You have read all the news regarding Windows 11 and would like to switch to the new operating system from Microsoft. This time around, though, you’d like to do it all by yourself without involving your usual computer-savvy friend. If that’s the case, you’ll be happy to know that upgrading to Windows 11 is super easy and virtually painless in most cases !
In a nutshell, just use Windows Update or the appropriate tool available on the Microsoft website and follow the instructions that appear on the screen; however, in addition to the more “simple” scenario, I will also explain how to proceed with the installation of the operating system even on machines that do not meet all the minimum requirements.
So, without waiting any longer, make yourself comfortable and carefully read everything I have to explain to you on the subject: I guarantee you that, in a short time, you will have acquired the necessary skills to succeed without problems in the enterprise you set out for yourself. That said, there is nothing left for me to do but wish you a good read and a big good luck for everything!
Index
- Windows 11 requirements
- Windows 11 editions and prices
- How to upgrade to Windows 11
- How to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11
- How to upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 11
- How to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 11
- How to upgrade to Windows 11 without the TPM requirements
- Registry modification
- USB pendrive
- How to switch from Windows 11 Home to Pro
Windows 11 requirements
Before getting to the heart of this guide and explaining, in practice, how to switch to Windows 11 , let me give you some more information about the minimum requirements to be met, so that the operating system runs smoothly.
In this case, the computer must have a processor or a SoC (System on a chip) with a frequency of 1 GHz and equipped with two or more logical units, both with support for 64-bit applications ; the RAM must be equal to or greater than 4 GB , and shall require at least 64 GB of available disk space. As for the video unit, be it discrete or integrated on the CPU, it must offer support with DirectX 12 / WDDM 2.x and associated with a monitor with a diagonal greater than 9 inches and resolution at least HD (1280 x 720 pixels ).
Furthermore, the presence of a firmware compatible with the UEFI system and with secure boot is required, as well as an Internet connection and a Microsoft account through which to complete the initial configuration. Another fundamental hardware requirement is the TPM 2.0 controller , which is a hardware security system that deals with the encryption of peripherals: the system cannot be immediately installed in its absence, however you can easily bypass this requirement by following the instructions that I am going to provide you in one. of the following chapters of this guide. Microsoft , however, does not guarantee updates or system stability, if the latter is installed on computers that do not meet the minimum requirements. I warned you.
In any case, to quickly check the compatibility of Windows 11 with your computer, you can use the Microsoft application : open this web page and click on the Download now button located inside the Windows 11 installation assistant box . When the download is complete, open the file obtained and click on the Get PC Health app link , located inside it.
Now, click on the item Download the PC integrity check application , wait for the WindowsPCHealthCheckSetup.msi file to be downloaded to your computer and, once the download is complete, run it: accept the terms of the license agreement by placing the check mark next to the appropriate box , click on the Install button and, once setup is complete, put the check mark next to the wording Open Windows PC Integrity Checker (if not already there) and click on the Finish button .
Finally, click on the Check Now button and wait a few seconds for the check to be carried out. Following this last operation, you will see a box indicating the compatibility status of the computer with Windows 11.
Windows 11 editions and prices
As for the Windows 11 editions, they are Windows 11 Home , Windows 11 Pro , Windows 11 Pro for Workstations , Windows 11 Education , Windows 11 Pro Education , Windows 11 Enterprise and Windows 11 SE . However, exactly as happened with Windows 10, only the first three are dedicated to the consumer market; in particular, the software differences between Windows 11 Home and Windows 11 Pro mainly concern the presence or absence of specific applications that can be used in a professional environment, such as the Remote Desktop serveror support for Active Directory domain controllers. For home use, however, Windows 10 Home should be more than enough.
As for the prices of Windows 11 , the good news is that Microsoft allows you to upgrade for free to the new operating system if you have a valid license for Windows 10, depending on the type of the latter: a valid license for Windows 10 Home allows to upgrade to Windows 11 Home for free, as well as a valid license for Windows 10 Pro allows you to get the free upgrade to Windows 11 Pro.
If you are not eligible for the free upgrade, you need to purchase a product key or digital license instead . At the time of writing, the official prices for the Home and Pro licenses of the operating system, which should be similar to those of Windows 10, are not clear; upgrading to Windows 11 Pro from Windows 11 Home costs € 145 on the Microsoft Store, while the Windows 11 Pro for Workstation license costs € 199 .
Windows 11 Home KEY ESD | Original license key | Digital sending …
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Windows 11 Professional KEY ESD | Original license key | Sending …
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How to upgrade to Windows 11
Having made all the necessary clarifications, the time has come to explain how to upgrade to Windows 11 starting from a previous operating system.
