Check whether your PC can run Windows 11

Steps

1. 01

   Let Microsoft's own tool name the blocker

   • Install and run PC Health Check — unlike the Windows 11 installer, it names the exact requirement that is failing instead of just refusing
   • Read what it says carefully: a processor that is not on Microsoft's supported list is a hard stop, while TPM and Secure Boot usually are not

   Why?

   Microsoft's published requirements are a 1 GHz or faster 64-bit processor with two or more cores from its supported list, 4 GB of memory, 64 GB of storage, UEFI firmware that is Secure Boot capable, TPM 2.0, and a DirectX 12 capable graphics card.

2. 02

   Check the TPM

   • Win+R → tpm.msc›Enter
   • You want 'The TPM is ready for use', with Specification Version 2.0 in the TPM Manufacturer Information panel
   • 'Compatible TPM cannot be found' usually means it exists but is switched off in firmware, not that the machine lacks one

   ✓You should see: Status reads ready for use and the specification version is 2.0.

   Why?

   Microsoft counts firmware TPM towards the requirement — Intel PTT, AMD fTPM, a discrete module on the motherboard header, or an integrated security processor such as Pluton all qualify.

3. 03

   Check Secure Boot and the firmware mode together

   • Win+Rmsinfo32›System Summary
   • Read two rows, not one: 'Secure Boot State' and 'BIOS Mode'
   • Secure Boot State 'Off' with BIOS Mode 'UEFI' is just a firmware switch — go to the next step
   • BIOS Mode 'Legacy' means the disk is partitioned the old way and Secure Boot cannot simply be turned on

   ✓You should see: BIOS Mode: UEFI and Secure Boot State: On is the combination Windows 11 wants.

   !Careful: If BIOS Mode says Legacy, do not enable Secure Boot in firmware and hope. The PC will stop booting. The disk has to be converted from MBR to GPT first — that is a separate, higher-risk job with its own fix.

   Also see: Convert your disk from MBR to GPT for Secure Boot

4. 04

   Switch on what is merely switched off

   • Restart into firmware:Settings›System›Recovery›Advanced startup›Restart now›Troubleshoot›Advanced options›UEFI Firmware Settings›Restart
   • Find and enable the TPM — it is named TPM, PTT or Intel Platform Trust Technology on Intel boards, and fTPM or AMD fTPM on AMD ones. Boards file it under security or advanced settings; the manual says where
   • Enable Secure Boot, usually under a Boot or Security section
   • Save, exit, and let Windows start

   ✓You should see: tpm.msc and msinfo32 now report what step 2 and step 3 were looking for.

   Why?

   Turning these on costs nothing and changes nothing about how the PC behaves day to day — on most machines from 2018 onward they were simply never switched on.

   Also see: Know your BIOS settings (the 5 that matter)

5. 05

   Decide what to do with the answer

   • Everything green: the free upgrade route is Settings → Windows Update, where Windows 11 is offered when the PC qualifies
   • Processor unsupported: the machine is genuinely out of scope, and the honest options are extended security updates, a replacement, or a supported Linux desktop

   Also see: Windows 10 is past end of support — what to do now