1/19/25, 8:58 PM How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 in 2025 | ZDNET

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Home Tech Services & Software Operating Systems Windows Windows 11

How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows

10 PC to Windows 11 in 2025
Microsoft keeps adding upgrade roadblocks, but there are workarounds for many
models. Here's how you can find out whether your Windows 10 PC can bypass the latest
restrictions and safely upgrade to Windows 11 - for free.

Written by Ed Bott, Senior Contributing Editor

Jan. 18, 2025 at 7:00 a.m. PT

CLICK TO UNMUTE

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table of contents

Which option should you choose?

Option 1: Use this simple registry edit

1. Change one key in the Windows registry

2. Download the Windows 11 ISO

3 Mount the ISO file in File Explorer

Mihaela Rosu/Getty Images

On October 14, 2025, Microsoft will stop delivering security updates to your Windows 10 PC
unless you're willing to pay an exorbitant price to join the Extended Security Updates
program.

If you try to upgrade to Windows 11 on a PC that's more than a few years old, you'll be told --
in no uncertain terms -- that your old PC doesn't qualify because its CPU isn't on the official
list of compatible processors. Microsoft has made it abundantly clear that it will not revise
those requirements. You will also hit roadblocks if your PC doesn't have a Trusted Platform
Module (TPM) version 2.0.

Also: Can your old PC handle the Windows 11 upgrade? How to find out - before you try

That might be the official policy, but -- as with everything Windows-related -- it pays to read
the fine print.

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Those pesky restrictions prevent you from automatically upgrading to Windows 11 using
table of contents
Windows Update or the Windows 11 Installation Assistant. Yet there are fully supported
workarounds
Which for most
option should youPCs that are capable of running Windows 10, as I document
choose?
in ZDNET's Windows 11 FAQ.
Option 1: Use this simple registry edit

Over
1. the past
Change year
one key in or
theso, Microsoft
Windows has played a cat-and-mouse game with enthusiasts,
registry
adding occasional speed bumps that make it more difficult to bypass these compatibility
2. Download the Windows 11 ISO
checks. There are workarounds for most modern PCs, but some older devices, especially
those
3 built
Mount theusing AMD
ISO file processors,
in File Explorer might be out of luck. The instructions in this post take all
those developments into account.

Also: You can still upgrade old PCs to Windows 11, even if Microsoft says no: Readers
prove it

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Of course, everything in this article requires that you be signed in as an administrator on the
PC you want to upgrade.

Which option should you choose?

Please don't skip over this section.

This article describes two upgrade options.

To take advantage of the workaround described in option 1 below, your computer must meet
all the other requirements for Windows 11.

It must be configured to start up using UEFI, not a legacy BIOS configuration.

Secure Boot must be supported, although it does not need to be enabled. (But seriously,
folks, you should enable it.)

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A TPM must be enabled; version 1.2 is OK, but a system without any TPM or with the TPM
table of contents
disabled will fail.
Which option should you choose?
Also: Microsoft will start charging for Windows 10 updates next year. Here's how much
Option 1: Use this simple registry edit

ToChange
1. check one
these
keydetails on a PC registry
in the Windows you're considering upgrading, run the System Information
utility, Msinfo32.exe, and look at the System Summary page. Pay special attention to the
2. Download
BIOS Mode the Windows
value. 11 ISO
If it says "Legacy," you'll need to reconfigure your system to UEFI mode
(and convert your system disk from MBR to GPT partitioning) before you can install Windows
3 Mount the ISO file in File Explorer
11 as a normal upgrade.

To see whether your PC has a TPM enabled, run the Trusted Platform Module Management
tool, Tpm.msc. If your computer includes a TPM and it's turned on, this app will display
information about it. If there's no TPM, or if the TPM is disabled in firmware settings, you'll
see a message that says "Compatible TPM cannot be found."

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If you're unable (or unwilling) to change from Legacy BIOS to UEFI, or if you have an older PC
that doesn't have a TPM option at all, you'll need to use the second option, which takes
advantage of an undocumented hack that allows you to bypass the compatibility checks
and complete the upgrade. Skip to the "Option 2" section of this post for details on how to
use the free Rufus utility to perform this upgrade.