How to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11
Switching from Windows 10 to Windows 11 , if you have the minimum requirements, is very simple: first, right click on the Start button (the Windows flag icon located in the lower left corner of the screen), select the Settings item from the menu that opens and click on the Update and security icon , located on the next screen.
Now, click on the Check for updates button and wait for the Windows 11 update to be notified to you ; if so, click the Download and Install and Accept Install buttons to start downloading the update package.
When the download is complete, click on the Restart button and wait patiently for the update to Windows 11 to be completed. Please note that, in this way, the data, accounts and settings of the operating system will remain intact.
If the update via Windows Update is not yet available, you can “force it” using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant , available on the Microsoft website : open this last page, click on the Download now button located under the heading homonymous and, once you have the file, run it and click on the Yes button . If prompted, download and install PC Health App , as I have indicated above , then go back to the installation assistant and click on the Update button , located at the bottom.
Now, to proceed with the verification of the computer requirements, click on the Run button ; if successful, you can proceed with the upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 by first clicking on the Accept and Install button and then on Restart now . That’s all!
How to upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 11
To upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 11, you can follow two different paths: Run the “intermediate” update to Windows 10 (need to apply for a valid product key for the operating system) and then proceed as seen just now , or ask the update directly from Windows 8.1. In both cases, the personal data on the computer will remain unaffected.
To proceed with the direct upgrade from Windows 8.1 to Windows 10, you must use the operating system ISO: to obtain it, connect to this website , locate the Windows 11 disc image (ISO) Download box and set the drop-down menu Select download on Windows 11 . Subsequently, click on the Download button , select the language of the operating system by acting on the dedicated drop-down menu and click on the Confirm and 64-bit-Download buttons , to obtain the ISO file containing the operating system.
Once you have finished downloading the image, right-click on it and select Mount from the Windows context menu, to view its contents in the File Explorer . Now, double-click the file setup.exe and then click on the button Yes , to display the Windows 11. Select the installation screen language , the date format and currency , and keyboard language from the drop down menu visible on the screen, click on the Next button and, if prompted, enter the Product keyto be used to register the copy of the operating system. If you do not have one, click on the item I do not have a product key , to activate Windows later.
Now, click on the Next button , choose you want to proceed with the update of the operating system and accept the terms and conditions of use; now, indicate whether to keep personal files and apps , keep only personal files or whether to keep nothing , selecting the item that best suits your needs.
After confirming your choice, if you had opted for the complete deletion of the files, select the disk on which to install the operating system and click on the Next button again , in order to start the installation of Windows 11, which should finish after a few minutes (and several reboots).
At the end of the same, if you have chosen to keep the files of your old operating system intact, you can immediately log in to your account on the computer; otherwise, you will be asked to perform the initial setup of the new operating system, during which you will need to specify your region of residence, assign a name to the computer and set up a Microsoft account .
Next, you will be asked to set an unlock PIN , whether or not to restore files from previous Windows / OneDrive configuration and to define your privacy and cloud save settings .
How to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 11
Do you want to upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 11 ? In this case, you must proceed with a “clean” installation from a USB key , during which you will have to delete (or move to the Windows.old folder) the data relating to the previous operating system. It is not possible, in fact, to make the version jump via direct update.
The drive to be used for installation should be empty (any files present inside will be deleted during the procedure anyway ) and have a minimum size of 8 GB .
Having said that, let’s see how to proceed together: to create the USB key for Windows 11, connected to the Microsoft website , locate the Create Windows 11 installation media box and click on the Download now button , located in its correspondence, to obtain the file MediaCreationToolW11.exe .
When the download is complete, open the aforementioned file, click on the Yes button and wait for the completion of the preliminary operations ; now, accept the conditions of use of the software by clicking on the appropriate button, click on the Next button and choose to use a USB flash drive , placing the check mark next to the appropriate item.
At this point, insert the USB key into the computer, click on the Next button , make sure that the right drive letter is specified on the next screen and press the Next button again , to start downloading the operating system image and subsequent writing to the key. When the procedure is complete, click on the Finish button , restart the computer and wait a few moments: if the computer manages to boot correctly from USB, you should see the Windows 11 installation screen; if this does not happen, you have to manually set boot from USB from UEFI, as I explained to you in my guide on how to set the BIOS .
Once in the Windows 11 installation window, select the installation language you prefer, press the Next and Install buttons and, if prompted, enter the Windows 11 product key in your possession. If you don’t have it yet, click the I don’t have a product key link to proceed further and activate the operating system at a later time.
Now, choose the version of Windows 11 to install from those proposed and wait for the minimum requirements to be checked; now, put the check mark next to the box relative to the acceptance of the terms of use of Windows, go Next and choose you want to carry out a Custom installation .
