Unlike the past few major versions of Windows, Windows 11 comes with a strict set of system requirements. You can find the full list of Windows 11 system requirements at the end of this article. You will be able to install Windows 11 on unsupported PCs, but Microsoft does not guarantee that everything will work, and you won’t be entitled to receive Windows updates in the future.
When you try to install Windows 11 on an unsupported PC, Microsoft displays a clear warning to the user about the risk. According to the latest report from WindowsLatest, Microsoft is planning to put a watermark on the desktop to remind users about unsupported installations. As you can see from the screenshot above, “System requirements not met” watermark will be displayed in Windows 11 when running on unsupported PCs. In addition to the installation warning and watermark on the desktop, Microsoft is also displaying a “System requirements not met” message on the System page in Settings.
Right now, Microsoft is testing this watermark method with select Windows Insiders. We are not sure whether Microsoft will roll this out to all Windows 11 users in the future. If you want to remove the watermark from the desktop, you can follow the following steps:
- Open Registry Editor.
- Navigate to the following location
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache- Change the value of SV2 to ‘0’.
- Reboot.
Windows 11 system requirements:
- Processors/CPUs (Central Processing Units): 1 Ghz or faster with 2 or more cores and appearing on this list of approved CPUs. The processor in your PC will be a main determining factor for running Windows 11. The clock speed (the 1 Ghz or faster requirement) and number of cores (2 or more) are inherent to the processor design as it was manufactured and are not considered upgradable components.
- RAM: 4 GB. If your PC has less than 4GB of memory, there are sometimes options for upgrading to get additional RAM.
- Storage: 64 GB or larger storage device. If your PC does not have a large enough storage drive, there are sometimes options for upgrading the drive.
- System Firmware: UEFI (for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, a modern version of PC BIOS) and Secure Boot capable. If your device does not meet the minimum requirements because it is not Secure Boot capable.
- TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.
- Graphics Card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver.
- Display: High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9” diagonally, 8 bits per color channel. If your screen size is less than 9”, the intended user interface of Windows may not be fully visible.
- Internet Connectivity and Microsoft Accounts: Windows 11 Home edition requires internet connectivity and a Microsoft Account to complete device setup on first use.
- Windows Version for Upgrade: Your device must be running Windows 10, version 2004 or later, to upgrade through Windows Update. Free updates are available through Windows Update in Settings > Update and Security.
