Windows 11

Windows 11

Version of theWindows NToperating system
Screenshot showing the newStart menuand centeredtaskbar,with the Search box open
Developer	Microsoft
Written in	C,C++,C#,Rust,assembly language
OS family	Microsoft Windows
Source model	Closed-source Source-available(throughShared Source Initiative) Some componentsopen source
General availability	October 5, 2021(2021-10-05)
Latest release	23H2 (10.0.22631.4112) (August 27, 2024(2024-08-27))[±]
Latest preview	Release Preview Channel 24H2 (10.0.26100.1591) (August 27, 2024(2024-08-27))[±] Beta Channel 23H2 (10.0.22635.4082) (August 26, 2024(2024-08-26))[±] Dev Channel 24H2 (10.0.26120.1542) (August 19, 2024(2024-08-19))[±] Canary Channel 10.0.27686.1000 (August 15, 2024(2024-08-15))[±]
Marketing target	Personal computing
Available in	88 languages
List of languages Afrikaans- Afrikaans Azərbaycan- Azerbaijani Bosanski- Bosnian Català (Espanya, valencià)- Catalan (Spain, Valencian) Català (Espanya)- Catalan (Spain) Čeština- Czech Cymraeg- Welsh Dansk- Danish Deutsch- German Eesti- Estonian English (United Kingdom)- English (United Kingdom) English (United States)- English (United States) Español (España)- Spanish (Spain) Español (México)- Spanish (Mexico) Euskara- Basque Filipino- Filipino Français (Canada)- French (Canada) Français (France)- French (France) Gaeilge- Irish Gàidhlig- Scottish Gaelic Galego- Galician Hrvatski- Croatian Indonesia- Indonesian Íslenska- Icelandic Italiano- Italian Latviešu- Latvian Lëtzebuergesch- Luxembourgish Lietuvių- Lithuanian Magyar- Hungarian Malti- Maltese Māori- Maori Melayu- Malay Nederlands- Dutch Norsk bokmål- Norwegian Bokmål Norsk nynorsk- Norwegian Nynorsk O‘zbek- Uzbek Polski- Polish Português (Brasil)- Portuguese (Brazil) Português (Portugal)- Portuguese (Portugal) Română- Romanian Runasimi- Quechua Shqip- Albanian Slovenčina- Slovak Slovenščina- Slovenian Srpski- Serbian (Latin) Suomi- Finnish Svenska- Swedish Tiếng Việt- Vietnamese Türkçe- Turkish Ελληνικά- Greek Беларуская- Belarusian Български- Bulgarian Қазақ тілі- Kazakh Македонски- Macedonian Русский- Russian Српски (ћирилица, Босна и Херцеговина)- Serbian (Cyrillic, Bosnia & Herzegovina) Српски (ћирилица, Србија)- Serbian (Cyrillic, Serbia) Татар- Tatar Українська- Ukrainian ქართული- Georgian Հայերեն- Armenian עברית- Hebrew ئۇيغۇرچە- Uyghur اردو- Urdu العربية- Arabic فارسی- Persian አማርኛ- Amharic कोंकणी- Konkani नेपाली- Nepali मराठी- Marathi हिन्दी- Hindi অসমীয়া- Assamese বাংলা- Bangla ਪੰਜਾਬੀ- Punjabi ગુજરાતી- Gujarati ଓଡ଼ିଆ- Odia தமிழ்- Tamil తెలుగు- Telugu ಕನ್ನಡ- Kannada മലയാളം- Malayalam ไทย- Thai ລາວ- Lao ខ្មែរ- Khmer ᏣᎳᎩ- Cherokee 한국어- Korean Tiếng Trung ( giản thể )- Chinese (Simplified) Tiếng Trung ( phồn thể )- Chinese (Traditional) Nhật Bản ngữ- Japanese
Update method	Windows Update Windows Server Update Services(WSUS)
Package manager	.exe,APPX,appxbundleandAPK-based (deprecated in March 2024, scheduled for removal in March 2025)
Platforms	x86-64,ARM64
Kerneltype	Hybrid(Windows NT kernel)
Userland	Native API Windows API .NET Framework Universal Windows Platform Windows Subsystem for Android Windows Subsystem for Linux
Default user interface	Windows shell(graphical)
License	ProprietaryEULA
Preceded by	Windows 10(2015)
Official website	www.microsoft/windows/windows-11
Support status
Supported See§ Updates and supportfor more details.

Windows 11is the latest major release ofMicrosoft'sWindows NToperating system, released on October 5, 2021. It succeededWindows 10(2015) and is available for free for any Windows 10 devices that meet the new Windows 11 system requirements.

