How to install Windows 11 on an unsupported computer

Not all computers meet the minimum hardware and software requirements needed to efficiently run the latest (for now) version of Microsoft's operating system. If that's your case, here we'll explain How to install Windows 11 on an unsupported computer.

The compatibility of a computer for the installation of an operating system depends on the configuration of its components. All of them (processor, storage, RAM, graphics, etc.) must have the appropriate characteristics to guarantee Windows running smoothly.

Windows 11 installation requirements

In order for the manufacturer (Microsoft) to certify a computer as compatible for the installation of Windows 11, this must comply with a series of requirements. We detail them below:
Processor (CPU):

• Processor: must have at least two cores, compatible with 64 bits, with at least 1 GHz speed. In addition, the model must be listed in Microsoft's list of supported processors.
• RAM: minimum 4 GB
• Storage: 64 GB or more of available storage space on the hard drive or SSD. It is always a good idea to have extra space for future updates and installing new applications.
• System firmware: UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) and Secure Boot enabled.
• Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0. for hard drive encryption.
• Graphic card supports DirectX 12 or later, plus WDDM 2.0 driver.
• Screen with a minimum resolution of 720p (1280 × 720 pixels) and a minimum size of 9″ diagonally.
• Internet connection and Microsoft account.

In addition to these requirements, there are a number of Additional requirements for specific Windows 11 features, such as a touch screen to use this functionality, NVMe SSD and a GPU compatible with DirectX 12 for Direct Storage or a camera with an infrared (IR) sensor for certain functions like face unlock with Windows Hello.

PC HealthCheck

To clear up users' doubts about whether their PC meets all the requirements necessary to install Windows 11, Microsoft has a practical tool called PC HealthCheck (PC Status Check).

Through it, it is possible to analyze the key components of the system and get a detailed report which concludes, taking into account compatibility, whether or not it is possible to install the latest version of Windows. This way, you don't have to check all the requirements in the previous section one by one.

Install Windows 11 on an unsupported computer

Beyond meeting the official requirements, there are some unofficial methods that give us the possibility of installing Windows 11 on an unsupported computer. For example, on computers without TPM 2.0 or equipped with unsupported processors. However, it should be noted that Microsoft does not guarantee any kind of support or updates for these systems. And that's why he doesn't recommend it.

In any case, here are three methods to install Windows 11 on an unsupported computer:

Modifying the registry (Regedit)

This is one of the most used methods to install Windows 11 on a computer that does not meet the required TPM 2.0 and unsupported CPU requirements.. However, it must be said that it is a somewhat complex process. Here is what to do:

1. First of all, it is necessary download Windows 11 ISO image from the official Microsoft website.
2. After We create a bootable USB with the Windows 11 ISO through programs such as Rufus.
3. Next, we boot the computer from the USB (sometimes it is necessary to change the boot order in the BIOS) and access the installer.
4. The next step is to use the Shift + F10 key combination to open the Command Prompt window.
5. There we write regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
6. Let's go to the folder HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ Setup and we right click.
7. Then we select "New" and then "Key code", assigning the name LabConfig.
8. In LabConfig, we right-click on the empty space and select "New" y "DWORD value (32 bits)". Now you need to create the following DWORD values, assigning each of them the value 1:
   • Bypass TPM Check
   • Bypass Secure Boot Check
   • Bypass RAM Check
   • BypassCPUCheck
9. Once this is done, We close the Registry Editor and the Command Prompt window.
10. Finally, we return to the installer screen and continue with the Windows 11 installation process as normal.

Creating a bootable USB with Rufus

Although we have already mentioned it in the previous section, it is worth insisting on Rufus as an effective tool for what we want to do. It allows us Create a bootable USB from an ISO imageWhat's more interesting is that in the latest versions of this software, there is an option to bypass the TPM, RAM, CPU, and Secure Boot requirements of Windows 11.

This is how we can use this option:

1. To begin with We download the Rufus software from its official page.
2. From there we download the Windows 11 ISO.
3. After We connect a USB drive to our team.
4. Next, we open Rufus and We select the USB drive and the Windows 11 ISO image.
5. At this point, we go to the section «Image options», where we select the option «Bypass TPM and Secure Boot requirements».
6. After this, we click on Start and wait for Rufus to create the bootable USB.
7. Finally, we start the PC from the newly created USB and follow the normal steps of the installation process.

Upgrading from Windows 10

For users who already have Windows 10 installed on their computers, there is still a third option to install Windows 11 on an unsupported computer: upgrade to Windows 11 without having to go through the system requirements check. This is what needs to be done:

1. First We download the Windows 11 ISO from the Microsoft page as we explained before.
2. Then you have to mount the iso on our current Windows 10 system (just right-click on the ISO and select “Mount” option).
3. Then we open the file setup.exe within the ISO.
4. Once this is done, we just have to follow the instructions and choose the option of «Update the system». This way, we can install Windows 11 on Windows 10 without having to delete our files and applications.

In conclusion, it must be said that it is possible Install Windows 11 on an unsupported computer, always considering that there are some associated risks. Mainly, those arising from not having official support and security updates.