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Microsoft officially released Windows 11 on October 5, 2021. Windows enthusiasts, Insiders program members, and power users can now download Windows 11 to experience various significant improvements on their computers.
If you're planning to upgrade to Windows 11, there are a few things you can do to prepare. For starters, you should check if your PC meets the compatibility requirements for Windows 11. First, let's go over what it takes to upgrade to Windows 11.
Minimum system requirements for upgrading to Windows 11
Windows 11 has specific hardware and system requirements, outlined below. These are the minimum specifications, and if your device doesn't meet any one of them, you won't be able to upgrade and will see the "This PC can't run Windows 11" issue.
- Processor: 1 GHz or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC)
- Memory (RAM): 4 GB
- Storage: 64 GB or larger storage device
- System firmware: UEFI, Secure Boot capable
- TPM: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
- Graphics card: DirectX 12 compatible graphics/WDDM 2.x
- Display: High definition (720p) display greater than 9 inches
- Internet connection: Microsoft account and internet connectivity required for activation of Windows 11 Home.
Resources page: https://www.microsoft.com/zh-cn/windows/windows-11
Microsoft Windows 11 PC Health Check
To check if your current laptop or PC meets the requirements to install Windows 11, Microsoft will release an app called PC Health Check to assist you. However, according to official sources, it is currently unavailable.
So, if you want to try the system out early, how do you check for Windows 11 compatibility? There's another way to try.
Download the free Windows 11 Compatibility Checker app
The company offers a free Windows 11 Upgrade Advisor that lets anyone check whether their device is eligible for the upgrade. With one click, you can see how your machine stacks up and its compatibility with Windows 11.
Step 1. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant and click on "Toolbox".
Step 2: Click on "Windows 11 Checkup" to open the feature. Then, hit the Check Now button to start.
Step 3. The Windows 11 Compatibility results window will quickly appear, listing all of your compatible and incompatible configurations.
The most common incompatibilities involve:
- Boot method: Windows 11 requires UEFI boot mode, which is a personal computer system specification that defines the software interface between an operating system and system firmware, serving as an alternative to BIOS. If your CPU supports UEFI boot, ensure that the setting is correctly configured.
- Disk partition type: Windows 11 needs the system disk partition to be in GPT format. If your system uses MBR partitions, refer to methods on how to convert MBR to GPT (link to conversion guide) without losing data.
- TPM: Windows 11 requires a TPM 2.0 chip, which should be enabled. Learn more about TPM in Windows 11 and how to enable it.
- Secure Boot: Windows 11 requires Secure Boot to be enabled. Find out how to enable Secure Boot for Windows 11.
How can I convert MBR to GPT without losing data to upgrade to Windows 11?
Windows 11 explicitly requires the system disk to be of the GPT partition style. The problem is, most users have disks formatted as MBR. Can you convert MBR to GPT?
Yes, with the help of a professional partition manager – tools Partition Master, you can convert an MBR disk to GPT without losing data. No formatting or deleting is needed.
This ultimate partition manager tool offers a complete solution for both beginners and experts. You can use it to create, resize/move, merge, wipe, and format partitions. Apart from these basic features, Partition Master also comes with many advanced functions, such as:
- Clone Disk: Clone an entire disk to another with the same disk layout without losing any data. You can even clone a larger HDD to a smaller SSD.
- Disk/Partition Conversion: Convert a logical partition to primary, or vice versa; convert FAT to NTFS; convert MBR disk to GPT, or convert GPT disk to MBR.
- Migrate OS to SSD: Move the operating system from HDD to SSD without reinstalling Windows.
Now, download this partition manager and follow the step-by-step guide to safely convert MBR to GPT to upgrade to Windows 11.
Step 1: Download and run AOMEI Partition Assistant.
Step 2. Launch AOMEI Partition Assistant, select "Convert MBR to GPT", and then click "Next" to continue.
Step 3. Select the MBR disk that you want to convert to GPT, and click "Convert" to start the conversion.
Further reading: How to upgrade to Windows 11 after checking your PC's compatibility
If you're looking to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 through the Windows Insider program, follow these steps.
Step 1: Press Windows + I to open Settings, then click on Update & Security > Windows Insider Program > Get started.
Step 2: Follow the on-screen instructions, click “Link account,” choose your Microsoft account, and then click “Continue.”
Step 3: Windows 11 is available to Preview users in the Dev Channel. Select Dev Channel, then click Confirm.
Step 4: Restart your PC and sign up for the Windows Insider program.
5. After the restart, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update.
Step 6: Check for updates. You should see information about the available Windows 11 Insider Preview build. You can now download and install Windows 11.
Bottom line
After checking and upgrading to Windows 11, to make the most of your operating system and hardware, we recommend applying an efficient disk management tool – Partition Manager, on your computer to easily maximize and optimize disk usage.