Windows 11 features major changes to theWindows shellinfluenced by the canceledWindows 10X,including a redesignedStart menu,the replacement of its "live tiles" with a separate "Widgets" panel on thetaskbar,the ability to create tiled sets of windows that can be minimized and restored from the taskbar as a group, and new gaming technologies inherited fromXbox Series X and Series Ssuch as AutoHDRandDirectStorageon compatible hardware.Internet Explorer(IE) has been replaced by theChromium-basedMicrosoft Edgeas the default web browser, like its predecessor, Windows 10, andMicrosoft Teamsis integrated into the Windows shell. Microsoft also announced plans to allow more flexibility in software that can be distributed via theMicrosoft Storeand to supportAndroidapps on Windows 11 (including a partnership withAmazonto make itsapp storeavailable for the function).

Citing security considerations, the system requirements for Windows 11 were increased over Windows 10. Microsoft only officially supports the operating system on devices using aneighth-generation Intel CoreCPU or newer (with some minor exceptions), asecond-generation AMD RyzenCPU or newer, or aQualcomm Snapdragon 850ARM system-on-chip or newer, withUEFIandTrusted Platform Module(TPM) 2.0 supported and enabled. Although there are some exceptions to these requirements, see§ System requirementsfor details. While the OS can be installed on devices with unsupported configurations, Microsoft does not guarantee the availability ofupdates.Furthermore, Windows 11 completely removes support for32-bitCPUs, including both 32-bit x86 and 32-bit ARM processors, ensuring compatibility only with 64-bitx86-64andARM64processors.

Windows 11 has received a mostly positive reception. Pre-release coverage of the operating system focused on its stricter hardware requirements, with discussions over whether they were legitimately intended to improve the security of Windows or as a ploy toupsellcustomers to newer devices, and over thee-wasteassociated with the changes. Upon release, it was praised for its improved visual design, window management, and stronger focus on security, but was criticized for various modifications to aspects of its user interface that were seen as worse than its predecessor; some were seen as an attempt to dissuade users from switching to competing applications.

As of July 2024,Windows 11, at 29.71% worldwide,is the second most popular Windows version in use, with its predecessor Windows 10 still the most used version in virtually all countries (with Chile an exception, where Windows 11 is most used), with it globally at over 2 times the market share. Windows 11 has an estimated 21.66% share of allPCs(the rest being other Windows editions and other operating systems such asmacOSandLinux), and an estimated 8.1% share of all devices (including mobile, tablet and console)are running Windows 11.

To comply with theDigital Markets Act,Microsoft is allowing users in theEuropean Economic Areato remove the Edge browser,Bingsearch engine, and advertisements to comply with users' interests.

Development

At the 2015Ignite conference,Microsoft employee Jerry Nixon stated thatWindows 10would be the "last version of Windows".The operating system was consideredto be a service,with new builds and updates to be released over time.PC Worldargued that the widely reported comment was howevertaken out of context,noting that the official event transcript marks it only as aseguerather than a core part of the talk. It argues that Nixon was referring to the fact that he could talk freely at the event because 10 was the last version in current development.

In October 2019, Microsoft announced "Windows 10X",a future edition of Windows 10 designed exclusively fordual-touchscreendevices such as the then-upcomingSurface Neo.It featured a modified user interface designed around context-sensitive "postures" for different screen configurations and usage scenarios, and changes such as a centered taskbar and updatedStart menuwithout Windows 10's "live tiles". Legacy Windows applications would also be required to run in "containers" to ensure performance and power optimization. Microsoft stated that it planned to release Windows 10X devices by the end of 2020.

In May 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic,Panos Panay,Microsoft's chief product officer forMicrosoft WindowsandMicrosoft Office,stated that "as we continue to put customers' needs at the forefront, we need to focus on meeting customers where they are now", and announced that Windows 10X would only launch on single-screen devices at first, and that Microsoft would "continue to look for the right moment, in conjunction with our OEM partners, to bring dual-screen devices to market".

In October 2020, reports emerged that Microsoft was working on a user interface refresh for Windows 10 codenamed "Sun Valley", scheduled to be included in a late-2021 feature update codenamed "Cobalt". Internal documentation stated that the aim for "Sun Valley" was to "reinvigorat[e]" the Windows user interface and make it more "fluid", with a more consistent application ofWinUI,while reports suggested Microsoft planned to adapt UI elements seen in Windows 10X.In January 2021, it was reported that a job listing referring to a "sweeping visual rejuvenation of Windows" had been posted by Microsoft.

