Run PC Health Check first. It gives you a pass or fail in under a minute, and if something fails it tells you exactly what. If your PC passes, you’re done — buy a licence and upgrade. If it fails, the rest of this article explains why, and what you can realistically do about it.
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The Official Requirements
These are Microsoft’s published minimum specifications, sourced directly from Microsoft Learn. Meeting all of them is necessary. It is not always sufficient — more on that below.
| Component | Minimum requirement | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 1 GHz+, 2+ cores, 64-bit, on the approved list | Generation matters more than speed |
| RAM | 4 GB | 8 GB is the practical minimum for everyday use |
| Storage | 64 GB | More disappears fast after updates |
| Firmware | UEFI with Secure Boot | Legacy BIOS is a hard blocker |
| TPM | TPM 2.0 | Often present but disabled — see below |
| Graphics | DirectX 12, WDDM 2.0 driver | Any GPU from the last decade qualifies |
| Display | 720p, 9” or larger, 8-bit colour | Practically never the issue |
| Internet | Required for initial setup | Home and Pro require a Microsoft account at setup |
TPM 2.0: Usually Present, Often Disabled
The most common reason a capable PC fails the check is TPM 2.0 being turned off in the BIOS rather than being absent entirely. Most machines built from around 2016 onwards have it — the hardware is there, it just hasn’t been switched on.
Intel calls their firmware TPM implementation PTT (Platform Trust Technology). AMD calls it fTPM. On self-built desktops especially, both ship disabled by default. It’s a one-time BIOS change.
Before heading into BIOS, run a quick check. Press Win + R, type tpm.msc, and hit Enter. If you see “Specification Version: 2.0” under TPM Manufacturer Information, you’re compatible and it’s already enabled. If you see “Compatible TPM cannot be found”, either it’s disabled or it isn’t there at all.
To check UEFI and Secure Boot status at the same time: press Win + R, type msinfo32. Look for BIOS Mode (should read UEFI, not Legacy) and Secure Boot State (should read On). Both need to pass for Windows 11.
Why a Fast Older CPU Still Fails
This is the one that frustrates people most. Windows 11 compatibility is determined by CPU generation, not clock speed or core count. A Core i7-7700K — a genuinely capable processor still running demanding workloads — is blocked. A budget Celeron from 2018 passes.
Microsoft’s rationale is security rather than performance. The supported generation cutoffs are where certain hardware-level security features became standard in Intel and AMD silicon. The cut-off points are:
- Intel: 8th Generation (Coffee Lake) and later. 7th Gen and earlier are not supported.
- AMD: Ryzen 2000 series and later. First-generation Ryzen is not supported.
- Qualcomm: Snapdragon 7c and selected later chips. ARM support is more limited.
The full approved processor lists are maintained on Microsoft Learn for Intel and a corresponding AMD page. If your CPU isn’t on those lists, the upgrade is blocked for official serviced installs. Community workarounds exist but result in unsupported installations that may not receive future feature updates reliably. Not a path worth going down for a production machine.
4 GB RAM: Meets Requirements, Won’t Feel Like It
4 GB passes the check. In practice, with Edge, background update processes, and a single Office document open, you’ll be hitting the ceiling and paging to disk. It’s not a comfortable experience.
8 GB is the realistic minimum for everyday use. 16 GB if you’re running development tools, keeping multiple browser sessions open, or doing anything with virtual machines. The performance jump from 8 to 16 GB is noticeably larger than from 16 to 32 — if you’re upgrading RAM, going straight to 16 GB is worth it.
RAM is often the most practical upgrade if your machine is otherwise compatible. Check whether your motherboard has free slots and what maximum it supports before assuming an upgrade is straightforward.
Storage: 64 GB Goes Faster Than You’d Think
64 GB is the requirement. After a clean install, Windows 11 itself uses 20–30 GB. Add pending updates, the recovery partition, and a few applications, and that drive is under pressure faster than most people expect. Update failures caused by low disk space are one of the more tedious support calls.
128 GB is the sensible minimum for a primary drive. If you’re installing Windows 11 on a machine with a 64 GB drive, plan for this before the first major feature update lands.
If Your PC Fails the Check
There are three realistic paths, and which one makes sense depends on what’s blocking you.
TPM or Secure Boot is disabled. Enable it in BIOS, rerun the check. This is a firmware configuration issue, not a hardware one — the solution is a BIOS change, not a new machine.
The CPU generation is the blocker. This is a harder problem. The processor is the component you cannot change on a laptop and on most pre-built desktops. If a 7th Gen Intel or first-gen Ryzen is what’s blocking you, the honest answer is a hardware refresh. If budget is the constraint in the short term, Windows 10 Extended Security Updates provide a bridge while you plan — it’s $30 per year for consumers and buys you time without leaving the machine fully unpatched.
RAM or storage is borderline. Both are upgradeable on most desktops and many laptops. RAM is the higher-priority fix — storage can be managed, but running Windows 11 on 4 GB will be genuinely frustrating. See whether your system supports an upgrade before writing the machine off entirely.
For a broader look at your options if you’re still on Windows 10, our guide to still running Windows 10 in 2026 covers the decision in full.
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Buy Windows 11 Pro — £38Frequently Asked Questions
Download and run Microsoft’s PC Health Check app. It scans your hardware and returns a clear pass or fail, with specific reasons listed if anything blocks the upgrade. It’s the definitive check — quicker and more reliable than manually comparing your specs to the requirements list.
Windows 11 uses CPU generation as the compatibility criterion, not raw performance. Microsoft’s supported list begins at Intel 8th Generation (Coffee Lake) and AMD Ryzen 2000 series. A high-end 7th Gen Intel processor fails while a budget 8th Gen chip passes — because compatibility is tied to hardware-level security features built into those silicon generations, not compute power. The full approved lists are on Microsoft Learn.
The TPM is almost certainly present but disabled in BIOS. Run Win + R → tpm.msc and check the Specification Version. If it says “Compatible TPM cannot be found”, go into your BIOS and look for Intel PTT or AMD fTPM settings — usually under Security or Advanced. Enable it, save, and reboot. Then rerun the Health Check. Secure Boot may also need enabling separately; check msinfo32 for its current state.
Yes, for Windows 11 Home and Pro. A Microsoft account is required during initial device setup — this changed with Windows 11 and there is no straightforward skip during a standard install. The account requirement is separate from the hardware requirements but catches people by surprise. It also has a practical benefit: linking your licence to a Microsoft account makes it significantly easier to recover activation if you change hardware later.
An in-place upgrade from Windows 10 preserves your files, applications, and settings by default. Nothing is deleted. That said, back up first regardless — not because upgrade failures are common, but because storage failures during any OS operation are possible and recovering from one without a backup is painful. The free Windows 10 to Windows 11 upgrade guide covers the full process.
If it’s a TPM or Secure Boot issue, that’s a BIOS fix rather than a hardware problem. If it’s the CPU generation, the realistic options are a hardware upgrade or staying on Windows 10 with Extended Security Updates as a time-limited bridge. ESU costs $30 per year for consumers and keeps the machine receiving security patches while you plan your next steps. It is not a long-term solution, but it beats running an unpatched OS.
Gary Walsh is the Head of Tech Support at Software Supplies, with more than 20 years in the IT industry. Fully Microsoft-certified and experienced across the full business software stack — from Windows and Office to cloud infrastructure and device management — Gary delivers practical, no-nonsense advice that helps users and businesses get the most from their technology.
