forestall you from automatically upgrading to Windows 11 utilizing Windows Update oregon the Windows 11 Installation Assistant. Yet determination are documented workarounds for astir PCs that were primitively built for Windows 10, arsenic I papers in ZDNET's Windows 11 FAQ.

Over the past 2 years, Microsoft has played a cat-and-mouse crippled with enthusiasts, adding occasional velocity bumps that marque it much hard to bypass these compatibility checks. There are workarounds for astir modern PCs, but immoderate older devices, particularly those built utilizing AMD processors, mightiness beryllium retired of luck. The instructions successful this station instrumentality each those developments into account.

Also: Can your aged PC grip the Windows 11 upgrade? How to find retired - earlier you try

The instructions successful this nonfiction presume that you person a PC moving a retail oregon OEM variation of Windows 10 (Home oregon Pro) and that you are signed successful arsenic an head connected the PC you privation to upgrade.

Which enactment should you choose?

Please don't skip implicit this section.

This nonfiction describes 2 upgrade options.

To instrumentality vantage of the workaround described successful enactment 1 below, your machine indispensable conscionable each the different requirements for Windows 11.

It indispensable beryllium configured to commencement up utilizing UEFI, not a bequest BIOS configuration.
Secure Boot indispensable beryllium supported, though it does not request to beryllium enabled. (But seriously, folks, you should alteration it.)
A TPM indispensable beryllium enabled; mentation 1.2 is OK, but a strategy without immoderate TPM oregon with the TPM disabled volition fail. Any PC that was primitively designed for Windows 10 should see a TPM.

Also: Why Windows 11 requires a TPM - and however to get astir it

To cheque these details connected a PC you're considering upgrading, tally the System Information utility, Msinfo32.exe, and look astatine the System Summary page. Pay peculiar attraction to the BIOS Mode value. If it says "Legacy," you'll request to reconfigure your strategy to UEFI mode (and person your strategy disk from MBR to GPT partitioning) earlier you tin instal Windows 11 arsenic a mean upgrade.

To spot whether your PC has a TPM enabled, tally the Trusted Platform Module Management tool, Tpm.msc. If your machine includes a TPM and it's turned on, this app volition show accusation astir it. If there's nary TPM, oregon if the TPM is disabled successful firmware settings, you'll spot a connection that says "Compatible TPM cannot beryllium found."

If you're incapable (or unwilling) to alteration from Legacy BIOS to UEFI, oregon if you person an older PC that doesn't person a TPM enactment astatine all, you'll request to usage the 2nd option, which takes vantage of an undocumented hack that allows you to bypass the compatibility checks and implicit the upgrade. Skip to the "Option 2" conception of this station for details connected however to usage the escaped Rufus inferior to execute this upgrade.

Note that a caller acceptable of restrictions, introduced arsenic portion of the Windows 11, mentation 24H2 update, necessitate a CPU that supports circumstantial instructions -- SSE4.2 and PopCnt. That makes it intolerable to upgrade to Windows 11 mentation 24H2 connected a PC that was primitively built successful 2008 oregon earlier. Most PCs with Intel CPUs that are from 2009 oregon aboriginal volition conscionable this standard. AMD CPUs from 2013 oregon aboriginal should besides conscionable these requirements. For details, see "Microsoft blocked your Windows 11 upgrade? This trusty instrumentality tin (probably) hole that."

If you program to execute a cleanable installation of Windows 11, you tin footwear from installation media and tally Windows Setup. That enactment skips the CPU compatibility cheque wholly (but inactive requires a TPM and Secure Boot support). After the installation completes, you'll request to reinstall each your apps, reconstruct your information files, and tweak settings to personalize your strategy preferences.

Want to debar each that hassle? Choose the enactment that's due for your hardware.

Option 1: Use this elemental registry edit

Bypass CPU checks and judge immoderate TPM mentation with this registry edit. Please beryllium alert that this enactment requires that you tally the Setup programme from wrong your existent Windows installation. You can't footwear from a USB flash thrust and instal Windows 11 this way.

This process requires 4 steps.

You request to marque 1 tiny alteration to the Windows registry. For much than 3 years, this alteration was documented astatine Microsoft's enactment website, but the institution removed those instructions successful December 2024. (Here's an archived mentation of that enactment article.) This alteration tells the Windows 11 Setup programme to skip the cheque for compatible CPUs and to let installation connected a PC with an older TPM (version 1.2). The accustomed warnings use erstwhile moving with the registry; I urge you marque a implicit backup earlier proceeding.

Open Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) and navigate to the pursuing key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup

If the MoSetup key, doesn't exist, you request to make it. Right-click the node for HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup successful the left-hand navigation pane, past take New > Key. Name it MoSetup and property Enter.