By December 2020, Microsoft had begun to implement and announce some of these visual changes and other new features on Windows 10 Insider Preview builds, such as new system icons (which also included the replacement of shell resources dating back as far asWindows 95),improvements toTask Viewto allow changing the wallpaper on eachvirtual desktop,x86-64emulation on ARM, and adding the Auto HDR feature fromXbox Series X.

On May 18, 2021, Head of Windows Servicing and Delivery John Cable stated that Windows 10X had been canceled and that Microsoft would be "accelerating the integration of key foundational 10X technology into other parts of Windows and products at the company".

Announcement

At theMicrosoft Build 2021developer conference, CEO and chairmanSatya Nadellateased about the existence of the next generation of Windows during hiskeynote speech.According to Nadella, he had been self-hosting it for several months. He also teased that an official announcement would come very soon.Just a week after Nadella's keynote, Microsoft started sending invitations for a dedicated Windows media event at 11:00 a.m.ETon June24, 2021.Microsoft also posted an 11-minute video of Windows start-up sounds toYouTubeon June10, 2021, with many people speculating both the time of the Microsoft event and the duration of the Windows start-up sound video to be a reference to the name of the operating system as Windows 11.

On June 24, 2021, Windows 11 was officially announced at avirtual eventhosted byChief Product OfficerPanos Panay.According to Nadella, Windows 11 is "a re-imagining of the operating system".Further details for developers such as updates to theMicrosoft Store,the newWindows App SDK(code-named "Project Reunion" ), new Fluent Design guidelines, and more were discussed during another developer-focused event on the same day.

Release and marketing

The Windows 11 name was accidentally released in an official Microsoft support document in June 2021.Leaked images of a purported beta build of Windows 11's desktop surfaced online later on June 15, 2021,which were followed by a leak of the aforementioned build on the same day.The screenshots and leaked build show an interface resembling that of the canceled Windows 10X, alongside a redesignedout-of-box experience(OOBE) and Windows 11 branding.Microsoft would later confirm the authenticity of the leaked beta, with Panay stating that it was an "early weird build".

At the June 24 media event, Microsoft also announced that Windows 11 would be released in "Holiday 2021".Its release will be accompanied by a free upgrade for compatible Windows 10 devices throughWindows Update.On June 28, Microsoft announced the release of the first preview build and SDK of Windows 11 toWindows Insiders.

On August 31, 2021, Microsoft announced that Windows 11 was to be released on October 5, 2021.The release would be phased, with newer eligible devices to be offered the upgrade first.Since its predecessor Windows 10 was released on July 29, 2015, more than six years earlier, this is the longest time span between successive releases of Microsoft Windows operating systems, beating the time betweenWindows XP(released on October 25, 2001) andWindows Vista(released on January 30, 2007).

The first television commercial for Windows 11 premiered during the2021NFL Kickoff Gameon September 9, 2021; it was intended to showcase a "feeling of immersion and fluidity", with imagery of operating system features andXbox Game Studios'Halo Infinite.Other promotional campaigns on release day included theBurj KhalifainDubaibeing illuminated with imagery of the Windows 11 logo and default "Bloom" wallpaper,and Mikey Likes It ice cream parlors in New York City distributing free cups of "Bloomberry" ice cream.

Though a support document listed October 4, 2021, as the initial release date,Microsoft officially released Windows 11 on October 5, 2021,as an opt-in, in-place upgrade through either the Windows 11 Installation Assistant application (which can perform the upgrade, or generate anISO imageor USB install media), or via Windows Update in a phased rollout; Microsoft anticipated that Windows 11 would be available via Windows Update to all eligible devices by mid-2022.New installations of Windows 10 on eligible hardware may present an option to upgrade during the OOBE.Retail copies of Windows 11 (consisting of alicense keyandUSB flash drive) were released on May 9, 2022,and digital licenses became available viaMicrosoft Storeon July 28, 2022.On September 20, 2023, around two years after the release date of Windows 11, Microsoft announced that users would no longer be able to use Windows 7 or Windows 8/8.1 keys to activate Windows 10/11.However, as of 2024, there are some reports that they still work, under certain conditions.

Features

Main article:Features new to Windows 11

See also:List of features removed in Windows 11

Windows 11, the first major Windows release since 2015, builds upon its predecessor by revamping the user interface to follow Microsoft's newFluent Designguidelines. The redesign, which focuses onease of useand flexibility,comes alongside new productivity and social features and updates to security and accessibility, addressing some of the deficiencies ofWindows 10.