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table of contents

Which option should you choose? see all

Option 1: Use this simple registry edit

Note that a new set of restrictions, introduced as part of the Windows 11, version 24H2
1. Change one key in the Windows registry
update, require a CPU that supports specific instructions -- SSE4.2 and PopCnt. Most PCs
with
2. Intel CPUs
Download that are 11
the Windows from
ISO 2009 or later will meet this standard. AMD CPUs from 2013 or
later should also meet these requirements. For details, see "Microsoft blocked your
3 Mount the
Windows 11 ISO file in File
upgrade? ThisExplorer
trusty tool can (probably) fix that."

Also: Your Windows 10 PC can't be upgraded? You have 5 options before support ends in
2025

If you plan to perform a clean installation of Windows 11, you can boot from installation
media and run Windows Setup. That option skips the CPU compatibility check completely
(but still requires a TPM and Secure Boot support). After the installation completes, you'll
need to reinstall all your apps, restore your data files, and tweak settings to personalize your
system preferences.

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Want to avoid all that hassle? Choose the option that's appropriate for your hardware.

Option 1: Use this simple registry edit

Bypass CPU checks and accept any TPM version with this registry edit. Please be aware
that this option requires that you run the Setup program from within your current Windows
installation. You can't boot from a USB flash drive and install Windows 11 this way.

This process requires four steps.

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1. table
Change one key in the Windows registry
of contents

Which option should you choose?

You need to make one small change to the Windows registry, as documented in
Option 1: Use this simple registry edit
this Microsoft support document. This change tells the Windows 11 Setup program to skip
the
1. checkone
Change forkey
compatible CPUsregistry
in the Windows and to allow installation on a PC with an older TPM (version
1.2). The usual warnings apply when working with the registry; I recommend you make a
2. Download
complete the Windows
backup before11proceeding.
ISO

3 Mount
Open the ISOEditor
Registry file in File Explorer and navigate to the following key:
(Regedit.exe)

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup

If the MoSetup key, doesn't exist, you need to create it. Right-click the node for
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup in the left-hand navigation pane, then choose New
> Key. Name it MoSetup and press Enter.

Also: Wiping your Windows laptop? Here's the simplest way to erase all personal data

Select the MoSetup key and then right-click in any empty space in the pane on the right.
Choose the option to create a new DWORD value. (Don't choose the QWORD option!)

Replace the default name for that key by typing the text
AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU and then press Enter. Then double-click the
new value and change the "Value data" box to 1. The result should look like this:

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table of contents

Which option should you choose?

Option 1: Use this simple registry edit

1. Change one key in the Windows registry

2. Download the Windows 11 ISO

3 Mount the ISO file in File Explorer

Use this registry tweak to override the Windows 11 CPU compatibility check. You must have a TPM (any version) and Secure
Boot must be enabled.
Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET

Click OK to save your change, and then restart your PC.

2. Download the Windows 11 ISO

On the PC you want to upgrade, go to the Windows 11 Download page

(aka.ms/DownloadWindows11) and choose the option at the bottom of the page, "Download
Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) for x64 devices." Save the ISO file in your Downloads folder.

Note that this is a big file. Depending on the speed of your internet connection, the
download could take a while.

3. Mount the ISO file in File Explorer

After the download completes, open File Explorer and double-click the ISO file you
downloaded in the previous step. Doing so mounts the file as a virtual DVD drive in its own
folder, with its own drive letter.

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4.table
RunofWindows
contents Setup

Which option should you choose?

In File Explorer, find the Setup.exe file and double-click it to begin the upgrade. You'll see a
Option 1: Use this simple registry edit
stern warning about compatibility issues, but you can safely click Accept to move past it.
(For
1. details
Change oneonkey
what that
in the warning
Windows message really means, see "Is Microsoft really going to
registry
cut off security updates for your 'unsupported' Windows 11 PC?") After you click OK on that
2. Download
dialog the Windows
box, your upgrade11should
ISO proceed without any serious issues.

