Windows 11 FAQ: ZDNET's upgrade guide and everything else you need to know (2024)

At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, Windows 11 is the successor to Windows 10. It's built on the same core architecture as Windows 10; indeed, Microsoft could have chosen to deliver the new features in Windows 11 through a series of semi-annual feature updates to Windows 10 without a name change.

Instead, it chose to make this a good old-fashioned "big bang" release, with a new major version number and a laundry list of new features.

The first release of Windows 11 was version 21H2, which was made available to the general public on October 5, 2021. (Members of the Windows Insider Program received the build early as a cumulative update on September 16, 2021.) That initial release was identified as build number 22000.194. Version 22H2 (build 22621) was released on September 20, 2022; version 23H2 (build 22631 was released on October 31, 2023.

For each of those major releases, monthly cumulative updates increment the minor version number. For a list of updates and links to release notes, see theWindows 11 Update Historypage. (Use the pane on the left side of the page to select the major version number.)

Also: How to lock down your Microsoft account and guard it from attackers

Microsoft offers Windows 11 as a free update to PCs running Windows 10 that meet compatibility requirements and are not blocked for compatibility issues. To manually upgrade a PC from Windows 10 to Windows 11, go to theDownload Windows 11page, where you can choose one of three installation options:

• Run the Windows 11 Installation Assistant, a utility program that downloads the necessary installer files and upgrades the current PC.
• Create Windows 11 installation media on a USB flash drive or, for traditionalists, a DVD.
• Download a Windows 11 disk image in ISO format.

The installation files are also available forVolume License subscribersand for those with aVisual Studio subscription.

The most important change in the Windows 11 era isn't software at all. Instead, look at what Microsoft calls theservicing schedule, which now produces feature updates once per year (in the second half of the calendar year) instead of adhering to the frenetic twice-a-year feature update schedule that prevailed for the first few years of the Windows 10 era.

Although those annual releases are still called feature updates, that name is a bit of a misnomer, as Microsoft is now regularly releasing new features in between those major releases. New features can arrive via Windows Update or through the Microsoft Store

Also: How to lock down your Microsoft account and guard it from attackers

The support calendar (what Microsoft calls theWindows lifecycle) is also pushed out, with Microsoft offering 24 months of support for retail and OEM editions: Home, Pro, Pro for Workstations, and Pro Education. That's a change from the 18-month support window offered for Windows 10. IT staff in business and education environments get 36 months of support for Enterprise and Education editions. That's an improvement over the unusual tick-tock support schedule implemented for Windows 10, where only H2 releases get three full years of updates.

Security updates continue to arrive monthly, on the second Tuesday of each month.

Unlike Windows 10, which was specifically designed to run on older hardware, Windows 11 requires relatively new hardware and is blocked as an upgrade on older PCs. Most PCs designed and sold in 2019 or later will work with Windows 11. Owners of PCs that fall short of the minimum requirements may still be able to install Windows 11, but Microsoft warns that those installations will be unsupported.

The publishedsystem requirements for Windows 11are as follows:

• Processor: 1GHz or faster with two or more cores on acompatible 64-bit processoror system on a chip (SoC)
• RAM: at least 4GB
• Storage: at least 64GB of available storage
• Security: TPM version 2.0, UEFI firmware, Secure Boot capable
• Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later, with a WDDM 2.0 driver
• Display: High definition (720p) display, 9" or greater monitor, 8-bits per color channel

To check for Windows 11 compatibility, download and run thePC Health Check app, which will identify specific compatibility issues that prevent an upgrade. Older hardware is less likely to pass Windows 11's stringent compatibility checks; for example, most Intel 7th Generation Core processors are not on the list of compatible CPUs, nor are PCs built using AMD Zen 1 processors. PCs built in 2016 or earlier are almost certain to be unsupported.

Also: How much RAM does your Windows 11 PC need?

On August 27, 2021, Microsoft announced that it wasexpanding the list of compatible processors slightlywhile keeping all other requirements in place.

Windows 11 requires a hardware security component called aTrusted Platform Module(TPM), along with UEFI firmware (no legacy BIOS allowed) and Secure Boot. The UEFI requirement also means that system disks must be set up using the GUID Partition Table (GPT) standard. Systems that use the legacy Master Boot Record (MBR) system are unsupported.

Virtually all PCs designed and built since 2015 include TPM 2.0 support, although you might have to go into the firmware settings to enable it.

Naturally, you'll need an internet connection to keep Windows 11 up-to-date and to download and use some features. Beginning with Windows 11 version 22H2, setting up a new PC for personal use requires an internet connection and a Microsoft account to complete the out-of-box device setup. The option for a local account is available when setting up Windows 11 Pro for use on a business network. For a full explanation of user account types, see "Windows 11 setup: Which user account type should you choose?"

And this might be a good place to raise a farewell toast to 32-bit Windows, which is now officially retired. Windows 11 is available only as a 64-bit OS for 64-bit CPUs (32-bit Windows apps will continue to be supported, however).

