Windows 11 Hardware Requirements

Upgrading to Windows 11? Make sure your hardware can keep up. Microsoft’s latest OS has strict requirements—like TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and specific CPU models—that could leave older devices behind.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the full list of hardware requirements for Windows 11, explain what each means, and share practical tips to ensure a smooth upgrade without unnecessary surprises.

Minimum Hardware Requirements for Windows 11

To run Windows 11, you need a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC) with a 1 GHz or faster processor, with two or more cores, 4GB RAM, and 64GB of storage.

Your PC also needs a dedicated or integrated graphics card that supports DirectX 12, a TPM 2.0 chip, Secure Boot capability (what Windows calls OSBI), and UEFI.

The display should be 9 inches or greater in diagonal length and run in 720p onwards. These were put into place to guarantee performance and security at a set level to tie into Microsoft’s new OS design.

How to Check if Your PC Meets Windows 11 Requirements

You can find out really quickly if your PC is capable of running Windows 11 by using the PC Health Check utility provided for free by Microsoft. Simply download and run the utility from the Microsoft website.

Use the PC Health Check Tool

The PC Health Check utility will generate a summary report, in which you can view what requirements are met, and which ones were marked as failed.

The utility will tell you specifically what the issues that affected your check were (TPM 2.0 not present, or RAM not sufficient, etc.).

Try Open-Source Alternatives

Many third-party tools exist; one of the most popular is called WhyNotWin11, which offers much more detailed breakdowns of each requirement, which can help advanced users dig deeper into their compatibility issues.

Why TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot Are Essential

Regardless if you are a beginner or an advanced user of the PC hardware itself, knowing that you have the features of TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot designed for your protection is paramount to the security of your PC while running Windows 11. A TPM (Trusted Platform Module) is a hardware chip embedded into your PC which creates an hardware security barrier, providing a place for securing and storing encryption keys, login credentials, and other sensitive and cryptographic information.

Secure Boot is how Windows certifies during the start-up process of your PC that it only runs reliable software (secure startup, therefore to limit, rootkits and other malware from executing and initializing before your Operating System).

Both TPM and Secure Boot help to ensure a flexible layer of protection against cyber-attacks, and provides Microsoft an advertising feature to claim that Windows 11 is their most secure Operating System yet. Also, if your firmware supports TPM 2.0, and it is not enabled or not accessible, the install and update processes may not (or even work at all).

Can You Bypass Windows 11 Hardware Requirements?

Technically yes, it’s possible to bypass some of the hardware checks, however all methods come with trade-offs.

Registry Edits and Custom ISOs

Registry edits or modified ISO installers (which modify what the installer checks for when you setup your PC) are methods that allow Windows 11 installation to skip TPM 2.0 and CPU checks. Both methods are considered unsupported by Microsoft.

Risks of Bypassing

If limited hardware features are bypassed, you may miss out on important updates, may potentially open your system to security vulnerabilities, and may create system stability issues with no guarantees from Microsoft for your PC or laptop operating Windows 11 if the limited hardware specifications are not met.

Best Laptops and PCs That Meet Windows 11 Requirements

Purchasing a PC or laptop that meets the minimum Windows 11 specifications guarantees proper performance, whilst continuing long-term support.

Laptops That Work Seamlessly

PCs and laptops like the Dell XPS 13, HP Spectre x360, and Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon are fully ready for use with Windows 11, and include TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot enabled out of the box.

Desktops and Mini PCs to Consider

For desktops, look at the HP EliteDesk, Dell OptiPlex, and Intel NUC. Each of these model offers some component mode upgradability, and will meet the minimum requirements to install Windows 11. Overall each offers an aspect of futureproofing.