The transition from Windows 10 to Windows 11 represented one of the most significant shifts in Microsoft’s hardware requirements in over a decade. While the new operating system offers a sleek interface, improved window snapping, and better gaming performance, it also introduced stringent security and hardware prerequisites that left millions of functional computers in the lurch. Many users attempting to upgrade via the Windows Update settings or the Installation Assistant are met with a frustrating message: “This PC doesn’t currently meet Windows 11 system requirements.” This error typically stems from missing security modules, outdated firmware settings, or CPU generations that Microsoft has officially “retired” for the new OS.
Understanding the root cause of these compatibility blocks is the first step toward a solution. Microsoft implemented these requirements—specifically TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot—to create a “hardware root of trust,” aiming to protect users from sophisticated firmware attacks and ransomware. However, many desktop motherboards have these features disabled by default in the BIOS, and many older yet capable processors are excluded simply because they lack certain hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI) features. This guide provides a comprehensive roadmap for diagnosing which specific requirement is failing and offers verified methods to bypass these restrictions for users who understand the risks of running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware.
Before proceeding with advanced fixes, it is essential to perform a preliminary health check. Using tools like the official PC Health Check app or open-source alternatives like WhyNotWin11 can provide a granular breakdown of your system’s status. These tools will pinpoint exactly whether the issue is your processor, the amount of RAM, the disk partition style, or the Trusted Platform Module (TPM). Armed with this information, you can choose the most efficient path—whether that is a simple settings toggle in your BIOS or a more complex registry modification to bypass the installer’s hardware check entirely.
Verifying System Requirements and Identifying the Culprit
To fix the “This PC can’t run Windows 11” error, you must first confirm which specific requirement your machine is failing. Windows 11 requires a 1 GHz or faster processor with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a DirectX 12 compatible graphics card with a WDDM 2.0 driver. Most importantly, it requires a UEFI BIOS with Secure Boot capability and a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0. If your hardware is relatively modern (built after 2018), it is highly likely that your components are compatible, but the necessary security features are simply turned off in the system firmware.
The TPM 2.0 requirement is the most common stumbling block. TPM is a physical or firmware-based chip that stores encryption keys, passwords, and certificates. On Intel systems, this is often referred to as PTT (Platform Trust Technology), while on AMD systems, it is known as fTPM (Firmware TPM). If the PC Health Check tool reports that TPM is missing or not detected, it does not necessarily mean your computer lacks the hardware. It often means the feature is set to “Disabled” or “Discrete” instead of “Firmware” in the BIOS settings. Similarly, Secure Boot is a security standard developed by members of the PC industry to help make sure that a device boots using only software that is trusted by the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM).
Another frequent point of failure is the “Processor Not Supported” error. Microsoft’s official support list generally includes Intel 8th Generation (Coffee Lake) and newer, or AMD Ryzen 2000 (Zen+) and newer. If you have a powerful Intel Core i7-7700K, for example, it will still trigger the error despite being faster than many supported budget chips. In these cases, the “fix” involves bypassing the CPU check during installation, as the hardware itself is more than capable of running the OS. However, users should note that running Windows 11 on unsupported CPUs may result in a lack of official security updates in the future, although this has not been strictly enforced by Microsoft as of yet.
Enabling TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot in BIOS/UEFI
For many users, the solution does not require any software hacks; it only requires a trip to the BIOS menu. To access the BIOS, you must restart your computer and repeatedly press a specific key—usually F2, Del, F10, or F12—before the Windows logo appears. Once inside the BIOS interface, which may look like a simple text-based menu or a modern “EZ Mode” dashboard, you will need to navigate to the Security or Advanced tab. The layout varies significantly between motherboard manufacturers like ASUS, MSI, Gigabyte, and ASRock, as well as laptop brands like Dell, HP, and Lenovo.
Within the BIOS, look for a setting labeled “TPM,” “Security Chip,” “PTT,” or “fTPM.” Ensure this is set to Enabled. If you see an option to choose between “Discrete” and “Firmware,” select Firmware (or PTT/fTPM) unless you have a physical TPM module plugged into your motherboard’s header. After enabling TPM, look for the “Secure Boot” section. This is often found under the “Boot” or “Security” tabs. Ensure Secure Boot is Enabled. Note that Secure Boot usually requires your BIOS to be in UEFI mode rather than “Legacy” or “CSM” (Compatibility Support Module) mode. If CSM is enabled, you may need to disable it to see the Secure Boot options.