TheMicrosoft Store,which serves as a unified storefront for apps and other content, is also redesigned in Windows 11. Microsoft now allows developers to distributeWin32,progressive web applications,and other packaging technologies in the Microsoft Store, alongsideUniversal Windows Platform apps.Microsoft also announced plans to allow third-partyapplication stores(such asEpic Games Store) to distribute their clients on Microsoft Store.Windows 11 supportsx86-64software emulation on ARM-based platforms.

The collaboration platformMicrosoft Teamsis integrated into the Windows 11 user interface, and is accessible via the taskbar.Skypewill no longer be bundled with the OS by default.In early 2023, thePhone Linkapp gained limited support foriMessage.

Microsoft claims performance improvements such as smaller update sizes, faster web browsing in "any browser", faster wake time from sleep mode, and fasterWindows Helloauthentication.

Windows 11 ships with theChromium-basedMicrosoft Edgeweb browser (for compatibilitywithGoogle Chromeweb browser), and does not include or supportInternet Explorer.Its rendering engineMSHTML(Trident) is still included with the operating system for backwards compatibility reasons, and Edge can be configured withGroup Policyto render whitelisted websites in "IE Mode" (which still uses IE's rendering engineMSHTML,instead ofBlink layout engine).Windows 11 is the first version of Windows since the original retail release ofWindows 95to not ship with Internet Explorer.

The updatedXbox app,along with the AutoHDRandDirectStoragetechnologies introduced by theXbox Series X and Series S,will be integrated into Windows 11; the latter requiring a graphics card supportingDirectX 12and anNVMesolid-state drive.

User interface

A redesigned user interface is present frequently throughout the operating system, building upon theFluent Design System;translucency, shadows, a new color palette, and a rounded geometry are prevalent throughout the UI. A prevalent aspect of the design is an appearance known as "Mica", described as an "opaque, dynamic material that incorporates theme and desktop wallpaper to paint the background of long-lived windows such as apps and settings".Much of the interface and start menu takes heavy inspiration from the now-canceled Windows 10X.TheSegoe UIfont used sinceWindows Vistahas been updated to avariableversion, improving its ability to scale between different display resolutions.

The flyout for the volume and brightness control in Windows 11 version 22H2 onwards

Thetaskbar's buttons are center-aligned by default, and it is permanently pinned to the bottom edge of the screen; it cannot be moved to the top, left, or right edges of the screen as in previous versions of Windows without manual changes to theregistry.The notifications sidebar is now accessed by clicking the date and time, with other Quick Actions toggles, as well as volume, brightness, and media playback controls, moved to a new settings pop-up displayed by clicking on the system tray. The "Widgets" button on the taskbar displays a panel withMicrosoft Start,anews aggregatorwith personalized stories and content (expanding upon the "news and interests" panel introduced in later builds of Windows 10).Microsoft Teamsis similarly integrated with the taskbar, with a pop-up showing a list of recent conversations.

TheStart menuhas been significantly redesigned, replacing the "live tiles" used byWindows 8.xand 10 with a grid of "pinned" applications, and a list of recent applications and documents.File Explorerwas updated to replace itsribbon toolbarwith a more traditionaltoolbar,while itscontext menushave been redesigned to move some tasks (such as copy and paste) to a toolbar along the top of the menu, and hide other operations under an overflow menu.

The redesigned Task View in Windows 11, featuring a separate wallpaper support for individual desktops

Task View,a feature introduced in Windows 10, features a refreshed design, and supports giving separate wallpapers to eachvirtual desktop.The window snapping functionality has been enhanced with two additional features; hovering over a window's maximize button displays pre-determined "Snap Layouts" fortilingmultiple windows onto a display, and tiled arrangement of windows can be minimized and restored from the taskbar as a "snap group".When a display is disconnected in amulti-monitorconfiguration, the windows that were previously on that display will be minimized rather than automatically moved to the main display. If the same display is reconnected, the windows are restored to their prior location.

Windows Subsystem for Android

Further information:Project AstoriaandWindows Subsystem for Linux

On October 21, 2021, Windows Subsystem for Android (WSA) became available to Beta channel builds of Windows 11 for users in the United States,which allows users to install and runAndroid appson their devices. Users can install Android apps through any source using theAPKfile format.AnAmazon Appstoreclient for Microsoft Store is also available.The Windows Subsystem for Android and Amazon Appstore became available to Release channel users in the United States on February 15, 2022, in Windows 11 Release build 22000.527.On March 5, 2024, Microsoft announced deprecation of WSA with support ending on March 5, 2025.

