Have you ever asked yourself How to Check your Computer for Windows 11 Compatibility? or
How can I tell if my computer can run Windows 11? Microsoft’s PC Health Check app is now available again, but not everyone can use it.
So here’s how to use the tool and two other third-party options to determine whether a PC can be upgraded to Windows 11.
Microsoft announced Windows 11 late in June, stating that the new OS would have stricter hardware requirements than Windows 10 and releasing a PC Health Check program to help users determine whether their PCs were ready to upgrade.
Microsoft released the PC Health Check tool in July 2014.
It will check if a computer has the necessary hardware and software for Windows 11. Four days later, the company removed the app from the market for various things, including a lack of detail and accuracy.
I’ll go over the current system requirements and how to use the PC Health Check app and two other tools to determine whether a PC is ready for the Windows 11 upgrade.
System requirements for Windows 11
According to Microsoft’s Windows 11 overview page, the following are essential things a PC must-have for Windows 11 to install correctly.
First, Microsoft has now relaxed these rules, allowing PCs that do not meet the requirements to run Windows 11 in the Insider Program.
However, after the official release later this year, these machines will be unable to upgrade to newer Windows 11.
- TPM 2.0: the Trusted Platform Module (TPM).
- The system firmware is UEFI and can perform Secure Boot.
- The processor must be 64-bit and at least 1 GHz. Intel 8th generation or later (details); AMD Ryzen 3 or better (details); Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c or later (details) (details)
- The graphics card must support Direct X12 or later and have a WDDM 2.0 driver or later.
- Storage: 64 GB or larger storage device
- RAM: at least 4 GB
- Internet connection and MSA: Some features require both an MSA and an internet connection. It would help if you were connected to the internet to receive updates and download and use some features in all Windows 11.
- Display: A high-definition (720p) screen that is larger than 9″ across and has 8 bits per color channel (or better)
Recently, the company changed its CPU restrictions to include certain high-end seventh-generation Intel processors found in some of its Microsoft Surface Studio 2 PCs and certain Xeon processors with their limitations.
Using Microsoft’s PC Health Check
PC Health Check had been re-released at writing, but it was only available to Microsoft’s Windows Insider program members. To access PC Health Check, you must be a Windows Insider and logged in to your Microsoft account.
Most Windows PCs will be able to use Microsoft’s PC Health Check. Those who use Windows 10 Education or Enterprise may be out of luck. There are also third-party compatibility check tools that are worth investigating. Microsoft and other websites provide them. To view more information about both passing and failing PCs, click the “See all results” button.
Alternative Windows 11 compatibility checkers
Even though there are more options, I’ve found that two third-party tools are handy for checking a PC’s compatibility with Windows 11 in enough detail to make them worthwhile:
- WhyNotWin11 is a GitHub project that runs as a standalone Windows app and reports on a series of checks it performs when run.
- Windows 11 Compatibility Check: a Windows batch file that reports on the PC’s attributes and capabilities while running in an administrative PowerShell session or Commands Prompt window.
With one exception, either of these tools can tell you a lot about whether or not your PC is ready for Windows 11. For example, TPM chips with version numbers of 1.3 or older may be found in older PCs with CPUs that meet the processor requirement (lower in number).
These CPUs can simulate TPM 2.0, so what appears to be a hardware failure to meet Windows 11 requirements can be made for in software. So I’ll go into greater detail about the Windows 11 Compatibility Check script in the section below.
WhyNotWin 11
WhyNotWin11 is a GitHub project with open source code. The most recent release is 2.4.0, but you can always go straight to the most current version by clicking the “Latest” button on the home page.
If you click the “Download the latest stable release” link, you’ll get a file called “WhyNotWin11.exe.” By default, it’s in your Downloads folder (C: Usersusername>Downloads), where you can run it right away.
It takes some time to download the WMIC (Windows Management Instrumentation command-line utility) on which it is based, and it displays the results for (an incompatible system) and (a compatible one).
According to Microsoft, no more processors will be added to the “meets requirements” group. However, only a few seventh-generation Intel Core and Xeon processors were permitted at the end of August.
Windows 11 Compatibility Check Script
This tool, called Windows 11 Compatibility Check, is provided by Windows ElevenForum, a community website written by JB Carreon, who gives away his work for free. It is sent as a batch file called W11CompChk.bat.
Links to download this tool can be found on its History page. As I write this, the most recent version is 1.4.1, for which you can easily find dates and download links.
Once it’s on your computer, right-click its entry in File Explorer while holding down the left Shift key on the keyboard. Then, select “Copy as path” from the menu that appears.
This copies the full path to the file into the area where you paste. Next, launch a Command Prompt window and log in as an administrator. Next, paste the string into the window and remove the quotation marks before and after it (“).
The batch file will then be executed. It will show how things are going and then provide a report once all the checks have been completed.
You’ll be able to see where the Windows 11 Compatibility Check script goes wrong. Even though the tool indicates that TPM is enabled, it returns an incorrect version of 1.3 based on the TPM chip itself. Because that chip simulates TPM 2.0, it satisfies the requirements for Windows 11.
You can use any of these tools, but…
Except for people who use Enterprise or Education versions, whose PCs are managed centrally by IT, or who aren’t Windows Insiders, Microsoft’s PC Health Check does what it’s supposed to do.
It and WhyNotWin11 are intelligent enough to check which version of TPM is running in the Windows runtime environment. As a result, they correctly state that the TPM meets the requirement of “version 2.0 or higher.”
If you run the TPM.msc snap-in for the Microsoft Management Console on that PC (you must be logged in as an administrator), it will show that its “Specification version” is 2.0.
That meets the stated requirement, so let’s assume the Lenovo X12 ThinkPad in question, made in 2021, will run Windows 11 without issue.
Any of the tools available here will assist you in determining whether a PC meets the Windows 11 system requirements and why it does or does not. I like all three, but WhyNotWin11 is my favorite because it works on Enterprise, Education, and centrally managed Windows PCs and correctly handles TPM.
Summary
Windows 11 is now available for download for free. Before running this year’s version of Microsoft’s operating system on your PC, ensure it has the necessary hardware and software. Windows 11 is set to be released later this year.
Conclusion
Hope this post help you and if you have questions about anything concerning this topic, please leave them in the comment section below. Please use the social buttons to share this post with others. Thanks.
