Windows 11 Minimum System Requirements and How to Check if your PC Supports It

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Here are the Windows 11 minimum system requirements and how to check if your PC can update to Windows 11.

It is always a good idea to check for the minimum requirements for the next upgrade of the operating system you have been batting your eye on, to not run into any kinds of installation issues or losing your perfectly working computer to the dark abyss of sluggish performance.
With Windows 11 seeing the light of the day and Microsoft being the only one in the world to support such large computer manufacturers, many among us will be wondering if their Windows 10 PC or even older computers will run the swanky new Windows 11?
Well, your search for it definitely ends here, since we now have the minimum system requirements your PC must meet.

Minimum System Requirements for Windows 11

  • Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor, or System on a Chip (SoC)
  • Memory: 4GB or more
  • Storage: 64GB or larger
  • System Firmware: Should support UEFI Mode and Secure Boot capability
  • Trusted Platform Module: TPM Version 2.0
  • Graphics Requirements: DirectX 12 compatible graphics or WDDM 2.x
  • Display Size and Resolution: Devices having larger than 9” screen with HD Resolution (720p)
  • Setup Requirement: Microsoft account plus internet connectivity required for setting up Windows 11 Home

Windows 11 Feature Specific Requirements

  • 5G support requires 5G capable modem built-in on your computer.
  • Auto HDR will require a monitor or laptop display with HDR capability.
  • BitLocker to Go requires a USB flash drive (available in Windows Pro and above editions).
  • Client Hyper-V requires a processor with second-level address translation (SLAT) capabilities (available in Windows Pro and above editions).
  • Cortana requires a microphone and speaker and is currently available on Windows 11 for Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, United Kingdom, and United States.
  • DirectStorage requires 1 TB or greater NVMe SSD to store and run games that uses the “Standard NVM Express Controller” driver and a DirectX 12 Ultimate GPU.
  • DirectX 12 Ultimate is available with supported games and graphics chips.
  • Presence requires sensor that can detect human distance from device or intent to interact with device.
  • Intelligent Video Conferencing requires video camera, microphone and speaker (audio output).
  • Multiple Voice Assistant (MVA) requires a microphone and speaker.
  • Snap three-column layouts require a screen that is 1920 effective pixels or greater in width.
  • Mute/Unmute from Taskbar requires video camera, microphone and speaker (audio output). App must be compatible with feature to enable global mute/unmute.
  • Spatial Sound requires supporting hardware and software.
  • Teams requires video camera, microphone and speaker (audio output).
  • Touch requires a screen or monitor that supports multi-touch.
  • Two-factor Authentication requires use of PIN, biometric (fingerprint reader or illuminated infrared camera), or a phone with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities.
  • Voice Typing requires a PC with a microphone.
  • Wake on Voice requires Modern Standby power model and microphone.
  • Wi-Fi 6E requires new WLAN IHV hardware and driver and a Wi-Fi 6E capable AP/router.
  • Windows Hello requires a camera configured for near infrared (IR) imaging or fingerprint reader for biometric authentication. Devices without biometric sensors can use Windows Hello with a PIN or portable Microsoft compatible security key.
  • Windows Projection requires a display adapter which supports Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 2.0 and a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Wi-Fi Direct.
  • Xbox (app) requires an Xbox Live account, which is not available in all regions. See Xbox Live Countries and Regions for the most up-to-date information on availability. Some features in the Xbox app will require an active Xbox Game Pass subscription.

How to Check if your Computer can Run Windows 11

To quickly check your system compatibility, first, download the PC Health Check app from Microsoft.
Once downloaded, run the application from the download directory of your browser. (If no directory is set by you, ‘Downloads’ folder is the default directory)

Then, once the application opens, check the ‘I accept the terms in License Agreement’ option, then click the ‘Install’ button.

It might take a few minutes to start the installation, just sit tight and the let process happen.

Once installed, check the ‘Open Windows PC Health Check’ option and then click on the ‘Finish’ button.

After that, click on the ‘Check now’ option from the opened PC Health Check window on your screen.

It will take a minute to check the compatibility on your computer. If your computer is not compatible with Windows 11, you will receive an alert stating so.

After the result you can close the PC Health Check window, and can either rejoice with news of getting a new operating system coming for your PC or just be satisfied with the Windows 10 for now!