How to install Windows 11 on almost any unsupported PC

by Edward Harper August 17, 2024

Windows 11 is the latest version of the most popular operating system in the world, and as long as you have a supported PC, it's very easy to install. But that's the problem: Windows 11 has significantly higher system requirements compared to previous versions of Windows, so there are a lot of unsupported PCs you can't install it on.

The most notable change for many is the new requirement for a Trusted Platform Module (TPM), but it also bumps the minimum RAM required to 4GB and it requires an x64-based processor, on top of having a fairly restrictive list of supported CPUs.

All of that means that many users are left without an official path to upgrade to Windows 11, even if their PC still runs well enough for them. While there isn't much you can do about compatibility if you have an x86 (32-bit) CPU, you can bypass the requirements for specific CPUs or TPM support, which allows most Windows PCs to upgrade to Windows 11. In this article, we're going to show you how to do that.

Windows 11 Hero© Provided by XDA Developers

Assembled a new computer and wondering how to install Windows 11? Here's a guide to help you install Windows on any computer without an OS.

Check if TPM and Secure Boot are enabled

Before you get in too deep

One thing that's worth keeping in mind before starting this process is that in some cases, your PC may have TPM or Secure Boot support (another Windows 11 requirement), but it's disabled in the BIOS, so first, you should make sure Secure Boot is enabled alongside TPM. Here's how:

Restart your computer.
When you see the first signs of life, such as the manufacturer's logo, repeatedly press Esc, F1, F2, or F12. Different brands use different keys, and you can learn more in our guide to enter the BIOS.
Once in the BIOS settings, look for settings called Secure Boot and TPM (this may also be labeled as Security Device or have other text around it). They'll usually be under a security section, but it may vary depending on your computer. Make sure both are enabled.

Some PCs may have a firmware TPM (fTPM) rather than a hardware TPM. Either option should work.
Save your changes and exit.

After this, you may be able to install Windows 11 on your PC through the usual methods. If you don't find these settings, they might not be supported, which is where this guide comes in.

Bear in mind that if you install Windows 11 on an unsupported PC, you may not be able to get future updates. Security updates shouldn't be much of a problem, but you may end up needing to repeat this process if Microsoft releases a big update, such as Windows 11 version 24H2. Additionally, some unsupported hardware has a good reason to not be supported. Performance and stability may not be the best on some older PCs.

Bypass system requirements with Rufus

Create a custom, bootable USB drive

Rufus is a very useful tool for creating bootable installation drives for Windows and other operating systems. It's been around for a long time, and with Windows 11, the developer actually added some features to make it easier to install the new OS on unsupported machines, since it can bypass TPM, Secure Boot, and RAM requirements.

For this, you'll need a USB flash drive with nothing on it (or data you don't care about losing), but otherwise, this is easily the best method for anyone to use. If the USB drive has important data, be sure to create a backup before you start.

Here's what you need to do to get this working:

Start by downloading an ISO file for Windows 11 on this page. The option to download an ISO is the third one, but you can also create an ISO using the Media Creation Tool on this page.
Download the latest version of Rufus from the official website. It comes in both installable and portable versions, and you can use whatever you prefer.
Plug in the USB flash drive you're going to use as installation media.

We'd recommend unplugging any other drives so you don't risk erasing them by accident.
Launch Rufus, and pay attention to the options you'll see here. Start by choosing the right flash drive under Device near the top.

Screenshot of Rufus with a USB drive selected for Windows 11 installation media© Provided by XDA Developers
Under Boot selection click the Select button and look for the ISO file you downloaded. A few default settings will be applied, and you shouldn't need to change them. You can change the name of the drive if you want it to be easier to identify, though.

Screenshot of Rufus with the select button highlighted choose an ISO file from which to create installation media© Provided by XDA Developers
Click Start at the bottom of the window.
You'll see a prompt with a series of options, but the only one you need is at the top. This will disable all the compatibility checks for Secure Boot, TPM, specific CPUs, and even RAM (though we still wouldn't recommend installing Windows 11 if you don't meet the RAM requirements). It should be enabled by default, but if it isn't, make sure to enable it.

Screenshot of installation customization options in Rufus, with the requirements for 4GB of RAM, Secure Boot, and TPM 2.0 removed© Provided by XDA Developers

You may also want to select the option to remove the requirement for an online Microsoft account.
Click OK and Rufus will start moving the Windows 11 installation files to the flash drive. This process can take a while, especially if you have a slower USB port.
When the process is finished, you'll have a USB flash drive that you can use to install Windows 11 on almost any PC that doesn't meet the requirements. Open the USB drive and launch the setup file to begin the installation.

Alternatively, you can use the USB drive as a boot device if you want to perform a clean install. For that, check out our guide on how to install Windows 11 where we explore that specific path.
Follow the installation process as normal. Click Accept when you see the Windows 11 license terms, and then Install when you see the summary screen for the installation options. Windows 11 will begin installing.

Once it finishes installing, you may see some additional configuration steps, but after that, you'll be on the Windows 11 desktop. You're ready to use Windows 11 as you would on an officially supported PC. But you'll have to keep in mind that some of these requirements exist for a reason, so some older hardware may experience poor performance or stability.

Bypassing requirements with the Registry Editor

For older TPMs or CPUs

One way you can try to bypass the system requirements for Windows 11 is to modify some registry values on your PC using the Registry Editor. Using the Registry Editor isn't something we recommend inexperienced users do, but if you know how to get around and you follow the steps below, you should be able to do this without much of a problem.

This method is ideal if you have an older TPM (such as a TPM 1.2) or if the only problem you're facing is having a supported CPU. It's not going to work for PCs with no TPM at all or to bypass other requirements.

