In this new guide, learn how to install Windows 11 on an older PC that does not meet Microsoft’s requirements.
This method does not preserve installed applications or saved passwords. If you want to migrate from Windows 10 to Windows 11 on an unsupported PC while keeping more of your data and settings, you can use FlyOOBE.
Before you begin, make sure that all your files are backed up to an external drive, because nothing will remain on the PC after the installation. In particular, copy the C:\Users folder to an external drive to save your personal files, such as pictures, videos and documents.
Here is how to format your PC, create a Windows 11 installation drive that works with unsupported PCs, install Windows 11 with a local account and complete all the necessary steps.
In this article
1. Download the Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft’s website
Go to the official Microsoft website and download the Windows 11 installation media creation tool.
The downloaded file is called MediaCreationTool.exe. Open it and accept the various licence agreements, choose the Windows language and edition you want, then select ISO file to download the Windows 11 installation image.
An ISO image is a file containing a complete copy of an installation medium. In this case, the ISO contains all the files required to install Windows 11.
You can think of it as a ZIP archive, except that an ISO image also preserves the structure of the installation medium so that you can create a bootable USB drive.
The Windows 11 ISO cannot be installed on a USB drive by simply copying it. We will use software to extract its contents and prepare the drive correctly so that the PC can boot from it.
Click Next. A window opens and lets you choose where to save the Windows 11 ISO. You can save it to the desktop or anywhere else, as long as you can find it later.
The Windows 11 ISO download will start. Wait for it to finish; depending on your internet connection, this may take several minutes or several hours.
2. Download Rufus to create a bootable Windows USB drive
By default, a USB drive is only used to store, copy and move files. Copying the Windows 11 ISO directly to the drive is not enough to make your PC boot from it and start the installation.
For this, we will use Rufus, a tool that prepares a bootable USB drive from the Windows 11 ISO image.
Go to the official rufus.ie website to download Rufus. The software is portable and does not need to be installed. Once downloaded, simply open it to run it.
In Rufus, insert a USB drive with at least 8 GB of storage. Be careful: all data on this drive will be completely erased while it is being prepared. Back up its contents before continuing.
To save time when creating the drive and during the Windows 11 installation, I recommend a fast USB drive such as the SanDisk Extreme PRO. Its good read and write speeds can help speed up file copying and Windows 11 installation.
In Rufus, click SELECT to choose the Windows 11 ISO you downloaded earlier.
Then select the Windows 11 ISO file you have just downloaded.
Next, click START. Rufus displays a window where you can customize the Windows 11 installation and remove some of Microsoft’s hardware requirements.
Select the following options:
- Remove the requirement for 4 GB or more of RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0
- Remove the requirement for an online Microsoft account
- Create a local account with the username and enter your first name or whatever name you want to use for your Windows session
The first option is what makes it possible to install Windows 11 on a PC that does not meet Microsoft’s official hardware requirements.
Click OK to start creating the USB drive. Rufus will warn you that all data on the drive will be deleted. Check one last time that you selected the correct USB drive, then confirm to create the Windows 11 installation media.
3. Prepare your PC to boot from the USB drive
The Windows 11 installation USB drive is now ready. The next step is to tell your computer to boot from this drive instead of starting Windows from its internal hard drive or SSD.
Leave the USB drive connected to the PC and restart the computer. As soon as it starts, press the key used to open the BIOS/UEFI or the boot menu several times. This key varies depending on your computer’s brand and model.
assistouest.frWhen the boot menu appears, select your USB drive. It may be listed under the manufacturer’s name, such as SanDisk, Kingston or Samsung, or with UEFI before its name.
If the USB drive does not appear in the list or the PC refuses to boot from it, check your BIOS/UEFI settings. On some computers, you may need to temporarily disable Secure Boot.
Once the USB drive is selected, confirm your choice. The PC should then boot into the Windows 11 installation program.
If a message such as Press any key to boot from USB appears, quickly press a key on the keyboard to boot from the USB drive.
You should then see the Windows 11 installation screen. We can now start formatting the PC and installing the system.
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4. Install Windows from a USB drive
If everything is working correctly, you should reach this screen to begin installing Windows 11.
Configure your language and keyboard settings, then accept the various Windows licence agreements until you reach the screen where you can select the HDD or SSD on which Windows 11 will be installed.
If the installation program asks for a product key, you can use a generic Windows 11 product key or skip this step and activate Windows later.
If your drive already contains an operating system, several partitions will be listed. For a clean installation, you must delete the partitions on the drive before you can use all of its space.
What is a partition on a hard drive or SSD?
A partition is a section of a drive that Windows treats as a separate space. A single physical drive can therefore contain several partitions.
For example, during installation Windows generally creates a large partition containing the system and your files, along with several smaller partitions used to start or recover the system.
In the Windows installation program, you may therefore see several different entries even though your computer has only one hard drive or SSD.
Format your drive to install Windows 11
If the drive still contains Windows 10, Windows 11 or another operating system, delete the partitions on the drive where you want to install Windows until only one space marked Unallocated space remains.
Be careful not to delete the partitions on your USB drive or another disk. Deleting a partition erases the data it contains. Make sure that all important files have been backed up and that you are working on the correct drive if several drives are installed in your computer.
Then select Unallocated space and click Next. Windows will automatically create the partitions it needs to work.
Windows 11 will now start installing. Your computer will restart several times during this step. Let it work and do not remove the USB drive until the installation is complete.
Once the files have been installed, Windows will ask you a few questions to configure your account, keyboard and other settings. At the end of this setup, the Windows 11 desktop will appear.
Once you reach the desktop, go to Settings > Windows Update and install all available updates. Restart the computer if necessary and check for updates again until Windows Update has nothing else to offer.
The content will unlock automatically after verification.