The Windows 11 Setup program includes a utility that checks for compatibility with the hardware requirements and blocks upgrade installations on devices that don't include a supported CPU or TPM 2.0. However, you can bypass that compatibility check by downloading an ISO file and performing a clean install. To upgrade a system that is running Windows 10 but doesn't meet the hardware requirements, aMicrosoft support documentspecifies the following registry key modification you must make first:

• Registry Key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup
• Name: AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU
• Type: REG_DWORD
• Value: 1

Aseparate Microsoft support documentwarns that making this tweak is not recommended:

This PC doesn't meet the minimum system requirements for running Windows 11 - these requirements help ensure a more reliable and higher quality experience. Installing Windows 11 on this PC is not recommended and may result in compatibility issues. If you proceed with installing Windows 11, your PC will no longer be supported and won't be entitled to receive updates. Damages to your PC due to lack of compatibility aren't covered under the manufacturer warranty.

Older PCs upgraded using this workaround continue to receive security updates alongside supported hardware, but that's not guaranteed. It's possible (but, in my opinion, unlikely) that a future update might reinstate the compatibility check without allowing a bypass. For a more detailed discussion, see "Is Microsoft really going to cut off security updates for your 'unsupported' Windows 11 PC?"

To a casual observer, Windows 11 looks like aglorified theme pack for Windows 10, but there's more going on than meets the eye. There are some noticeable visual tweaks to what Microsoft calls the Windows 11 user experience (UX), including new icons, with more vibrant colors and rounded corners, as well as a new system font.

Visuals aside, Windows 11 also makes some fairly radical changes to the other fundamental parts of the Windows UX, including the Start menu and taskbar. The Start button still sits at the left of the taskbar, but the taskbar itself is now centered at the bottom edge of the display. (There's a setting to move everything back to the left if you don't feel like overpowering your muscle memory from decades of having Start in the lower left of the screen.)

Clicking Start slides open a new pane that barely resembles the scrolling lists of apps and utilities found on the traditional Start menu. In Windows 11, this space is split into two rectangles under a search box, with the top half dedicated to program icons and the bottom half given over to shortcuts to recent documents. You can pin programs and folders to that top space, drag them into your preferred order, and group them into subfolders.

Also: Hate Windows 11? Here's how to make it work more like Windows 10

The only other tweak for Start is the option to pin some system folders to the bottom row, between the user profile picture and the power button. The Start menu can't be resized.

Most of what's noteworthy about the taskbar is what's missing from its predecessors. The taskbar is centered at the bottom of the display; you can align it on the left, but you can't dock the sidebar to the top or sides. Recent builds have also brought back the ability to show labels and turn off the options to combine buttons for multiple windows associated with a specific app.

The taskbar contains one new button, which opens a Widgets pane on the left side of the display. The selection of widgets, although improved from the initial release, is still limited mostly to Microsoft services and a cringe-worthy selection of news headlines. The ability to fine-tune the visibility of tray icons and a crisper, cleaner Quick Settings app are welcome changes.

The lineup of Windows 11 editions is identical to those available for Windows 10, as are the suggested retail prices for corresponding Windows 11 editions. The complete lineup of retail and OEM editions includes Home, Pro, and Pro for Workstations.

Also: Windows 11 version 23H2 isn't exciting, which is why you'll probably love it

On any PC with a properly licensed copy of Windows 10, the upgrade to Windows 11 is free. Although you can upgrade to Windows 11 on a PC running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1, the upgraded installation will not be activated automatically until you supply a product key or otherwise apply a Windows license.

Yes, you can install Windows 11 in a virtual machine (VM). In fact, you can create a virtual TPM in a Windows 11 VM that will satisfy the hardware requirements of the new operating system. On a Type 1 (bare metal) hypervisor like Microsoft's own Hyper-V, you'll be constrained by the same CPU requirements that govern installations on a physical PC. On a Type 2 hypervisor such as Oracle VirtualBox or VMware workstation, you might be able to spoof that requirement, but the effort is probably not worth the risk.

For detailed instructions on how to set up a Windows 11 virtual machine using Hyper-V on Windows 10 or Windows 11, see"How to create the perfect Windows 11 virtual machine."

On a Mac with an Intel-based processor, you can install a third-party hypervisor and then use a downloaded ISO to install Windows 11. On Macs that use Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3), the Microsoft-authorized option requires Parallels Desktop version 18 or later. You'll need to supply a license for Windows 11 Pro to activate the virtual installation. For details on the limitations of Windows VMs running on this platform, see the Microsoft Support article: "Options for using Windows 11 with Mac computers with Apple M1 and M2 chips.".

Most apps and devices that work with Windows 10 should work as expected under Windows 11. The newer operating system is sufficiently similar to its predecessor that the differences shouldn't pose a problem for most apps. The best way to check compatibility for a Windows app is to install Windows 11 in a virtual machine and try running it. (If you encounter an error, be sure to use the Feedback Hub app to file a report.)

If you discover a compatibility issue with hardware or software after upgrading to Windows 11, you have 10 days to roll that upgrade back to the previous installation of Windows 10. That option disappears after 10 days, so don't delay.