Windows 11 minimum requirements: How to check your system

With the Windows 10 end of life having come and gone, it's a good idea to familiarize yourself with the Windows 11 system requirements.

Many businesses are still using Windows 10 via the Extended Security Update (ESU) support, but this ends on 13 October 2026. Overall, the cost and the risk of not migrating will only continue to increase. One of the reasons for holding on is the inevitable hardware refresh, which could be costly up front, but a new fleet of Copilot+, AI-enabled Windows PCs will be more affordable in the long run with future-proofed capabilities and regular security updates.

Businesses looking to upgrade their devices to Windows 11 should bear in mind that the operating system comes with strict requirements, including CPU compatibility and an enabled Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 chip. How do you check if your system is compatible with Windows 11? We’ve laid out the minimum requirements in full and how to test for them below.

Windows 11 minimum requirements

Microsoft can’t ship Windows 11 to customers whose devices wouldn’t be able to satisfactorily run the operating system. As such, it’s set out the following minimum requirements.

• A CPU of at least 1GHz, with two cores
• At least 4GB of RAM
• 64GB of free hard drive space
• Support for Secure Boot
• Support for Trusted Platform Module 2.0
• Meet the UEFI standard
• A graphics card (GPU) that supports DX12
• Support for Windows Display Driver Model 2
• An active internet connection
• A display resolution of at least 720p

Bear in mind these are simply the absolute minimum requirements to even install Windows 11 and in no way guarantee that Windows 11 will run optimally. Leaders will also need to keep track of the list of incompatible processors that Windows 11 doesn’t support, even if the machine otherwise meets the remainder of the requirements. This includes 7th-Gen AMD and Intel Core processors and older.

Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, and the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) standard were all included to bolster Windows security, but it may not be immediately obvious if your system supports them.

There are also a number of non-essential hardware requirements for specific features that you may or may not want to use, too. For example, multiple tools and services require you to have a webcam and microphone, including Microsoft Teams and voice features within Microsoft 365 Copilot.

How do I check if my system meets the Windows 11 minimum requirements?

There are two main methods to check if your system meets the minimum requirements for Windows 11.

First, you can simply request the update and see if it will progress. To do this:

1. Press the Windows key.
2. Click ‘settings’.
3. Select ‘Update & Security’, then ‘Windows Update’ and 'Check for Updates'.
4. The checker will inform you if your device is compatible or not. If it is, follow the instructions to go through the full Windows 11 installation process.

For a faster route to the same solution, you can search ‘Check for updates’ in the start menu.

For a more detailed look, you can instead use the PC Health Check app, which can be downloaded via the Microsoft Store. In addition to helping users alter OneDrive backup settings or free up hard drive space, the app can be used to check Windows 11 minimum requirements.

Simply open the app and click the 'Check Now' to find out if your system meets the requirements for Windows 11. If it’s not, the app will break down what the issue is including an incompatible CPU, GPU or if you lack a TPM.

From there, you can move on to learn more about Windows 11 from Microsoft’s website, or return to the app’s home screen.

For more on Windows 11, check our guides on the most exciting features in Windows 11 or the fixes for common Windows 11 problems.