WSA is based on the Intel Bridge runtime compiler; Intel stated that the technology is not dependent on its CPUs, and will also be supported on x86-64 and ARM CPUs from other vendors.

Setup

Home and Pro (sinceversion 22H2) edition installation requires internet connection and Microsoft account login (only if for personal use on Pro) is mandatory unless manually bypassed to create a local user.However, Microsoft has since blocked one of the last remaining easy bypass methods that allowed local account creation during initial setup, complicating the bypass process further.All other editions are excluded from this requirement.

System security

As part of the minimum system requirements, Windows 11 only runs on devices with aTrusted Platform Module2.0 security coprocessor,albeit with some exceptions, see§ System requirementsfor details. According to Microsoft, the TPM 2.0 coprocessor is a "critical building block" for protection againstfirmwareand hardware attacks. In addition, Microsoft now requires devices with Windows 11 to include virtualization-based security (VBS), hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI), andSecure Bootbuilt-in and enabled by default.The operating system also features hardware-enforced stack protection for supported Intel and AMD processors for protection againstzero-day exploits.

Like its predecessor, Windows 11 also supportsmulti-factor authenticationandbiometric authenticationthrough Windows Hello.

Artificial intelligence

In subsequent updates, Microsoft added several features based onartificial intelligence(AI), like live captions, background noise removal in videoconferencing, webcam auto-framing that follows the user's movements,and AI-powered Bing Chat in the taskbar's search field.Following the integration ofGPT-4in Microsoft's other products, the company announced that by summer 2023, a new Windows Copilot would add GPT-4 integration to the Windows taskbar.

On May 20, 2024, Microsoft officially announced "Recall" —a feature that will use a hardwareAI acceleratorto locally store "snapshots" of the user's activity (including content transcribed using live captions), and allow users to search through them. This feature will be exclusive to PCs certified under the "Copilot Plus" branding.Following pushback from the cyber security community, Microsoft delayed the feature in June 2024. A preview version will be added to the Microsoft Insider program at later date in order to test added security measures.

Editions

Windows 11 is available in two main editions; theHomeedition, which is intended for consumer users, and theProedition, which contains additional networking and security features (such asBitLocker), as well as the ability to join adomain.Windows 11 Home may be restricted by default to verified software obtained from Microsoft Store ( "S Mode" ).Windows 11 Home requires an Internet connection and aMicrosoft accountin order to complete first-time setup.This restriction is also applied to Windows 11 Pro sinceversion 22H2as it was announced in February 2022, although a Microsoft account isn't required if it's not for personal use.

Windows 11 SEwas announced on November 9, 2021, as an edition exclusively for low-end devices sold in the education market; it is intended as a successor toWindows 10 S,and also competes primarily withChromeOS.It is designed to be managed viaMicrosoft Intune,and has changed based on feedback from educators to simplify the user interface and reduce "distractions", such as Snap Layouts not containing layouts for more than two applications at once, all applications opening maximized by default, and Widgets being removed. It is bundled with applications such asMicrosoft OfficeforMicrosoft 365,Minecraft Education Edition,and Flipgrid, whileOneDriveis used to save files by default. Windows 11 SE does not include Microsoft Store; third-party software is provisioned or installed by administrators. To target organizations migrating from Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge is configured by default to enable the installation of extensions from theChrome Web Store.

Other editions

See also:Windows 10 editions

Other editions include Pro Education, Pro for Workstations, Education, Enterprise, Enterprise multi-session, IoT Enterprise, Enterprise LTSC, IoT Enterprise LTSC, Home Single Language, and Team; along with regional variations. These editions remain fundamentally the same as their Windows 10 edition counterparts.

Two new editions called IoT Enterprise Subscription and IoT Enterprise Subscription LTSC have been introduced inversion 24H2.

Supported languages

Before the launch of Windows 11, OEMs (as well as mobile operators) and businesses were offered two options for device imaging: Component-Based Servicing lp.cab files (for the languages to be preloaded on the first boot) and Local Experience Pack.appx files (for the languages available for download on supported PCs). The 38 fully-localized Language Pack (LP) languages were available as both lp.cab and.appx packages, while the remaining 72 partially-localized Language Interface Pack (LIP) languages were only available as.appx packages.

With Windows 11, that process has changed. Five new LP languages were added — Catalan, Basque, Galician, Indonesian, and Vietnamese — bringing the total number of LP languages to 43. Furthermore, these 43 languages can only be imaged using lp.cab packages. This is to ensure a fully supported language-imaging and cumulative update experience.

