How to Install Windows 11 on an Unsupported PC: 3 Methods
Upgrading your PC to the latest version of Windows is indeed the right move to keep up with the latest advances, but unlike previous versions of Windows, Windows 11 is a little snobbish.
I was able to install Windows 10 on PCs that barely booted. However, Windows 11 literally refused to install on my 7th Gen Core i7 PC. Something like "Am I not good enough for you anymore?!" At that moment, solving the problem was as simple as enabling some features.
The real problem for me was installing Windows 11 on much older PCs, including 2nd gen PCs with an outdated BIOS. Luckily, after one week of experimentation and double formatting data on 2 of my computers (unintentionally), all 3 of my computers are currently running Windows 11.
Today I will share all the methods I used to successfully install Windows 11 on all my new and old PCs. So these methods will work if you have a not-so-old PC that was disabled by Windows 11, or if you want to force-install Windows 11 on a really old PC, just to check out these exciting new features.
And rest assured, I have chosen only those methods that will not have a harmful effect on your computer, such as data loss.
Learn about unsupported PC limits
While Windows 11 can run on most unsupported PCs, that doesn't mean it will run perfectly. Depending on the PC, some functions may not work properly, Windows may be damaged or malfunction. Microsoft also does not recommend installing Windows 11 on unsupported devices and there is no guarantee that such devices will receive all future updates.
So be aware of these implications before installing Windows 11 on an unsupported PC, as no one will be held liable for any damage to your data or device.
In my personal experience, Windows 11 worked great on all of my PCs for the weeks I used it. However, I don't store sensitive data on unsupported devices because I don't trust security and stability.
Enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot
Before I tell you the workarounds for installing Windows 11 on unsupported devices, it's good to make sure your PC is not supported. Many new computers that get an unsupported information error are usually related to the lack of TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot support.
In most cases, these two features are available on PC, but are disabled by default. So all you have to do is enable them and then try installing Windows 11.
Unfortunately, I can't provide exact instructions for enabling both of these options as they are included in the BIOS, which differs from manufacturer to manufacturer. However, I'm still going to provide instructions that should work on most PCs.
First, you need to access the BIOS, which you can do by pressing the F10, F2, F12, F1, or DEL key several times during PC startup. The key to be pressed depends on the PC manufacturer. For example, HP PCs use the F12 key.
Once inside, you'll find both TPM 2.0 and secure boot under the Security menu. On some PCs, the Secure Boot option may be in the Boot menu. Make sure you select "Save changes and exit" when you close the BIOS to apply the changes.
Download Windows 11 ISO File
The following methods require a Windows 11 ISO file to work. If you haven't tried installing Windows 11 yet, or if you've created a boot disk using the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool instead of an ISO image, you'll need to download the Windows 11 ISO image to follow the methods below.
You can easily download Windows 11 ISO file from Microsoft website. . Just scroll down and click on "Download" under "Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO)". After that, you will need to select your Windows language in order to get a link to download it.
Method #1: Edit the Registry to Bypass Requirements Check
If you don't mind fiddling with the Windows Registry, this is probably the easiest solution and won't require a third party tool. Depending on your PC, you can prevent Windows 11 from checking certain requirements by creating a registry entry.
You need to make different entries depending on what features your computer already supports. I will explain them below:
A warning. An incorrect registry entry can harm your computer, including damage to Windows or loss of data. Therefore, before making the following changes, either back up the registry manually or use a registry cleaner to automatically back up and restore.
Bypass TPM 2.0 and check CPU requirements
If your PC has TPM 1.2 support but no CPU requirements or TPM 2.0 support, you need to make the following registry changes:
Open the registry by searching in Windows search or using the run command by pressing the Windows + R keys and typing regedit in the Run dialog box.
Here go to this location HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > Setup > MoSetup. You can also copy/paste the location below into the search bar at the top of the registry interface to navigate to that location directly.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMSetupMoSetup
With the MoSetup folder selected, right-click on the empty white space in the right pane and select the DWORD (32-bit) value in the New option.
A new entry will be created. Name the entry AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU, then double-click it and select the value 1.
Now go ahead and install Windows 11 using a bootable USB drive or a mounted ISO image. TPM 2.0 and CPU limit will not bother.
Bypass TPM Verification or Secure Boot
If your computer does not support TPM and secure boot, you need to create two registry entries. Let's see how to do it:
In the registry, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > Setup. You can also copy/paste the path below into the registry search bar:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEM setting
Right-click Configuration and select New > Key to create a new entry under it and name it LabConfig.
