End of support for Windows 10 will take place on 14 October 2025, and more and more users are starting to look for alternatives to the said operating system to avoid wasting time. Moving to Windows 11 is one of those alternatives, but what would happen if you installed said operating system on an unsupported computer?

That’s the question they ask themselves millions of users around the world and in this article we will answer it based on the official information offered by Microsoft on this topic.

What is a computer incompatible with Windows 11

Well, the team that does not meet the minimum requirements. For example, a computer that has less than 4GB of RAM, does not have a supported processor, or does not have a TPM 2.0 chip (or Intel PTT or AMD fTPM) will be considered unsupported.

If the computer meets all the minimum requirements, it will be considered compatible, although this does not mean that it will be able to offer good performance.

What happens if I install it on an incompatible PC

To install Windows 11 on an incompatible computer, you will need to follow the steps in this article. When you’re done, your team it will work normally and you could run apps and work with your PC like Windows 10, but you have to keep in mind that:

• You will have a permanent watermark in the lower right corner to remind you that your device does not meet the minimum requirements.
• You could suffer from more or less severe compatibility issues. Everything will depend on the configuration of your PC and the age of the components.
• Microsoft warns that these compatibility issues may even damage your computer and are not covered under warranty.
• You could be left without updates, either partially or completely, including security and bug fixes.

What to do if I have problems after installing Windows 11

The easiest thing is return to Windows 10. To do this, just follow these steps:

• Press the Windows key and type “Settings”.
• We enter the first result and follow the path “System > Recovery”.
• In “Recovery options” we select the “Return” option.
• Now all that’s left to do is follow the self-guided process and that’s it, we’ll be back to Windows 10 in a few minutes.

If you don’t see the “Revert” option, it’s because you’ve been using Windows 11 for too long and the option is no longer available. Don’t worry, you still have a way out and there is use the Windows 10 installation media.

My experience with updating unsupported computers

Now that we are clear about the official position of Microsoft and the possible consequences of installing Windows 11 on an incompatible PC, I want to tell you about my personal experience, because I am sure that it will help you a lot, and that it will help you to resolve any doubts.

I’ve updated several incompatible computers to Windows 11 over the past year and they’ve all worked fine, including updates. Performance was also goodalthough on that note it should be noted that all the computers I updated had an Intel Core i5 Gen 4 or Ryzen 3 1200 CPU and at least 8GB of RAM and had an SSD as the main drive.

This may change in the short or medium term, and Microsoft may release an update or introduce changes to Windows 11 that adversely affect the operation of Windows 11 on incompatible computers, but yet If your computer exceeds the minimum requirements, even if it does not have a compatible CPU, It will work without problems.

AI generated cover image.