The remaining 67 LIP languages that are LXP-based will move to a self-service model, and can only be added by Windows users themselves via the Microsoft Store and Windows Settings apps, not during the Windows imaging process. Any user, not just admins, can now add both the display language and its features, which can help users in business environments, but these exact options for languages (both LP and LIP) still depend on the OEM and mobile operator.

Updates and support

Main article:Windows 11 version history

Like Windows 10, Windows 11 follows Microsoft's Modern Lifecycle Policy. Each annual feature update has its own support lifecycle: two years for the Home and Pro editions, and three years for the Education and Enterprise editions. Microsoft has stated that Windows 11 provides no lifecycle guarantee if it has been installed on a machine that does not meet its minimum hardware requirements.

Windows 11 receives annual major updates, though Microsoft sometimes adds major features in mid-cycle releases. Starting in 2022, in the Enterprise and Education editions, major features added in yearly releases will be turned off by default until the next yearly release, though these features can be manually enabled as agroup policy.

Preview releases

TheWindows Insiderprogram carries over from Windows 10, with pre-release builds divided into "Dev" (unstable builds used to test features for future feature updates), "Beta" (test builds for the next feature update; relatively stable in comparison to Dev channel), and "Release Preview" (pre-release builds for final testing of upcoming feature updates) channels.

Versions

Windows 11 versions

Version	Codename	Marketing name	Build	Release date	Supported until (and support status by color)
					GAC		LTSC
					Home, Pro, SE, Pro Education, Pro for Workstations	Education, Enterprise, IoT Enterprise	Enterprise	IoT Enterprise
21H2	Sun Valley	—	22000	October 5, 2021	October 10, 2023	October 8, 2024	—
22H2	Sun Valley 2	2022 Update	22621	September 20, 2022	October 8, 2024	October 14, 2025
23H2	Sun Valley 3	2023 Update	22631	October 31, 2023	November 11, 2025	November 10, 2026
24H2	Hudson Valley	2024 Update	26100	Fall 2024	TBA
Legend:Old versionOlder version, still maintainedLatest versionPreview version
Notes:

System requirements

Hardware requirements for Windows 11
(excludesIoT Enterprise version 24H2 editions)

Component	Minimum
Processor	A compatible 64-bit processor (x86-64orARM64) with at least 1GHzclock rateand at least 2 processor cores appearing on the Microsoft list of approved CPUs (CPU model check not enforced on some editions).
Memory (RAM)	At least 4 GB
Storage space	At least 64 GB
System firmware	Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI)
Security	Secure Boot(recommended but not required)
	Trusted Platform Module(TPM) version 2.0
Graphics card	Compatible withDirectX 12or later withWDDM 2.0driver
Display	High definition (720p) display that is greater than 9 "diagonally, 8 bits per color channel; optional onIoT Enterpriseeditions.
Internet connection and Microsoft accounts	Internet connection andMicrosoft accountrequired to complete first-time setup on Home and Pro (for personal use) editions.

Additional requirements for optional functionality

Feature	Requirements
5Gsupport	5Gcapablemodem
AutoHDR	HDR capablemonitor
Biometric authentication and Windows Hello	Illuminated infrared camera or fingerprint reader
BitLockerto Go	USBflash drive(available in Windows 11 Pro and higher editions)
Hyper-V	Second Level Address Translation(SLAT) (available in Windows 11 Pro and higher editions)
DirectStorage	NVMeSolid-state drive
DirectX 12 Ultimate	Available with supported games and graphics cards
Spatial sound	Supporting hardware and software
Two-factor authentication	Use ofPIN,biometric authentication, or a phone withWi-FiorBluetoothcapabilities
Speech recognition	Microphone
Wi-Fi 6Esupport	NewWLANIHV hardware anddriver,Wi-Fi 6E capable AP/router
Windows Projection	Wi-Fiadapter that supportsWi-Fi Direct,WDDM2.0
Windows Subsystem for Android (public preview)	A supported processor and a solid-state drive At least 8 GB of RAM (minimum) At least 16 GB of RAM (recommended)

Official

The basicsystem requirementsof Windows 11 differ significantly from Windows 10. Windows 11 only supports64-bitsystems such as those using anx86-64orARM64processor;IA-32andARM32processors are no longer supported.Thus, Windows 11 is the first consumer version of Windows not to support 32-bit processors (althoughWindows Server 2008 R2is the first version ofWindows Serverto not support them).The minimum RAM and storage requirements were also increased; Windows 11 now requires at least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage.S modeis only supported for the Home edition of Windows 11.

