Windows 11 Requirements: Complete Hardware & System Specifications

The Windows 11 requirements are short but strict. The processor and TPM rules are the two that stop most older PCs. Home and Pro share the same hardware list. PC Health Check shows in a minute which line fails. We’d run it before buying anything.

A typical question about these requirements comes from someone with an older PC at home or in a small office. It’s about one thing: will the old PC take the upgrade.

This page works as a checklist. It explains each line and what to do when a PC fails it.

• Hardware requirements are identical for Home and Pro.
• The CPU list is the strictest line. Older chips are out, even fast ones.
• Many PCs from 2017 onward have TPM 2.0 built into the CPU, though it may be switched off in the firmware.
• The PC needs UEFI firmware that is Secure Boot capable. Secure Boot doesn’t have to be on to pass the check.
• PC Health Check tells you in a minute which requirement fails.

The minimum Windows 11 requirements

The table sets Microsoft’s minimum next to the Windows 10 minimum for comparison.

The list looks modest. On paper a ten-year-old laptop meets most of it.

In practice the processor list and TPM 2.0 shut out millions of machines that run Windows 10 perfectly well.

That’s why the rest of this page spends most of its time on those two lines. Microsoft keeps the list on its Windows 11 specifications page.

Processors that make the list

The CPU has to be 64-bit with at least 2 cores at 1 GHz. It also has to be on Microsoft’s model lists.

Microsoft publishes the exact model lists for all three makers on Microsoft Learn.

CPU rules caused the loudest complaints, and we get why. A 7th generation Core i7 handles office work easily, yet it sits outside the line.

Microsoft added only a few 7th gen exceptions. One is the Core i7-7820HQ in certain premium devices like the Surface Studio 2.

Since version 24H2, the system also needs a CPU with the SSE4.2 and POPCNT instructions. That matters only for very old chips, forced on with workarounds. They stopped booting with the 24H2 update.

TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot

TPM 2.0 comes as a security chip, or as firmware inside the CPU. It stores encryption keys and credentials apart from normal memory.

How to check it and switch it on is in our TPM guide.

Secure Boot works at the firmware level. This UEFI feature blocks unsigned boot code.

The system needs TPM 2.0 enabled and firmware that can do Secure Boot.

TPM confused more people than anything else, because most had never heard of it.

Microsoft has required TPM 2.0 on fresh Windows PCs since July 2016. So many machines have it but ship with it disabled.

In the firmware it hides under different names.

On Secure Boot, the requirement is the capability, not the setting. A PC with capable UEFI passes even with Secure Boot off.

We’d still turn it on.

The firmware has to run in UEFI mode, not in legacy BIOS mode, also called CSM. The system disk has to be GPT.

Our step-by-step page on enabling Secure Boot covers the MBR to GPT conversion too.

Windows 11 requirements for RAM and storage

The system needs at least 4 GB of RAM and a 64 GB storage device to install. That’s the floor, not a comfortable setup.

An SSD that size keeps the system responsive and leaves room for updates.

Compared with Windows 10, both floors doubled. RAM went from 2 GB on 64-bit to 4 GB, and storage from 32 GB to 64 GB.

A fresh install uses a few tens of gigabytes. Then it grows with updates, apps, restore points and caches.

So a 64 GB drive fills up fast. Feature updates also need free space to download and unpack.

Storage type isn’t on the list, yet it matters most for daily feel. The system installs on a hard drive.

Startup, updates and app launches are far slower there than on an SSD, though. If you replace one part of an older PC, we’d make it the drive.

Home takes up to 128 GB of RAM, and Pro up to 2 TB. So the edition only matters for very large workstations.

Windows 11 requirements for graphics and display

The graphics adapter has to be compatible with DirectX 12 or later, with a WDDM 2.0 driver. Almost every GPU from recent years qualifies.

Graphics rarely block an upgrade by themselves. These examples clearly meet the bar.

• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 900 series and newer
• AMD Radeon RX 400 series and newer
• Intel UHD and Iris Xe integrated graphics on listed Intel CPUs

The usual trouble is the driver, not the chip. An old WDDM 1.x driver from the PC maker can make the check fail.

A current driver from the GPU maker fixes that.

On the display side, small netbook screens and some old projectors fall short.

Multi-monitor setups behave like they did on Windows 10. There’s the occasional scaling quirk when resolutions differ a lot.

Internet and a Microsoft account

Home needs internet connectivity and a Microsoft account during initial device setup. So does Pro set up for personal use, according to Microsoft.

After setup you can work offline. Work or school devices can use a work account.

That’s a change from Windows 10, which let you create a local account offline. Recent builds also closed the old shortcuts around it.

Once the system is installed, you can add a local account in Settings for daily use.

These features depend on being online after setup.

• Windows Update and driver updates
• Microsoft Store downloads
• OneDrive sync and backup
• Microsoft 365 apps and activation checks
• Widgets and news content

Home and Pro: the same hardware

Home and Pro share the same processor list, 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage. TPM 2.0 and UEFI rules are the same too.

Pro adds business features, not extra hardware demands. Any PC that runs Windows 11 Home runs Pro equally well.

Pick the edition by features. Our Windows 11 Home vs Pro comparison goes through each one.

Recommended specs for a good experience

For a good experience, we’d aim above the minimum.

These are rough targets by use case that we’d aim for when speccing a machine.

Windows 11 requirements for an upgrade from Windows 10

Hardware is only half of it. A Windows 10 PC that wants the direct upgrade has to be current enough as well.

• Windows 10, version 2004 or later. Older builds update first.
• The September 14, 2021 security update or anything newer. On a patched PC it’s already there.

Not sure which build runs? Win+R, then this:

winver

Our page on what version of Windows you have covers the other ways to read it.

S mode is the other catch. Windows 11 keeps it on Home only. A Pro or Education device in S mode switches out of it before the upgrade, which needs internet. No way back after that.

Windows 11 requirements on a virtual machine

Windows 11 runs in a VM too. Same rules, just written as VM settings.

Hyper-V host? VT-x and VT-d go on in the BIOS first. The virtual TPM 2.0 is emulated inside the guest, so the host’s own TPM chip doesn’t matter here.

Activation? Separate from the host, like any other PC. On a Mac things get different, and our guide to a Windows virtual machine on a Mac goes through it.

Feature-specific Windows 11 requirements

Meet the minimum and Windows 11 installs. A few features still want extra hardware.

None of these blocks the install. A missing one just leaves that feature unavailable.

Storage is the line we’d watch. Updates and some features may need more space over time, so 64 GB is a floor. Not a comfortable size. Full list? Microsoft’s Windows 11 requirements page. The Pro-only features are compared in our Windows 11 editions guide.

How to check your PC

Microsoft’s free PC Health Check app is the quickest route. Click Check now, and it lists each requirement and shows which one fails.

On Windows 10 there’s a second place to look. Open Settings, Update & Security, Windows Update, where an eligible PC shows the upgrade offer.

The built-in tools show everything by hand.

1. Press Win+R, type msinfo32 and press Enter.
2. In System Summary, read the four lines from the table below.
3. Compare the processor model with Microsoft’s CPU lists for your chip maker.
4. Press Win+R, type tpm.msc and press Enter. Under TPM Manufacturer Information, Specification Version should be 2.0.
5. Press Win+R, type dxdiag and check the Display tab for the driver model. It should read WDDM 2.x or newer.

Third-party tools such as WhyNotWin11 show the same checks in more detail.

A failed check often needs only a firmware setting. TPM and Secure Boot problems usually disappear once you switch them on in UEFI.

Nothing has to be bought for that.

Windows 11 compatibility checker: PC Health Check step by step

The Windows 11 compatibility checker from Microsoft is PC Health Check, a free app for PCs that run Windows 10. It runs on the PC itself. No website can read your TPM or firmware from a browser, so we’d skip anything sold as an online checker.

