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Back in October 2021, when Microsoft made the original Windows 11, version 21H2, generally available, the company, perhaps unimaginably, had also provided a workaround that bypassed the system requirements which would allow users on unsupported PCs to upgrade too.
If you remember the days, there was a widespread objection against the stringent OS hardware requirements, something that is quite prevalent even today, as Microsoft recently had to clarify it was not relaxing the Windows 11 hardware eligibility criteria.
The workaround that Microsoft had published involved tweaking a Registry key that would allow a Windows 11 upgrade on unsupported PCs by bypassing CPU and TPM checks:
Warning:
However, Neowin noticed today while browsing that the support article which hosted this information has been edited since and the above workaround has been deleted. The change was made sometime recently after the release of Windows 11 24H2. Thus Microsoft no longer officially endorses this bypass method even though the trick itself may work.- Microsoft recommends against installing Windows 11 on a device that does not meet the Windows 11 minimum system requirements. If you choose to install Windows 11 on a device that does not meet these requirements, and you acknowledge and understand the risks, you can create the following registry key values and bypass the check for TPM 2.0 (at least TPM 1.2 is required) and the CPU family and model.
- Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup
- Name: AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU
- Type: REG_DWORD
- Value: 1
- Note: Serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly by using Registry Editor or by using another method. These problems might require that you reinstall the operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that these problems can be solved. Modify the registry at your own risk.
Microsoft's current official recommendation is a new PC for updating to Windows 11, so clearly the company is not a fan of those updating to 11 on unsupported devices, which is likely why it no longer wants to inform users about the Registry workaround. Microsoft's partners like Dell and AMD have expressed they are likely on board with this too.
With Microsoft justifying how deprecation is actually a good thing for users, the upcoming end of support for Windows 10 will certainly be interesting from the hardware standpoint.
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