Windows 11 Upgrade From Windows 10 Free

If your existing Windows 10 PC is running Windows 10 20H1 or later and meets the minimum hardware specificationsit will be able to upgrade to Windows 11. The upgrade rollout plan is still being finalized, but for most devices already in use today, we expect it to be ready sometime in early 2022. Not all Windows 10 PCs that are eligible to upgrade will be offered to upgrade at the same time. To see if your PC is eligible to upgrade, refer to our knowledge base for a list of tested systems. Once the upgrade rollout has started, you can check if it is ready for your device by going to Settings/Windows Updates. Similar to how end users are notified when updates are available in Windows 10, end users will see an indication in the notification areas of the taskbar in the bottom right, that the upgrade is available.

More information on how that is presented will be available at a later date. Additional desktop notification options may be also be added at a later date. Warren noted that he rarely used the Widgets panel or Microsoft Teams, citing that he preferred the weather display that later versions of Windows 10 offered, and didn't use Teams to communicate with his friends and family. He also acknowledged the expansion of Microsoft Store to include more "traditional" desktop applications.

If your existing Windows 10 PC is running the most current version of Windows 10 and meets the minimum hardware specifications it will be able to upgrade to Windows 11. Not all Windows 10 PCs that are eligible to upgrade to Windows 11 will be offered to upgrade at the same time. Original equipment manufacturers can still ship computers without a TPM 2.0 coprocessor upon Microsoft's approval. Some third-party software may refuse to run on unsupported configurations of Windows 11. If Windows 10 is already running on the PC in question, you can use a free program from Microsoft to check whether it meets the requirements (the program does not run on Windows 7 and 8.1).

The "App for PC Integrity Check" is available for download. A file called "WindowsPCHealthCheckSetup.msi" ends up in the download folder. After installing and starting the program, click on "Check now" at the top. As long as the application certifies that the PC meets the requirements, nothing stands in the way of the switch.

You can either cleanly reinstall Windows 11 or upgrade the existing Windows 10 installation to Windows 11. There is no 32-bit version of Windows 11, and Microsoft has not planned an upgrade from 32-bit to 64-bit Windows. In this case, you only have to do a complete new installation.

Cunningham concluded that "as I've dug into and learned its ins and outs for this review, I've warmed to it more", but argued that the OS was facing similar "public perception" issues to Windows Vista and Windows 8. Internet Explorer has been replaced by the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge as the default web browser, and Microsoft Teams is integrated into the Windows shell. Microsoft also announced plans to allow more flexibility in software that can be distributed via Microsoft Store, and to support Android apps on Windows 11 .

At least 16GB of RAM The basic system requirements of Windows 11 differ significantly from Windows 10. Windows 11 only supports 64-bit systems such as those using an x86-64 or ARM64 processor; IA-32 processors are no longer supported. Thus, Windows 11 is the first consumer version of Windows not to support 32-bit processors and 16-bit software . The minimum RAM and storage requirements were also increased; Windows 11 now requires at least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. S mode is only supported for the Home edition of Windows 11. The compatibility list includes the Intel Core i7-7820HQ, a seventh-generation processor used by the Surface Studio 2, although only on devices that shipped with DCH-based drivers.

Citing security considerations, the system requirements for Windows 11 were increased over Windows 10. While the OS can be installed on unsupported processors, Microsoft does not guarantee the availability of updates. Windows 11 also drops support for 32-bit x86 CPUs and devices which use BIOS firmware.

It's still worth familiarising yourself with the new UI, including the symbol buttons that replace key options in Explorer's context menus. Devices that do not meet the minimum system requirements will remain on Windows 10 and continue to be supported with security updates. Customers using long term service releases will continue to be supported through the published end of support dates.

For more information about Windows 10 support, see HP products tested with Windows 10. You can refer to our knowledge base for a list of tested systems to determine if your device eligible to upgrade to Windows -11. Many PCs that are less than four years old will be able to upgrade to Windows 11. They must be running 20H1 or later version of Windows 10 and meet the minimum hardware requirements to receive the Windows 11 upgrade.

