We are just days away from the official stable release of Windows 11, Microsoft’s latest desktop operating system. Windows 11 brings a number of changes and feature improvements to enhance the overall experience.
However, many users are still unsure if their PC/laptop meets the minimum hardware requirements to install Windows 11 and how to upgrade their PC from Windows 10 to Windows 11.
To end this confusion, today, we have created a detailed guide on how to upgrade your PC to Windows 11 for free.
Windows 11 Minimum Hardware Requirements
Here are the minimum requirements as per Microsoft for a PC to run Windows 11:
- Processor- 1 GHz or faster with two or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC)
- Memory – 4GB
- Storage – 64 GB or larger storage device
- System Firmware – UEFI, Secure Boot capable
- TPM – Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
- Graphics Card – DirectX 12 compatible graphics / WDDM 2.x
- Display – 9″ with HD Resolution (720p)
Upgrading to Windows 11 (The Easiest Way)
While the official rollout of Windows 11 will begin on October 5th, not everyone will get the update on their PCs at the same time on the same day. In fact, as per Microsoft, the Windows 11 roll-out will continue till as long as mid-2022.
So, the most straightforward way to upgrade to Windows 11 right now is by registering for the Windows Insider Program. Once you have signed up, you will directly receive the Windows 11 update in settings.
Let us have a look at how you can sign up and upgrade your PC.
- Once done, choose the Beta Channel option and hit confirm
- Here click on the get started option and follow the on-screen steps.
- Now choose Windows insider Program from the drop-down list.
- Open settings and click on the “Updates & Security tab” (Make sure you have an active internet connection)
- You will need to sign up for the program using your Microsoft Account
- And you’re done, just restart your desktop/laptop once and then check for updates.
Clean Installing Windows 11 using an ISO file
If you want to perform a clean installation, then ISO is the way to go. However, the process is a bit more lengthy and tricky compared to the method we mentioned earlier. So let us have a look.
Prerequisites
- Download Windows 11 ISO
- A USB drive (minimum 8GB)
- Download Rufus
Steps to create a bootable USB drive
- Once that is done, just below devices, there is an option to choose an ISO file. Click on Select ISO and choose the Windows 11 ISO.
- Open rufus, which we downloaded earlier.
- After opening rufus, connect your USB drive to your PC. Please note- All the data on the USB drive will get wiped.
- Now choose your USB in rufus.
- Under the partition scheme, there will be 2 options – GPT and MBR. Now, this will depend upon your Disk. In our case, it is MBR, so we chose MBR.
- Hit start and wait patiently as this may take some time.
Steps to check partition (MBR or GPT)
As we saw in the steps above, it is essential to choose the correct partition scheme. If we choose the wrong partition scheme, then you will be unable to install Windows 11 on PC. So let us have a detailed look at the steps on how you can check your partition scheme.
- Look for the Volumes tab and select it.
- Go to the start menu and search “Create and format disk partitions,” and open it.
- After opening, you will see all your drives. Here, click on the drive you will install Windows 11 on and right-click and select Properties.
- In the properties tab, click on Hardware and choose Properties again
- Hit Populate, and you will find the partition scheme under the partition style. Now, you can go back and continue making a bootable USB drive.
Setting up Windows 11 on PC
- Open BIOS settings on your laptop. That being said, the process to enter bios is different for different manufactures.
- After you have successfully entered bios settings, search for the boot preferences. Again, this differs from device to device.
- In the boot, preferences select USB drive as first boot priority and restart your device.
- Click start and start following the on-screen instructions.
- Once setup is complete, the PC will restart. At this point, remove your USB drive from the PC. Boom, you will now be greeted with the new Windows 11 startup screen. (The device might reboot a few times during this process)
- Once the device boots successfully, follow the new Windows 11 setup screen. Congratulations, you have now successfully installed Windows 11 on your PC.