At this point, choose the disk or partition on which to install Windows 11 and, if you deem it appropriate, format it using the appropriate button; made your choice, click on the Next button to start the installation procedure of the operating system, which will take some time and will involve several restarts. At the end of the installation of Windows 11, the computer will restart and will ask you to carry out the first configuration procedure of the new operating system.
How to upgrade to Windows 11 without the TPM requirements
Your computer doesn’t have a TPM chip but you still want to upgrade to Windows 11, even if you don’t have the above requirement? As I mentioned earlier, this is feasible, but know that it can be a risky operation: Microsoft, in fact, declares that “The installation of media for Windows 11 on a PC that does not meet the minimum system requirements of Windows 11 is not recommended and may cause compatibility problems. […] That PC will no longer be supported nor will it be eligible to receive updates anymore. PC damage caused by lack of compatibility is not covered by the manufacturer’s warranty. ” .
How do you say? Do you want to do it anyway, at your own risk? OK, you have two possible ways to go: make a system change to bypass the control of the TPM module, or create a USB key for installing Windows 11 by inserting a specific file inside it.
Registry modification
Changing the registry is a winning strategy if you want to upgrade to Windows 11 from within the previous operating system. However, this is a “delicate” operation which, if performed incorrectly, could compromise the integrity of the computer: take this into account.
That said, if you want to proceed anyway, open Windows Notepad by calling it from the Start menu (located in the Windows Accessories folder ) and type the following text in it.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMSetupLabConfig]
“BypassTPMCheck”=dword:00000001
“BypassSecureBootCheck”=dword:00000001
“BypassRAMCheck”=dword:00000001
“BypassStorageCheck”=dword:00000001
“BypassCPUCheck”=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESYSTEMSetupMoSetup]
“AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU”=dword:00000001
After that, open the menu File> Save As … to Notepad and set the drop-down menu Save As option All files (*. *) . Then give the file a name as you like, as long as it ends with the .reg extension and save it in a folder that is convenient for you, for example on the Desktop . Finally, double-click on the file you just created and click on the Yes and OK buttons , to apply the change to the registry: starting from this moment, you can update by following the same steps seen for Windows 8.1 (also valid for Windows 10).
USB pendrive
Another method you can use to install Windows 11 without having the requirements is to use a bootable USB stick of the operating system: if you don’t already have it, see this section , to create it.
Once the installation disc is made, you need to include the .reg file to use to bypass the requirements checks, which you can do by following the same directions provided above . Once the file in question has been created, open the Windows File Explorer (the icon of the yellow folder residing on the taskbar), right-click on the name of the USB stick you just created and select the Open item from the required context menu. Finally, copy the previously created .reg file into the Windows 11 key.
Now, restart your computer and wait for the Windows 11 installation screen to appear ; if this does not happen, enter the UEFI system of the computer and configure the boot from USB, as I indicated in my tutorial on how to set the BIOS .
Then, select the operating system installation language , press the Next and Install buttons and enter the Windows 11 product key in your possession; if you don’t have it yet, click on the I don’t have a product key link to proceed further.
Now, choose the version of Windows 11 to install, accept the operating system license and wait for the message to appear that notifies you that it is not possible to upgrade to Windows 11 : when this happens, click on the arrow button at the top of left, to return to the previous screen and press the key combination Shift + F10 on the keyboard, to open a Command Prompt .
At this point, type the command regedit.exe, enter Enter and click on the File> Import … menu of the screen that opens; to finish, select the .reg file you previously saved on the key and, if prompted, confirm that you want to import the specified keys by clicking on the Yes button . Finally, press the OK button and proceed with the installation of Windows, as I explained to you in the previous chapters of this guide.
If any steps are not clear to you or you want to know more about how to install Windows 11 without TPM , consult the specific guide I have dedicated to the topic.
How to switch from Windows 11 Home to Pro
Have you purchased a license for Windows 11 Pro and want to use it to upgrade the Home version of the operating system? Everything is much simpler than you think: it will be Windows Update, following the entry of a valid Product Key, to take care of downloading the necessary to complete the update.
So, right-click on the Start button (the flag icon visible on the left side of the taskbar), click on the System icon resident in the screen that appears and choose the Activation and Update Windows edition items .
Now, if you already have a Product Key, click on the Change button corresponding to the wording Change Product Key , enter the license key in the appropriate field and, after clicking on the Next button , follow the instructions you receive on the screen, to bring at the end of the update.
Alternatively, you can purchase a Windows license “on the fly” directly from the Microsoft store: click on the Open the Store button and, when the latter starts, press the Buy button and follow the instructions you receive on the screen to complete the update procedure.