Windows 11 is a free upgrade for existing Windows 10 users. However, not all Windows 10 PCs cannot be upgraded to Windows 11, thanks to the strict minimum hardware requirements.
Windows 11 requires both TPM 2.0 and secure boot, among other requirements. Here are the minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11:
Windows 11 system requirements
1 GHz or faster 64-bit compatible processor
4 GB+ RAM
64 GB or larger storage space
UEFI, Secure Boot capable system firmware
TPM 2.0 or newer
A graphics card compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
Millions of computers do not support Windows 11 because they do not have TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot. If you also have a computer but cannot upgrade to Windows 11 due to TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot requirements, there is a piece of good news! You can now install Windows 11 on unsupported PCs with ease.
How to check if your computer supports Windows 11 or not?
Download this official Health Check app from Microsoft and run the same to know if your PC is compatible with Windows 11.
Prepare Windows 11 bootable flash drive for unsupported computer
Up until now, preparing Windows 11 bootable USB for unsupported PCs was not easy. We had to fiddle with the installation files to bypass the Windows 11 system requirements. But now, you can easily install Windows 11 on an unsupported PC from a bootable USB, just like how you install Windows 11 or 10 on supported hardware, thanks to Rufus.
Rufus, the hugely popular bootable USB preparation tool, now allows you to prepare Windows 11 bootable USB for unsupported computers. The Rufus tool makes necessary changes to installation files while preparing the bootable USB so that the Windows 11 system requirement check will be bypassed automatically.
Here is how to use Rufus to prepare Windows 11 bootable USB for unsupported PC hardware.
Step 1: Visit the official page of Rufus and download version 3.18 or a later version. In addition to the standard installer, Rufus is also offered as portable software if you do not know. You can download the portable version if you do not wish to install it.
Step 2: Install Rufus if you have downloaded the installer version. If you have downloaded the portable version, skip this step.
Step 3: Download the Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft if you have not done it already. To download the ISO, refer to our how-to download Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft guide for step-by-step directions. Note that you do not need the Media Creation Tool or the product key to download the ISO.
Step 4: Now that you have Rufus and Windows 11 ISO ready, it’s time to connect an 8 GB+ USB flash drive that you wish to make bootable USB. Connect the USB flash drive and then move the data to a safe location as the USB drive will be erased while preparing the bootable USB.
Step 5: Launch the Rufus software. In the Device drop-down menu, ensure that the correct USB flash drive is selected.
Step 6: Next, in the Boot selection section, click on the Select button, browse to the Windows 11 ISO file, select the ISO file and then click the Open button.
Step 7: Now, in the Image option section, select Extended Windows 11 Installation (no TPM / no Secure Boot) if you wish to make the Windows 11 bootable USB for unsupported hardware.
Step 8: No need to change the default Partition scheme (unless your PC is using MBR instead of the default GPT), Target system, Volume label, File system, and Cluster size.
Step 9: Click on the Start button to see a warning message that all files on the selected USB drive will be destroyed. Click on the OK button to delete all files on the USB drive and start preparing the Windows 11 bootable USB.
Step 10: A few minutes later, you will see a big READY message when the bootable USB is ready. You may now close the Rufus software.
Step 11: Connect the Windows 11 bootable USB to the unsupported computer, change BIOS/UEFI to allow booting from USB, and start installing Windows 11.
Step 12: The bootable USB will ensure that the minimum system requirement checks are bypassed during the installation.
Follow the usual on-screen directions to install Windows 11 on your unsupported PC.
Daniel Gartin says
It works! I used this same method to install Windows 11 on my MacBook Air 2017, and it worked, I already had a P
Product Key for Windows 10 that I purchased from the Microsoft Store and it activated Windows 11 with no issues whatsoever, it runs great
Ed says
I have read quite a few of these ‘unsupported’ windows 11 articles and always come away with a simple question.
Does Rufus 3.18 Image option Extended Windows 11 Installation (no TPM / no Secure Boot) ALSO bypass the cpu requirement? Put another way; other than the Tpm and Secure boot the ‘Image option’ selection explicitly states, what other, if any, windows 11 requirements does Rufus bypass? ( i.e. CPU, Ram, GPU )
Thank you for great program.
Ed .