All Dell PCs with Windows 10 currently being sold on dell.com will be able to upgrade to Windows 11. For the PC to be able to upgrade to Windows 11, it must meet the minimum hardware specifications and specific hardware is required for some features. The upgrade rollout plan is still being finalized but is scheduled to begin late in 2021 and continue into 2022.

If you have a Surface device or a new device from one of Microsoft's partners, you'll get Windows 11 when it releases on October 5. New devices that still have Windows 10 installed will be able to upgrade to the new version through Windows Update. After that, Microsoft says it's taking a phased approach, and it expects to have updates out to all compatible PCs by the middle of 2022. As part of the minimum system requirements, Windows 11 only runs on devices with a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 security coprocessor.

According to Microsoft, the TPM 2.0 coprocessor is a "critical building block" for protection against firmware and hardware attacks. In addition, Microsoft now requires devices with Windows 11 to include virtualization-based security , hypervisor-protected code integrity , and Secure Boot built-in and enabled by default. The operating system also features hardware-enforced stack protection for supported Intel and AMD processors for protection against zero-day exploits. It's not imperative that you upgrade your system to Windows in the next couple of weeks, or even months.

For many people, that's about the time to upgrade to a newer device, one that will come with Windows 11 already installed. Perhaps the most important thing to know about the release of Windows 11 is that we should expect it to change significantly over the next few years. I've been using beta versions of Windows 11 for a month in the lead-up to writing this review, and it seems like every few days there's a minor new feature or redesigned app to check out. We may not see that feature fully realized in Windows until next year.

After you complete the steps, repeat the instructions to back up the files on the remaining accounts . In addition to making a copy of your files, it's also recommended to create a list of the installed programs with their respective product keys to know what you need to reinstall in the new setup. If you usually do not sync passwords and bookmarks with an online service, this is a good time to export your browser credentials and links. Furthermore, if you plan to upgrade with a clean installation, you will also need to make sure the computer can start from a USB flash drive.

For example, even though Windows 11 is available as a free optional update for Windows 10, the device must meet the new system requirements. You need to ensure that the Trusted Platform Module and Secure Boot are enabled on the computer. You also need to make sure the device has enough space and there are no problems before continuing with the upgrade. Furthermore, you want to create a backup in the case you need to roll back, check the activation status, and create installation media.

All HUAWEI PCs with Windows 10 currently being sold on HUAWEI Consumer BG website will be able to upgrade to Windows 11. In October 2019, Microsoft announced "Windows 10X", a future edition of Windows 10 designed exclusively for dual-touchscreen devices such as the then-upcoming Surface Neo. Legacy Windows applications would also be required to run in "containers" to ensure performance and power optimization. Microsoft stated that it planned to release Windows 10X devices by the end of 2020.

Microsoft doesn't recommend installing Windows 11 on devices that don't meet the system requirements, but you'll still be able to do so. It's worth noting that you might not get Windows 11 updates on PCs with unsupported processors. With its machine learning technology, Microsoft has determined further devices on which the Windows 11 update prompt should now appear automatically.

The Redmond-based software company has not revealed any additional information on which exact PC configurations are included in this third group. However, manually triggering the Windows 11 update, which is how many tech enthusiasts probably installed Windows 11 in the past weeks, is no longer necessary on these PCs. Users can simply check the regular Windows Update application in order to verify whether the Windows 11 upgrade is ready to download on their respective device. After the announcement of the launch of Windows 11, there was a lot of fuss about the devices that could support it. Windows 11 officially requires a Trusted Platform Module 2.0, UEFI, and Secure Boot in order to run on a machine, and if yours doesn't meet those requirements, you will not be able to install it. The easiest way to check whether your hardware is eligible is by installing Microsoft's own PC Health Check application.