1. Open it. Search the taskbar for PC Health Check. Not there? Microsoft’s page links the download.
2. Press Check now. The check takes the device as it is right now.
3. Read the verdict. Eligible or not, and why. The app also says what you can do about it.

Two gaps to know about. The app doesn’t test the graphics card or the display, since nearly every compatible PC meets those. For that part, the dxdiag check above still matters.

And a pass isn’t always an instant offer. Microsoft says a known compatibility issue can hold the upgrade back for a while, until the issue is fixed. Settings, Update & Security, Windows Update shows when the offer arrives.

A command-line check with Windows 11 Setup

No app wanted? Windows Setup has a scan-only mode. Mount the Windows 11 ISO, open Command Prompt as administrator in its root, and run:

start /wait setup.exe /auto upgrade /quiet /compat scanonly
echo %errorlevel%

Handy on several PCs at once, or over a remote session. Still unsure after both checks? Microsoft’s PC Health Check guide covers the rest of the app, and the PC maker can confirm the model too. For the firmware side we wrote a TPM 2.0 guide and a Secure Boot guide.

What you can upgrade

It depends on what fails.

Before spending money, we’d weigh it against the PC’s age. A full platform swap on a 2016 desktop rarely makes more sense than a mid-range replacement.

Once the hardware is ready, our page on the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool shows how to make the install USB. The clean install guide takes it from there.

A PC below the Windows 11 requirements

Technically it can be done through workarounds, but Microsoft doesn’t back it.

We don’t cover the bypass methods here. Know the trade-offs before you try one.

• Security and feature updates aren’t guaranteed.
• A later version can tighten the rules, as 24H2 did with the SSE4.2 and POPCNT requirement.
• Drivers for older hardware may be missing or flaky.
• Microsoft’s help desk won’t assist with such setups.

For a hobby PC that accepts the risk, fine. For a work machine or one with sensitive data, we’d stay within the requirements.

If your PC can’t run it

You have two paths. Upgrade the failing parts if that’s cheap, or replace the PC on your own schedule.

Our Windows 11 vs Windows 10 upgrade guide helps decide if the move is worth it on your current machine.

Whatever you choose, use a genuine license. Activation problems on a perfectly compatible PC waste an evening.

Need a key? Our Windows 11 Pro key comes as a genuine license. We email it instantly after payment.

Common mistakes with Windows 11 requirements

• Assuming a fast older CPU passes. The model has to be on the list.
• Buying a TPM module when the firmware TPM is only switched off.
• Thinking Secure Boot has to be on. The firmware only has to be capable.
• Switching to UEFI mode before the disk is converted to GPT.
• Counting TPM 1.2 as good enough.
• Judging by RAM and storage alone and skipping the CPU list.
• Blaming the graphics chip when the driver is the old part.
• Forcing the install on a work machine that holds sensitive data.

Related guides

• Windows 11 Change Language
• Tiny11 and Tiny10: what a modified image means
• Check Windows 10 compatibility
• Should you upgrade to Windows 11: a checklist

Terms used on this page

Typical cases with Windows 11 requirements

Firmware TPM switched off on a gaming desktop

A recent gaming PC fails the check on TPM. The firmware TPM is switched off. One setting in UEFI later, it passes.

A fast 7th-gen laptop that isn’t on the CPU list

An owner can’t see why a quick Core i7 is refused. The chip is 7th generation and not on the list. Extra RAM wouldn’t alter that.

Legacy BIOS and an MBR disk fail the Secure Boot line

Secure Boot State shows a failing value on a capable board. The disk is MBR and the firmware runs in CSM. After the GPT conversion and the switch to UEFI, the check passes.

A 64 GB tablet with a full drive

A small tablet meets the storage floor and still can’t update. The drive is full. With space freed, the feature update goes through.

An old graphics driver fails the WDDM line

The check complains about graphics on a capable card. The driver dates from the PC maker’s original image. A current driver clears it.

Windows versions and tools this page covers