Skipped our Windows 11 upgrade checklist with a "Nah"? There's a far simpler way to install Windows 11 on PCs with older processors—no reformatting, data loss, or USB burning required.
If you're seeing "This PC does not meet Windows 11 requirements" or "CPU not supported," Microsoft's approved registry tweak can resolve it instantly.
(We've tested this on a Dell XPS 15 with Intel Core i7-7700HQ and a Microsoft Surface Go with Pentium Gold 4415Y—neither officially supported.)
Follow these three straightforward steps for a complete upgrade.
This method requires the full ISO; it won't work with the setup wizard, Windows Update, or PC Health Check.
On Microsoft's download page, scroll to Download Windows 11 Disc Image (ISO). Select Windows 11 from the dropdown, click Download, choose your language, confirm, then hit 64-bit Download. (It's about 5.1 GB—use the time for step 2.)
Press Start, type regedit, and hit Enter to open Registry Editor. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup by pasting the path or browsing folders.
Right-click in the right pane, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU. Double-click it, set Value data to 1, then OK and close.
Once downloaded, right-click the ISO, choose Mount (or Open with File Explorer), then double-click setup.exe.
Success! You'll see a warning (not rejection) and can upgrade without data loss. Note: Microsoft may limit security updates on unsupported hardware.