Once you complete the steps, the tool will download the files and create an installation media, which you can then use to upgrade a compatible computer to Windows 11. If you have had the same installation for a long time, you might need to analyze and repair the current setup to fix missing or damaged files. Otherwise, during the upgrade process, the chances of running into issues will be high. However, if you plan to proceed with a clean installation using a bootable USB flash drive, then you can't skip this suggestion since the previous installation will be erased during the process. If your existing Windows 10 PC is running Windows 10 20H1 or later and meets the minimum hardware specifications it will be able to upgrade to Windows 11. To see if your PC is eligible to upgrade, refer to our supported computer lists.

Click Next to have Windows 11 check for any updates, then accept the license terms. The Ready to install screen shows that Windows 11 will be installed and that your personal files and apps will be kept. You can then elect to keep personal files and apps, personal files only, or nothing. Microsoft said the launch will be "phased and measured," with new eligible devices getting the upgrade first and the rest getting offered the free upgrade sometime between October and mid-2022.

Microsoft is making sure that those who purchase a new laptop prior to Windows 11 being pre-installed by manufacturers will be able to update first. Microsoft offers several ways to download Windows 11 manually. One is to use the Installation Assistant app, which you install on your PC to trigger a normal upgrade install via Windows Update. The second is to use the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool, which automates the process of creating a bootable USB install drive or downloading an install ISO file. Once you have a USB drive, you can either boot from it to perform a clean install or run the Setup app from within Windows 10 to do a normal upgrade install. You can also burn the ISO to a DVD, but installing from any USB drive, even an old USB 2.0 drive, will be much faster, so you shouldn't do that.

Finally, you can just download an ISO file directly from Microsoft's site. The Windows 11 requirements are harsh, but sneaking around them carries risks.It is possible to install Windows 11 without a supported CPU. This is apparently Microsoft's recommended method for switching to the new OS, though if that's true they're taking their sweet time in offering it to everybody. Instead of twiddling your thumbs until Windows Update serves it up, you can start installing immediately by downloading the Windows 11 Installation assistant instead – it's still an absolute doddle to upgrade this way. Microsoft has limited the number of devices that can officially run the latest version of Windows, with its restrictive hardware requirements. Most of the latest laptops will support Windows 11, but you're probably out of luck if you built your own desktop PC or use anything more than around four years old.

With that said, if your device supports Windows 11, there is no reason you should not upgrade. The taskbar now also gives you access to widgets, which I personally am not a big fan of. These basically show quick updates from apps and services, somewhat replacing Live Tiles. The News widget shows current events from across the world of politics, finance, sports, technology, etc. This was made available in recent versions of Windows 10 as well. However, it has a different appearance here and it also shows up from the left side of your screen instead of the bottom right.

The Start Menu has been redesigned to list all of your apps in a more systematic and organized manner, and you can of course pin apps that you use frequently. There's a Recommended section, wherein you can find recently accessed files and folders. The Start Menu has been designed to be consistent with the frosted glass theme that you'll see throughout Windows 11, and it looks good. These were the animated squares you could see whenever you opened the Start menu in Windows 10.

They were implemented to show you live updates for apps such as Weather, Calendar, etc, but that functionality has been moved elsewhere – more on that later. If you haven't already received an alert prompting you to update, and your PC is compatible with Windows 11, you can use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant Tool to download and install the update onto your system. This will not erase any of your personal files and is similar to an OTA (over-the-air) update – however, it's always advisable to have backups.

Similarly, you can create a bootable USB drive or a disk image to perform a clean install. Windows 11 will warn you that your PC isn't up to snuff, but will otherwise let you carry on your merry way. Run the downloaded "Windows11InstallationAssistant.exe" file.

It will check to see if your computer is compatible with Windows 11 in its current state. If your computer meets the requirements, it will offer to install Windows 11. Accept the license agreement and, after a more few clicks, the tool will begin installing Windows 11 on your PC.

After you complete the steps, the device should be able to boot from a USB installation media and pass the minimum system requirements check. Upgrades to Windows 11 will begin to roll out late in 2021 and continue into 2022. During this time, we will be doing some behind the scenes testing and validating for your specific PC.

Windows Update will provide an indication if and when your PC is eligible. You can check to see by going to Settings/Windows Update. Windows 11 marks a big departure from Windows 10 in terms of design, but the two operating systems are very similar under the hood.