- Microsoft previously offered details on installing Windows 11 on an unsupported PC
- That workaround has been removed from the support document that hosted it
- This could be to do with the release of the 24H2 update, which is now widely rolling out
Microsoft has just quietly removed information in its support documentation regarding installing Windows 11 via a (not recommended) workaround, one that allowed the OS to be hosted on a PC that doesn’t meet the hardware requirements.
Specifically, this was a workaround for machines that aren’t up to speed for the system requirements of Windows 11 in terms of having TPM 2.0, or not having a modern enough CPU. It involved tweaking the Registry of the OS in order to facilitate the installation.
TechSpot noticed that Microsoft had made the change, linking to the new, altered support document, and also providing a link to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine’s captured version of the old document.
As you can see if you compare the two, the instructions for ducking around the TPM 2.0 or CPU requirements are provided with the old doc in the box labeled ‘warning’ which makes it clear that there are risks involved with both installing Windows 11 on an unsupported PC and modifying the Registry.
It appears that warnings aren’t enough, and Microsoft doesn’t want anyone at all using this fudge now, even at their own risk, given the change to the doc here.
Analysis: A decision prompted by Germanium?
Why has Microsoft made this change now, after leaving these workaround details in place for so long? Because as far as we are aware, this method still works.
One theory is that the recent release of Windows 11 24H2 may have changed the terrain that this workaround is built on, meaning that trying to dodge said system requirements could now be more problematic.
Remember, the platform that underpins Windows 11 was changed to an all-new affair with the 24H2 update, as Microsoft introduced Germanium. In short, that meant a lot of tweaks for the inner workings of the operating system that can’t be seen, but are most definitely there (and needed for Copilot+ PCs). The changes may cause more potential problems with the above installation workaround (particularly given that one of Germanium’s main pillars is to bolster security, as well as performance).
So, perhaps the workaround is simply more likely to run into issues now, though we’ve not seen reports of this from Windows users to back up this idea (not yet, anyway). As already noted, we aren’t seeing any evidence that this method doesn’t actually work anymore.
Obviously, you can still view the instructions (via the Wayback Machine as noted), so if you want to make the move to Windows 11 on an unsupported PC, that can still be done (in theory). Indeed, we have a much more in-depth look at this process in a guide here, so if you’re serious about installing Windows 11 in this way, check that out.
In that guide, we still don’t recommend taking this course of action, due to the potential risks involved – which, if the above theorizing is correct, may be even more perilous now that Windows 11 24H2 is in town with Germanium in tow.
As Windows 10’s End of Life comes ever closer, if you are still on the older OS due to not having a PC that supports Windows 11, then you need to start carefully examining your options. Clearly enough, Microsoft doesn’t think one of those choices should be to fudge Windows 11 on a PC with an old unsupported processor (or no TPM 2.0, or perhaps both).
Whatever the case, it appears that the looming deadline for Windows 10 support ending is making some people think about upgrading, and Windows 11 is suddenly becoming more popular. Expect more of that migration to come as 2025 rolls onwards.
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