As of August 2021, the officially supported list of processors includes eighth generation Intel Core CPUs (Coffee Lake) and later, AMDZen+CPUs/APUsand later (which include the "AF" revisions of Ryzen 1000 CPUs, which are underclocked Zen+ CPUs that supplant Ryzen 1000 parts that could no longer be manufactured due to a change inprocess),andQualcomm Snapdragon 850and later.The compatibility list includes the Intel Core i7-7820HQ, a seventh-generation processor used by theSurface Studio 2,although only on devices that shipped withDCH-based drivers.

Original equipment manufacturers(OEM) can still ship computers without a TPM 2.0 coprocessor upon Microsoft's approval.

On May 20, 2024, Microsoft announced "Copilot Plus" —a brand of Windows 11 PCs that will support enhanced artificial intelligence features. Copilot Plus PCs require an on-boardAI accelerator,at least 256 GB of storage, and at least 16 GB of RAM. Copilot Plus will initially be exclusive to ARM-based systems running the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite system-on-chip. x86-64-based Copilot Plus PCs will be released in the future.

Unofficial

Devices with unsupported 64-bit processors are not blocked from installing or running Windows 11; however, a clean install or upgrade using ISO installation media must be performed as Windows Update will not offer an upgrade from Windows 10.Additionally, users must also accept an on-screen disclaimer stating that they will not be entitled to receive updates, and that damage caused by using Windows 11 on an unsupported configuration are not covered by the manufacturer's warranty.

In addition, various unofficial methods to bypass other Windows 11 requirements, such as, but not limited to TPM 2.0 exist; including an official unofficial method provided directly by Microsoft.

In April 2024, Windows Insider version24H2builds began to have a dependency of theSSE4.2andPOPCNTCPU instructions(corresponding to thex86-64 v2 microarchitecture level), increasing the unofficial minimum compatibility toBulldozer microarchitecture-based processors like theAMD FX(2011) processors andfirst-generation Intel Core i(2008) processors.Intel Core 2(like theCore 2 DuoandCore 2 Quad),AMD K10CPUs (such asPhenom IIandAthlon II) and older are no longer supported. Finally, version 24H2 now requiresARMv8.1,dropping unofficial support forARMv8.0.E.g., theSnapdragon835 and older are no longer supported.

Firmware compatibility

LegacyBIOSis no longer officially supported; aUEFIsystem and aTrusted Platform Module(TPM) 2.0 security coprocessor is now officially required.The TPM requirement in particular has led to confusion as many motherboards do not have TPM support, or require a compatible TPM to be physically installed onto the motherboard. Many newer CPUs also include a TPM implemented at the CPU level (with AMD referring to this as "fTPM", and Intel referring to it as "Platform Trust Technology" [PTT]),which might be disabled by default and require changing settings in the computer's UEFI firmware,or a UEFI firmware update that changes the default settings to reflect these requirements.

Starting with version 24H2,IoT Enterpriseeditions have officially reintroduced legacy BIOS support and eliminated the requirement for a TPM.

Third-party software

Some third-party software may refuse to run on configurations of Windows 11 that do not comply with the hardware security requirement. After the release of Windows 11,Riot Games' kernel-levelanti-cheatsystem Vanguard—used inValorantand since May 2024 byLeague of Legends—began to enforce the operating system security requirements, and will not allow the games to be run on the OS if secure boot and a TPM 2.0-compliant coprocessor are not enabled.

IoT Enterprise editions

Hardware requirements for Windows 11IoT Enterpriseversion 24H2editions

Component	Minimum
Processor	A 64-bit processor (x86-64 v2orARMv8.1) with at least 1GHzclock rateand at least 2 processor cores.
Memory (RAM)	LTSC:At least 2 GB Non-LTSC:At least 4 GB
Storage space	LTSC:At least 16 GB Non-LTSC:At least 64 GB
System firmware	Basic Input/Output System (BIOS)
Security	Optional
Graphics card	Compatible withDirectX 10/Not required
Display	Optional
Internet connection and Microsoft accounts	Not required

WhileIoT Enterprise editionshave always had slightly reduced official requirements compared to other Windows 11 editions, notably starting withversion 24H2,minimum requirements were further reduced and now differ significantly. These updated 24H2 requirements were announced on May 22, 2024, for both LTSC and non-LTSC editions.

For the first time since Windows 11 release, Microsoft has officially eliminated aTPMandUEFIminimum requirement for all systems running these editions and dropped the minimumDirectXversion down to 10 (version 12 was previously required on23H2). Finally, the IoT Enterprise LTSC edition further drops the minimum required RAM to 2 GB and storage space to 16 GB.

