After the Windows 11 launch event, Microsoft confirmed to users of its operating system that computers running Windows 10 will be entitled to a free upgrade. It is believed that PCs running Windows 7, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 may also have access to the new OS if they upgrade to Windows 10 first. It remains to be seen whether a direct upgrade from Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 11 will be possible.
When will I be able to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11?
According to Microsoft, from the end of September 2021 Windows 10 users will start receiving the update to Windows 11. The forecast for all computers compatible with the operating system to receive the update is until the end of December 2021. XNUMX.
When will Windows 11 be available to enrollees in the Windows Insider Program?
According to Microsoft, next week Windows 11 will be made available to developers ("beta testers"). That is, people who participate in the Windows Insider program will soon receive the notification update.
Will Windows 11 be a free upgrade?
Yes, Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 11, will come in the form of a free update. According to the company, the same ways to download Windows 10 for Windows 11 will be offered, including updates through various sources. Still in 2021, Windows 10 users will be able to download it through Windows Update, as mentioned above.
Microsoft releases PC compatibility program with Windows 11
It was already clear during Microsoft's presentation yesterday (24) that Windows 11 will not be compatible with all computers. To make it easier to identify machines that are compatible with the new operating system, the company has created a program called "PC Health Check" (download it here), which runs a desktop/notebook compatibility check to inform if the software (drivers) and hardware (parts) are compatible with Windows 11.
Windows being treated as a service
The idea of making Windows available for free continues to be used by Microsoft as the company wants to offer "Windows as a service". According to Microsoft, you can basically upgrade your operating system to Windows 11 as long as you meet the requirements below:
- 64-bit CPU (processor)
- 4 GB of RAM
- Have 64GB of storage
- Own a genuine, activated copy of Windows 10
However, although there are such simple requirements, not all processors will be officially compatible with Windows 11, as you will see below.
Your processor (CPU) may not be officially supported
According to Microsoft, Windows 11 will only officially support 8th generation or higher Intel Core processors, in addition to Apollo Lake and the latest Pentium and Celeron CPUs.
Of course, Windows 11 will also officially support AMD processors, but it will only be AMD Ryzen 2000 CPUs or newer models, in addition to 2nd generation EPYC processors or higher.
Check out the full list of processors officially supported by Windows 11 below:
WINDOWS 11 SUPPORT FOR INTEL
- Intel 8th Generation (Coffee Lake)
- Intel 9th Generation (Coffee Lake Refresh)
- Intel 10th Gen (Comet Lake)
- Intel 10th Gen (Ice Lake)
- Intel 11th generation (Rocket Lake)
- Intel 11th generation (Tiger Lake)
- Intel Xeon Skylake-SP
- Intel Xeon Cascade Lake-SP
- Intel Xeon Cooper Lake-SP
- Intel Xeon Ice Lake-SP
WINDOWS 11 SUPPORT FOR AMD
- AMD Ryzen 2000
- AMD Ryzen 3000
- AMD Ryzen 4000
- AMD Ryzen 5000
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 2000
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper 3000
- AMD Ryzen Threadripper Pro 3000
- 2nd Gen AMD EPYC
- 3nd Gen AMD EPYC
Older processors will be able to install Windows 11, but with caveats
While there are processor generation requirements to install Windows 11, Microsoft makes it clear that there will be some flexibility. That said, it is believed that it will be possible to install the new OS on older machines with a support notice. Unfortunately, it remains to be seen whether older PCs will receive long-term support from Microsoft.
What did you think of the matter? Did you like it? Share with your friends on social media!