3 Mount upgrading
If you're the ISO file in Filethe
from Explorer
same edition (Home or Pro), you'll have three options: You can
keep your apps, settings, and files (Full Upgrade); keep your data files but start fresh with
apps and settings (Keep Data Only); or start completely fresh (Clean Install).

Advertisement

Option 2: Use the free Rufus utility

On older PCs without a TPM and on PCs that don't support Secure Boot, you'll need to use
an undocumented hack to bypass the compatibility checker. You can do this manually by
replacing the Appraiserres.dll file (in the Sources subfolder on the Windows 11 installer drive)
with a zero-byte version and then making a series of registry edits. But it's simpler to use the
free, open-source Rufus utility to make a USB drive that includes this file.

To get started, download Rufus version 4.6 or later. (Earlier versions won't work, thanks
to changes Microsoft made in October 2024 to its compatibility checking tools. For details
of how the newer versions work, see "Microsoft blocked your Windows 11 upgrade? This just-
released tool can get the job done.") In addition, be aware that using Rufus will not allow you
to bypass the new CPU restrictions that require SSE4.2 and PopCnt instruction support.

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Also: Why Windows 11 requires a TPM - and how to get around that
table of contents
To get started, you'll need to download the Windows 11 ISO and supply a USB flash drive of
Which option should you choose?
at least 16 GB in size. You will reformat this drive as part of the process, so back up any data
on that1:drive
Option first.
Use this simple registry edit

1. Change one key in the Windows registry Advertisement

2. Download the Windows 11 ISO

3 Mount the ISO file in File Explorer

1. Download Rufus from the developer's site or from the Microsoft Store and run the app.
2. Choose the USB drive and then choose the "Disk or ISO image" option.
3. Click the Select button, choose the Windows 11 ISO you downloaded earlier, and then
click Start.
4. In the Windows User Experience dialog, select the first checkbox to remove hardware
requirements, as shown in the screenshot below.
5. Click OK to begin creating the drive.

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table of contents

Which option should you choose?

Option 1: Use this simple registry edit

1. Change one key in the Windows registry

2. Download the Windows 11 ISO

3 Mount the ISO file in File Explorer

Be sure to choose the top checkbox here to bypass the

compatibility check for the Windows 11 upgrade.
Screenshot by Ed Bott/ZDNET

After Rufus successfully creates your installer, open that USB drive in File Explorer, and
double-click Setup. Do not try to upgrade by booting from that USB drive and performing a
clean install; it won't work.)

As is the case with the other option, you'll see a warning about compatibility issues. It's a
scare tactic. (For details on what that warning message really means, see "Is Microsoft
really going to cut off security updates for your 'unsupported' Windows 11 PC?") After you
click Accept on that dialog box, your upgrade should proceed without any serious issues.

Also: Microsoft blocked your Windows 11 upgrade? This trusty tool can (probably) fix that

My ZDNET colleague Lance Whitney has more details on the other options available with
Rufus in "How to install Windows 11 the way you want (and bypass Microsoft's restrictions)."

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If you've tried this upgrade, I want to hear about your experience. If it worked, please share
table of contents
the details. If you run into snags, send me an email so we can figure out what's going wrong.
Be sure
Which to include
option shoulddetails -- the make and model of your PC and screenshots of any error
you choose?
messages. I've set up a special inbox just for this feedback: Win11Upgrade [at]
Option 1: Use this simple registry edit
realworldwindows.com.
1. Change one key in the Windows registry
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2. Download the Windows 11 ISO

3 Mount the ISO file in File Explorer

This article was originally published on April 9, 2022, but has been updated multiple times
since then. It was last updated on January 18, 2025.

windows

How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Microsoft blocked your Windows 11 Wiping a Wind
Windows 10 PC to Windows 11: Two ways upgrade? This tool can get the job done safest way to e
for free

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table of contents

Which option should you choose? show comments

Option 1: Use this simple registry edit

1. Change one key in the Windows registry

2. Download the Windows 11 ISO

3 Mount the ISO file in File Explorer

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Which option should you choose?
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Option 1: Use this simple registry edit
accessibility
1. Change one key in the Windows registry

2. Download the Windows 11 ISO

3 Mount the ISO file in File Explorer

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