Changing from Legacy/CSM to UEFI is a critical step, but it comes with a major caveat: your hard drive must be formatted with the GUID Partition Table (GPT) scheme. If your current Windows 10 installation is on a Master Boot Record (MBR) disk, changing the BIOS to UEFI mode will prevent the computer from booting into Windows. In this scenario, you would need to use the mbr2gpt tool built into Windows to convert your drive without data loss before switching the BIOS settings. Once these changes are saved and the PC restarts, the “This PC can’t run Windows 11” error should disappear from the official update tool.
Using Rufus to Create a Windows 11 Bypass USB
If your hardware is truly older and does not support TPM 2.0 or has an unsupported CPU, the most reliable method to install the OS is by creating a modified installation media. Rufus is a free, open-source utility that has become the gold-standard tool for this purpose. It allows you to download the official Windows 11 ISO and then apply “Extended Installation” options that automatically strip away the requirements for TPM, Secure Boot, and the 4GB RAM minimum. This is an ideal solution for those performing a clean install on older hardware.
To use this method, you will need a USB flash drive with at least 8GB of capacity and the latest version of Rufus. After selecting your USB drive and the Windows 11 ISO file within the Rufus interface, a “Windows User Experience” window will pop up. Here, you can check boxes to Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0. You can also choose to remove the requirement for an online Microsoft account, which is particularly useful for those who prefer local accounts. Rufus modifies the appraiserres.dll file or adds registry keys to the installation environment to ensure the setup process never checks your hardware compatibility.
Once the USB drive is created, you simply boot from it as you would with any other installation media. The setup process will proceed exactly like a standard Windows 11 installation, skipping the hardware validation screen that usually triggers the “This PC can’t run Windows 11” error. This method is highly recommended because it handles the technical heavy lifting for you, ensuring that the necessary registry bypasses are correctly placed within the Windows Preinstallation Environment (WinPE). It is a “set it and forget it” approach that minimizes human error during the installation phase.
Manual Registry Bypass Method for In-Place Upgrades
If you prefer to upgrade directly from within Windows 10 without formatting your drive or using a USB, you can use a manual registry hack. This method tells the Windows 11 Setup program to ignore the TPM and CPU checks. It involves creating a new registry key that the installer references during the compatibility check phase. This is an “official” workaround provided by Microsoft for “Lab” environments, though they warn it should not be used by average consumers. To begin, press Windows Key + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
Navigate to the following path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup. If the “MoSetup” folder does not exist, right-click on the “Setup” folder, select New > Key, and name it MoSetup. Once inside the MoSetup folder, right-click in the right-hand pane and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name this new value AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU. Double-click the newly created value and change its “Value data” from 0 to 1. This specific registry entry acts as a flag that allows the installer to proceed even if the TPM version is 1.2 or if the CPU is not on the compatibility list.
After applying this registry change, you should restart your computer to ensure the changes are finalized. You can then download the Windows 11 ISO directly from Microsoft, mount it by double-clicking the file, and run setup.exe. During the installation process, you may still see a warning stating that your PC does not meet the recommended requirements, but instead of being blocked, you will have an “Accept” button that allows you to continue. This acknowledgment acts as a waiver, confirming that you understand the potential risks regarding system stability and future updates.
Troubleshooting Disk Partition and MBR vs. GPT Issues
Even if you have the latest CPU and TPM enabled, you might still face the compatibility error if your system drive is using the older MBR partition style. Windows 11 strictly requires a UEFI BIOS, and UEFI requires a GPT partition table to boot. If your computer was upgraded from an older version of Windows or was originally set up in “Legacy BIOS” mode, your drive is likely MBR. Converting the drive is a delicate process because, in the past, it required wiping the entire disk. However, Windows 10 includes a utility called MBR2GPT that can perform this conversion without destroying your data.
To check your partition style, right-click the Start button and select Disk Management. Right-click on your primary drive (usually Disk 0), select Properties, and look under the “Volumes” tab. If “Partition style” says “Master Boot Record (MBR),” you must convert it. To do this safely, you should run the tool from the Advanced Startup environment. Go to Settings > Update & Security > Recovery and click “Restart Now” under Advanced Startup. Once in the recovery environment, go to Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt. Type the following command to validate your disk: mbr2gpt /validate. If it passes, run mbr2gpt /convert.
Once the conversion is complete, you must immediately enter your BIOS settings and change the Boot Mode from “Legacy/CSM” to “UEFI.” If you fail to do this, the computer will not find a bootable device because an MBR-based BIOS cannot read a GPT partition. After the switch, your Windows 10 installation will boot in UEFI mode, satisfying one of the most technical requirements for Windows 11. This fix often resolves the “This PC can’t run Windows 11” error for users who have modern hardware but are held back by an antiquated installation configuration.