Also: Wiping your Windows laptop? Here's the simplest mode to erase each idiosyncratic data

Select the MoSetup cardinal and past right-click successful immoderate bare abstraction successful the pane connected the right. Choose the enactment to make a caller DWORD value. (Don't take the QWORD option!)

Replace the default sanction for that cardinal by typing the substance AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU and past property Enter. Then double-click the caller worth and alteration the "Value data" container to 1. The effect should look similar this:

Click OK to prevention your change, and past restart your PC.

On the PC you privation to upgrade, spell to the Windows 11 Download leafage (aka.ms/DownloadWindows11) and take the enactment astatine the bottommost of the page, "Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices." Save the ISO record successful your Downloads folder.

Note that this is simply a large file. Depending connected the velocity of your net connection, the download could instrumentality a while.

After the download completes, unfastened File Explorer and double-click the ISO record you downloaded successful the erstwhile step. Doing truthful mounts the record arsenic a virtual DVD thrust successful its ain folder, with its ain thrust letter.

In File Explorer, find the Setup.exe record successful the virtual thrust you opened successful the erstwhile measurement and double-click it to statesman the upgrade. You'll spot a stern informing astir compatibility issues, but you tin safely click Accept to determination past it. (For details connected what that informing connection truly means, spot "Is Microsoft truly going to chopped disconnected information updates for your 'unsupported' Windows 11 PC?") After you click OK connected that dialog box, your upgrade should proceed without immoderate superior issues.

If you're upgrading from the aforesaid variation (Home oregon Pro), you'll person 3 options: You tin support your apps, settings, and files (Full Upgrade); support your information files but commencement caller with apps and settings (Keep Data Only); oregon commencement wholly caller (Clean Install).

Option 2: Use the escaped Rufus utility

On older PCs without a TPM and connected PCs that don't enactment Secure Boot, you'll request to usage an undocumented hack to bypass the compatibility checker. You tin bash this manually by replacing the Appraiserres.dll record (in the Sources subfolder connected the Windows 11 installer drive) with a zero-byte mentation and past making a bid of registry edits. But it's simpler to usage the free, open-source Rufus inferior to marque a USB thrust that includes this file.

To get started, download Rufus mentation 4.6 oregon later. Earlier versions won't work, acknowledgment to changes Microsoft made successful October 2024 to its compatibility checking tools. For details of however the newer versions work, spot "Microsoft blocked your Windows 11 upgrade? This just-released instrumentality tin get the occupation done." In addition, beryllium alert that utilizing Rufus volition not let you to bypass the caller restrictions I mentioned earlier that were introduced with Windows 11 mentation 24H2. If you person a precise aged PC with a CPU that lacks enactment for SSE4.2 and PopCnt instructions, not adjacent Rufus tin help.

Also: Yes, you tin upgrade that aged PC to Windows 11, adjacent if Microsoft says no. These readers proved it

To get started, you'll request to download the Windows 11 ISO and proviso a USB flash thrust of astatine slightest 16 GB successful size. You volition reformat this thrust arsenic portion of the process, truthful backmost up immoderate information connected that thrust first.

Download Rufus from the developer's site or from the Microsoft Store and tally the app.
Choose the USB thrust and past take the "Disk oregon ISO image" option.
Click the Select button, take the Windows 11 ISO you downloaded earlier, and past click Start.
In the Windows User Experience dialog, prime the archetypal checkbox to region hardware requirements, arsenic shown successful the screenshot below.
Click OK to statesman creating the drive.

After Rufus successfully creates your installer, unfastened that USB thrust successful File Explorer, and double-click Setup. Do not effort to upgrade by booting from that USB thrust and performing a cleanable install; it won't work.

As is the lawsuit with the different option, you'll spot a informing astir compatibility issues. It's a scare tactic. (For details connected what that informing connection truly means, see "Is Microsoft truly going to chopped disconnected information updates for your 'unsupported' Windows 11 PC?") After you click Accept connected that dialog box, your upgrade should proceed without immoderate superior issues.

Also: Microsoft blocked your Windows 11 upgrade? This trusty instrumentality tin (probably) hole that

My ZDNET workfellow Lance Whitney has much details connected the different options disposable with Rufus successful "How to instal Windows 11 the mode you privation (and bypass Microsoft's restrictions)."

If you've tried this upgrade, I privation to perceive astir your experience. If it worked, delight stock the details. If you tally into snags, nonstop maine an email truthful we tin fig retired what's going wrong. Be definite to see details -- the marque and exemplary of your PC and screenshots of immoderate mistake messages. I've acceptable up a peculiar inbox conscionable for this feedback: Win11Upgrade [at] realworldwindows.com.

This nonfiction was primitively published connected April 9, 2022, but has been updated aggregate times since then. It was past updated connected April 15, 2025.

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