Either way, the first thing you'll want to do is download an ISO for Windows 11, just like we did for the method above. Then follow these steps:

Open the Start menu and type regedit, then choose the first search result.
The Registry Editor should open. On the left-side pane, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup.
Right-click the empty space on the right and select New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU.

Close
Double-click it and set the value to 1, then click OK.

Screenshot of Registry Editor when modifying an hexadecimal value to be 1© Provided by XDA Developers
Now, double-click the ISO file you downloaded to mount it as a virtual drive.
The drive should automatically open after mounting it, or you can find it on the This PC page. Run the setup file inside and begin the installation.

If your only hurdle was CPU compatibility or having an older TPM, the installation should now proceed as normal. If that still doesn't work, it may be because your PC has no TPM whatsoever, which may be the case for many custom-built PCs, for example. In that case, you'll need to try one of the other methods.

Keep in mind, however, that with the upcoming Windows 11 version 24H2, certain very old CPUs will not work with WIndows 11 anymore. This won't be the case for most of them, but on some older models, WIndows 11 will simply refuse to boot up, and there's nothing you can do about it.

Install Windows 11 with launch parameters

Ignore all the checks

There's one other trick you can try if you don't have a USB drive and you're running into other issues. This one can be a bit risky for an upgrade due to potential compatibility and driver issues, however. We would definitely steer less experienced users toward the Rufus solution at the top.

This trick involves running the Windows 11 installer as if it were a Windows Server installer, which bypasses the compatibility checks that would usually prevent you from installing Windows 11. It can cause compatibility issues with some drivers and other settings if you're upgrading an existing PC, but there are ways to make it safer. This method was first shared by AveYo on GitHub. Here is what you need to do:

Download a Windows 11 ISO, just as we did for the methods above.
Double-click and mount the ISO as a virtual drive, and the new drive should open automatically. Take note of the drive letter in the address bar. In our case, it's E:, but it may vary.

Screenshot of a USB drive with Windows installation files in File Explorer. The drive letter is highlighted© Provided by XDA Developers
Open a Command Prompt window. You can do this by searching for cmd in the Start menu and pressing Enter.
Enter the following text, replacing E: with the correct drive letter for your specific case. E:\setup.exe /Product Server /Compat IgnoreWarning /MigrateDrivers All

Screenshot of command prompt in Windows 10 showing a command that will allow it to install Windows 11 on unsupported hardware© Provided by XDA Developers
The setup should launch, but labeled as a Windows Server installer.

Screenshot of a Windows 11 installer labeled as a Windows Server installler© Provided by XDA Developers
Click through the process as you normally would, and Windows 11 will begin installing.

If you followed all of these steps correctly, you should soon have your computer running Windows 11 without any problems.

Bypass requirements with Registry Editor during setup

Bypass TPM and Secure Boot checks

If you've already created a standard Windows 11 USB drive and don't want to redo that process to bypass the checks, and you can't access Windows on your PC to run the steps above, there's one final solution that can help. Running Registry Editor during the setup process always you to completely bypass TPM and Secure Boot checks, which makes this a great method for desktop PCs without a TPM. Here's how it works.

Insert the USB flash drive into the computer and boot from it.
When you get to the language selection screen, press Shift + F10 to open Command Prompt.
Type in the following command and press Enter to open the Registry Editor: regedit

Screenshot of Command prompt during Windows 11 Setup with the regedit command© Provided by XDA Developers
In Registry Editor, navigate to this location using the sidebar: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup
Right-click the Setup folder and choose New > Key.

Screenshot of Registry Editor in Windows 11 Setup with the option to create a new key highlighted© Provided by XDA Developers
Name the new key LabConfig and press Enter.
Select the LabConfig folder and right-click an empty area of the main pane, then choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value.

Screenshot of Registry Editor during Windows 11 setup with the option to create a new value highlighted© Provided by XDA Developers
Name the value BypassTPMCheck and press Enter.
Double-click the value you created and change the Value data field to 1. Leave the base as Hexadecimal.

Screenshot of Registry Editor showing the BypassTPMCheck value set to 1© Provided by XDA Developers
Click OK.
Right-click an empty area again and choose New > Dword (32-bit) Value.
Name this new value BypassSecureBootCheck.
Double-click the new value change the Value data to 1, keeping the base as Hexadecimal. Click OK.

Windows 11 Bypass Secure Boot Check© Provided by XDA Developers
Close Registry Editor and Command Prompt, and you can now follow the installation process as normal.

If the hurdle you were running into had to do with the TPM or Secure Boot support, this workaround should fix things for you. However, this won't work around things like not having enough RAM. The best and most effective way to circumvent that is still to use to use Rufus.

Windows 11 doesn't have to require a new PC

There are many reasons why Windows 11 may not run on your specific PC, but this workaround with Rufus is currently the best way to fix all of them. There are some things you can't work around, but most of the big new requirements for Windows 11 can be bypassed this way. It does require a USB drive, which not everyone will have, but it's worth it for the ease of use and the low level of risk. If you really don't want to get a USB drive, the other solutions should also help you.

As we mentioned above, starting with Windows 11 version 24H2, Microsoft will be requiring support for the POPCNT instruction in processors, and they won't be able to boot Windows 11 at all. This will only affect very old CPUs (pre-2008), so just about any decently modern laptop should still work with the steps above. Of course, the best way to get Windows 11 is probably to buy a new PC that supports it out of the box, but these workarounds are a good way to breathe some life into an old computer you may have at home.

How to install Windows 11 on almost any unsupported PC