Reception

Pre-release

Reception of Windows 11 upon its reveal was positive, with critics praising the new design and productivity features.However, Microsoft was criticized for creating confusion over the minimum system requirements for Windows 11.The increased system requirements (compared to those of Windows 10) initially published by Microsoft meant that up to 60 percent of existing Windows 10 PCs were unable to upgrade to Windows 11,which has faced concerns that this will contribute toelectronic waste.

Microsoft has not specifically acknowledged this when discussing the cutoff, it was also acknowledged that thesixthandseventh generationofIntel Coreprocessors were prominently afflicted by CPU-level security vulnerabilities such asMeltdownandSpectre,and that newer CPUs manufactured since then had increased mitigations against the flaws.

Speaking to IT news outletCRN,a dozen independent solution providers all felt that they "believe Windows 11 will be a meaningful step up in security, and they agree with Microsoft's strategy of putting security first."

Research Vice President ofGartnerStephen Kleynhans felt that Microsoft was "looking at the entire stack from the hardware up through the applications and the user experience and trying to make the entire stack work better and more securely.

Launch

Andrew Cunningham ofArs Technicapraised the improvements to its visual design (describing the new "Mica" appearance as reminiscent of the visual appearance ofiOSandmacOS,and arguing that Microsoft had "[made] a serious effort" at making the user-facing aspects of Windows 11 more consistent visually. He also praised window management, performance (assessed as being equivalent to if not better than Windows 10), other "beneficial tweaks", and its system requirements having brought greater public attention to hardware security features present on modern PCs. Criticism was raised towards Widgets' lack of support for third-party content, thus limiting it to Microsoft services only, regressions in taskbar functionality and customization. Also noting the inability to easily select default applications for common tasks such as web browsing, as it requires the user to select the browser application for eachfile typeindividually, and Microsoft's unclear justification for its processor compatibility criteria. Cunningham concluded that "as I've dug into [Windows 11] and learned its ins and outs for this review, I've warmed to it more", but argued that the OS was facing similar "public perception" issues toWindows VistaandWindows 8.However, he noted that 11 did not have as many performance issues or bugs as Vista had upon its release, nor was as "disjointed" as 8, and recommended that users who were unsure about the upgrade should stay on Windows 10 in anticipation of future updates to 11.

Tom Warren ofThe Vergedescribed Windows 11 as being akin to a house in the middle of renovations, but that "actually using Windows 11 for the past few months hasn't felt as controversial as I had expected" —praising its updated user interface as being more modern and reminiscent ofiOSandChromeOS,the new start menu for feeling less cluttered than theWindows 10iteration, updates to some of its stock applications, and Snap Assist. Warren noted that he rarely used the Widgets panel orMicrosoft Teams,citing that he preferred the weather display that later versions ofWindows 10offered, and did not use Teams to communicate with his friends and family. He also acknowledged the expansion of theMicrosoft Storeto include more "traditional" desktop applications. However, he felt that Windows 11 still felt like a work in progress, notingUIinconsistencies (such as dark mode and newcontext menudesigns not being uniform across all dialogues and applications, and theUWPSettings app still falling back upon legacyControl Panelapplets for certain settings), regressions to thetaskbar(including the inability to move it, drag files onto taskbar buttons to focus the corresponding application, and the clock only shown on the primary display inmulti-monitorconfigurations), and promised features (such as dynamic refresh rate support and a universal microphone mute button) not being present on the initial release. Overall, he concluded that "I wouldn't rush out to upgrade to Windows 11, but I also wouldn't avoid it. After all, Windows 11 still feels familiar and underneath all theUIchanges, it's the sameWindowswe've had for decades. "

Mark Hatchman ofPC Worldwas more critical of Windows 11, arguing that it "sacrifices productivity for personality, but without cohesion", commenting upon changes such as the inability to use local "offline" accounts on Windows 11 Home, regressions to thetaskbar,a "functionally worse"start menu,Microsoft Teamsintegration having privacy implications and being a ploy to coerce users into switching to the service,File Explorerobscuring common functions under unclear icons, forcing users to scroll through many options to discourage changing the default web browser from Microsoft Edge, and that the OS "anecdotally feels less responsive, slower, and heavier than Windows 10". He concluded that Windows 11 "feels practical and productive, but less so than its predecessor in many aspects", while its best features were either "hidden deeper within", required specific hardware (DirectStorage, Auto HDR) or were not available on launch (Android app support).

See also

• List of operating systems
• Microsoft Windows

External links

• Official website
• Windows 11 release informationfrom Microsoft