Windows 11 Minimum System Requirements (Official)

What are Windows 11 system requirements? The latest operating system requires UEFI with Secure Boot and TPM 2.0, Latest processor with 4 GB RAM

By Leonard Sears Last updated Sep 9, 2023

Microsoft has finally revealed the Windows 11 system requirements. Software giant Microsoft announced Windows 11 with its event at 18:00 today. The company canceled the Windows 10X project, which it had previously prepared for portable devices, and announced that it would evaluate the improvements made on it on Windows 10.

Saying that Windows 10 will be the last Windows in every statement until now, that it will only progress with improvements, Microsoft has announced the new operating system by turning the opposite corner.

Bringing many software and hardware innovations, Windows 11 is the first Windows version that focuses on gaming. However, while users with old computers have high expectations for the new operating system, we see that moves are made that may upset many users.

Making a 64-bit processor mandatory with Windows 11, Microsoft stops offering a 32-bit operating system version with this move. So what are the system requirements of Windows 11?

Windows 11 System Requirements

Processor:	1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster, 2 or more cores, compatible 64-bit processor or System-on-Chip (SoC)
RAM:	4 gigabytes (GB)
Storage:	64GB or larger storage device
System firmware:	UEFI with Secure Boot
TPM:	Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
Graphics card:	Compatible with DirectX 12 or higher with WDDM 2.0 driver
Screen:	High resolution (720p) display larger than 9 inches diagonally, 8 bits per color channel
Internet connection and Microsoft accounts:	In Windows 11 Home edition, internet connection and a Microsoft account are required to complete device setup on first use. An internet connection is also required to wake a device out of S mode in Windows 11 Home. All versions of Windows 11 require an internet connection to perform updates and to download and enjoy some features.

In addition to the above requirements, which are more or less understandable, the new operating system will need three other, much more specific requirements that, unfortunately, many computers do not have.

UEFI . These new BIOSes allow much more control over the hardware components of the PC at startup and, in addition, allow the use of new security measures necessary to be able to install Windows 11.
SecureBoot. The safe boot of the computer guarantees us that only signed code can be started in the system boot, protecting us from different computer attacks.
TPM 2.0 . The most controversial requirement. Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 will allow the operating system to boot securely, make use of encryption features (such as Bitlocker) and authentication systems such as Windows Hello. Any computer less than 5 years old should have this feature.

Windows 11 system requirements seem to cause a lot of controversy, as the TPM 2.0 requirement and the lack of Zen architecture are a problem for most users. Even Microsoft’s own 7th Gen PCs were deprived of Windows 11 support. Let’s see if Microsoft will take a step back.

Windows 11 features specific requirements

5G support requires a 5G-capable modem.
Auto HDR requires an HDR monitor.
Bit Locker to Go requires a USB flash drive (available on Windows Pro and higher).
Client Hyper-V requires a processor with second-level address translation (SLAT) capabilities (available on Windows Pro and higher).
Cortana requires a microphone and speaker. This service is available with the Windows 11 operating system in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
DirectStorage requires a 1TB or higher NVMe SSD and DirectX 12 Ultimate GPU using the “Standard NVM Express Controller” driver to store and run games.
DirectX 12 Ultimate can be used with supported games and graphics chips.
Presence requires a sensor that can detect people’s distance from or intent to interact with the device.
Smart Video Conferencing requires a video camera, microphone, and speaker (audio output).
Multi-Voice Assistant (MVA) requires microphone and speaker.
Three-column layouts with docking require a screen with a minimum width of 1920 effective pixels.
Mute/Unmute from Taskbar requires a video camera, microphone and speaker (audio output). The app must be compatible with the feature that enables system-wide mute/unmute.
Spatial Audio requires supporting hardware and software.
Teams require a camera, microphone, and speaker (audio output).
Touch requires a screen or monitor that supports multi-touch.
Two-Factor Authentication requires a PIN, biometric (fingerprint reader or illuminated infrared camera), or a phone with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth.
Voice Typing requires a computer with a microphone.
Voice Wake requires a Modern Standby power model and microphone.
Wi-Fi 6E requires new WLAN IHV hardware and driver and a Wi-Fi 6E enabled AP/router.
Windows Hello requires a camera configured for near infrared (IR) imaging or a fingerprint reader for biometric authentication. Devices without a biometric sensor can use Windows Hello with a PIN or a portable Microsoft compatible security key.
Windows Mirroring requires a display adapter that 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 (not available in all regions).

Check if my PC can run Windows 11

Given the controversial requirements of this new operating system, Microsoft has created an application thanks to which we can check if our PC is compatible with Windows 11 or, if not, we won’t be able to update. This program, called Windows PC Health Check , will let us know if our PC can run Microsoft’s new OS and, if not, let us know what’s wrong.

Users who already have a Genuine Windows 10 key, regardless of whether it is Home, Pro, or any business edition, both OEM and Retail, will be able to upgrade to the new Windows 11 completely free of charge.