Recently, a buzz has been circulating about a claim from a source affiliated with PCWorld / PC-WELT, suggesting that Microsoft is now permitting installations of Windows 11 on PCs that don’t match the minimum system requirements. This revelation stirred discussions across Reddit and social media platforms, hinting at a significant policy shift for Microsoft. However, digging a bit deeper reveals that this claim lacks veracity.
In the article that made these claims, it’s stated: “With Windows 11, Microsoft’s key requirement has been the presence of a TPM 2.0 chip… Previously, TPM 2.0 was necessary to run Windows 11. But supposedly, things have changed, allowing users to upgrade even without this hardware.” The purported source for this information is a Microsoft support article that allegedly provides steps for installing Windows 11 on unsupported PCs. The report mentions, “In a surprising twist, Microsoft has begun detailing how to install Windows 11 on incompatible systems.”
Nonetheless, if you examine the support document, these instructions simply aren’t there. Instead of offering a workaround, it outlines what occurs when installing Windows 11 on an unsupported device, a guideline that’s been present since the debut of Windows 11 version 21H2. Initially published on Windows 11’s launch day, this document was updated to include steps for reverting to Windows 10, should users force an upgrade on hardware that doesn’t meet the minimum requirements.
Interestingly, there’s no mention of TPM in this document. And contrary to some reports, it doesn’t state that TPM 2.0 is no longer a requirement for upgrading to Windows 11. This raises questions about how the narrative of TPM 2.0 being optional gained traction in the first place.
For those who might not be familiar, Windows 11 simply won’t install on computers that fail to meet the specified minimum system requirements. In cases where such an installation is attempted, the process halts. While there are unofficial methods to bypass these restrictions, they’re not sanctioned ways to perform a Windows 11 installation or upgrade.
Microsoft has reemphasized this position by updating the referenced support article, underscoring that Windows 11’s minimum requirements, including the need for TPM 2.0, are still in effect. Attempting installation on unsupported hardware will result in the installation process stopping, just as it did previously. Microsoft has no intentions of altering this requirement.
To clarify, here’s what the updated support article states: “This support article was initially published on October 4, 2021, for the release of Windows 11. From the outset and still to this day, the purpose of this page is to help customers understand the implications of installing Windows 11 contrary to Microsoft’s advisories on systems lacking the necessary specifications. If you’ve put Windows 11 on a device that falls short of these requirements, Microsoft advises reverting to Windows 10. The minimum system requirements for Windows 11 remain the same.”