Critical Considerations for Unsupported Hardware
While bypassing the “This PC can’t run Windows 11” error is technically straightforward, users must weigh the long-term implications. Running a modern operating system on unsupported hardware can lead to several challenges that may not be apparent immediately after installation. Microsoft has stated that devices not meeting system requirements are more likely to experience “Blue Screen of Death” (BSOD) errors and other stability issues. Furthermore, while security updates have continued to flow to most unsupported machines so far, there is no guarantee that a future “24H2” or “25H2” update won’t hard-block these systems or cease providing critical security patches.
- Hardware Performance Overhead: Windows 11 is designed with specific CPU instructions in mind (like MBEC). On older processors, the software-based emulation of these features can lead to a 10–25% performance hit in certain tasks, particularly gaming or heavy virtualization.
- Feature Availability: Some advanced features of Windows 11, such as DirectStorage for ultra-fast game loading or Windows Subsystem for Android, may require specific hardware capabilities (like NVMe SSDs and specific virtualization extensions) that older PCs simply do not possess.
- Update Friction: Major annual feature updates for Windows 11 often perform a fresh compatibility check. This means that every year, you may need to re-apply registry hacks or use a tool like Rufus to perform an “in-place upgrade” using a new ISO, rather than getting the update through the standard Windows Update menu.
- Driver Compatibility: While Windows 10 drivers generally work on Windows 11, manufacturers are not testing new driver versions on 7th Gen Intel or older AMD chips. This could lead to niche bugs with audio, Wi-Fi, or integrated graphics that will never receive an official fix.
- Security Risk Profile: By disabling the TPM or Secure Boot checks, you are technically operating in a less secure environment. While your PC isn’t “vulnerable” in the traditional sense, you lose the hardware-level protections against sophisticated bootkits and rootkits that Windows 11 was built to prevent.
Pro Tips for a Smooth Windows 11 Experience
If you decide to proceed with an unsupported installation, there are several “Pro Tips” to ensure your system remains snappy and reliable. First, always perform a full system backup using a tool like Macrium Reflect or Acronis before attempting a bypass. If the installation fails or the system becomes unstable, having a bit-for-bit image of your Windows 10 setup will save you hours of recovery time. Second, consider a clean installation rather than an in-place upgrade. Clean installs remove legacy driver conflicts and bloatware, providing a much cleaner foundation for the new OS to run on older hardware.
Third, keep an eye on your “Optional Updates” in the Windows Update settings. Often, specialized drivers for older hardware are tucked away in this menu. Additionally, if you find that Windows 11 feels sluggish on an older machine, you can disable “Virtualization-Based Security” (VBS) in the Core Isolation settings. While this reduces security, it significantly recovers performance on CPUs that do not natively support certain virtualization features. Finally, stay active in tech communities like Reddit’s r/Windows11, where users frequently share “skip” scripts and news regarding which updates are safe for unsupported machines.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it safe to bypass the Windows 11 requirements?
It is generally safe for home users, but you should not do this on a production machine used for critical business work. The primary risk is the potential loss of future security updates and a slight increase in system crashes.
Will I get updates on an unsupported PC?
As of now, Microsoft is still delivering regular cumulative security updates to unsupported PCs. However, they may block major “Feature Updates” (the big annual versions), requiring you to manually update using a modified ISO.
Can I go back to Windows 10 if I don’t like it?
If you performed an in-place upgrade, you have 10 days to go to Settings > System > Recovery and click “Go Back.” After 10 days, Windows deletes the old files, and you would need to perform a clean reinstall of Windows 10.
Why does Microsoft require TPM 2.0?
The requirement is primarily for security. TPM 2.0 supports modern cryptographic algorithms and provides a more secure way to handle encryption like BitLocker and Windows Hello. It also helps prevent firmware-level malware from taking over the boot process.
What is the easiest way to bypass the error?
For most people, using Rufus to create a bootable USB is the easiest and most reliable method, as it automates all the registry and file modifications needed to skip the checks during a clean install.
Conclusion
The “This PC can’t run Windows 11” error is not necessarily a signal that your computer is obsolete, but rather a reflection of Microsoft’s new, strict security baseline. For users with modern hardware, the fix is often as simple as enabling TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot within the BIOS settings and ensuring the disk is using the GPT partition style. For those with older but still powerful hardware, tools like Rufus and manual registry edits provide a viable path to enjoying the latest features of Windows 11. By understanding the underlying requirements—TPM, Secure Boot, and UEFI—and knowing how to navigate the BIOS and Registry Editor, you can overcome these compatibility hurdles and successfully modernize your computing experience. Whether you choose to follow the official path or use a bypass, always prioritize data backups and stay informed about future update policies to maintain a stable and secure system.