While LabConfig is selected, right-click on an empty space in the right pane and select the DWORD (32-bit) value in the New option.
Name this entry BypassTPMCheck, then double-click it and change its value to 00000001.
This will disable TPM verification, but you need to create another entry here to verify secure boot.
Again, right-click on the empty empty space inside LabConfig and select the DWORD (32-bit) value in the New option.
Name it BypassSecureBootCheck and double click on it and set its value to 00000001.
Now the Windows 11 setup process will not check for TPM 2.0 and secure boot.
Method #2: Create a bootable USB without checking the requirements
If you can't or don't want to edit the registry, you can also create a bootable Windows 11 USB or DVD that won't check for TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot support. This option is also much better if you need to install Windows 11 on multiple unsupported PCs, as you won't have to modify each PC to make it compatible with Windows 11.
To do this, you will need a popular tool for creating bootable USB drives, Rufus . Rufus developers have provided a new option to create a bootable Windows 11 USB drive that removes the feature that checks for TPM and Secure Boot support. Here's how to use it:
Make sure you have the Windows 11 ISO and then download Rufus.
Connect a USB flash drive with at least 8 GB to your computer, and then launch the Rufus application. In the "Device" section, the connected USB will be automatically selected.
In the Boot Selection section, click Choose, and then locate and open the Windows 11 ISO you downloaded.
A new image options section will appear. Here, select Advanced installation of Windows 11.
After that select MBR or GPT partition scheme depending on your PC's disk partition scheme .
The rest of the settings are optional for this to work, but you can make changes if you know what you're doing.
Now press the START button and the application will create a bootable USB drive that will not check for TPM or Secure Boot support. You can use this to update your current system or any other PC.
Method #3: Edit Windows 10 Bootable USB Drive
This method is complicated and error prone, but it is the only way to install Windows 11 on very old PCs with an outdated BIOS. We're going to use a Windows 10 bootable USB and edit it to install Windows 11. The installer will think it's installing Windows 10 and will check for the same requirements, but it will install Windows 11 instead.
Before I walk you through the process, you should know that you can only use this process to update your current version of Windows. You cannot use this process to install Windows in dual boot mode, or to boot your PC from USB and install Windows 11.
I have successfully upgraded Windows 10 and Windows 7 using this process. In a dual boot setup, just make sure you're doing this process on the version of Windows you want to upgrade. Let's start:
I'm assuming you already have a Windows 11 ISO file, so what you need now is a bootable Windows 10 USB drive.
Creating a Windows 10 boot disk is very easy, just plug in an 8 GB or larger USB drive to your computer and download the Windows 10 Media Creation Tool . The media creation tool will automatically boot Windows 10 and create a bootable disk.
After creating a bootable USB drive, follow the steps below exactly as I say.
Step 1: First you need to mount the Windows 11 ISO. In Windows 8, 8.1, or 10, you can right-click on a file and choose Connect. On older versions, you need to use third party mounting software like WinCDEmu .
Step 2: Once connected, navigate to the source folder inside Windows 11 and copy (Ctrl+C) the file named install.wim.
Step 3: Now open your Windows 10 bootable USB drive in File Explorer and navigate to its sources folder.
Step 4: Here, delete the file called install.esd and paste the install.wim file you just copied. If Windows gives an error that the file is too large to move, you need to convert your USB to NTFS file system first.
Step 5: Now run the Windows 10 setup file on the USB drive.
Step 6: Click "Change how Windows Setup downloads updates" and select "Not now".
Step 7: Click "Next" and Windows will ask you to accept the terms and then tell you which version of Windows 11 will be installed and what data you want to keep.
Step 8: After you make your choice, Windows will complete the installation process and then restart your computer. After the reboot, you will be prompted to either update your current Windows or install it on a new drive. Make sure you select Upgrade your current version of Windows here.
That's all. The Windows installation process will begin. Also, even though the process will say "install Windows 10", Windows 11 will be installed.
Note. This is an unofficial hack, so it does not allow you to install Windows 11 by booting your computer from a USB drive. It is for this reason that I advised you to choose to update your current version of Windows when asked after a reboot, instead of choosing to install to a new drive. Otherwise, it will just throw a disk error and you will have to restart the process from within Windows.
Summarizing 👨💻
I personally think the second method is the best as it can do all the hard work automatically and you don't have to risk making changes to your computer. Although, if nothing works for you, the 3rd method will work as long as your computer can handle installing Windows 10.