Windows 11: how to get your hands on it now

Windows 11 is here, and some of us are keen to get our hands on it. Microsoft has made it available as a free upgrade for compatible Windows 10 machines, so if you invested in a new laptop over the last 18 months of Covid lockdowns your machine shouldn’t be out of date.

Microsoft is rolling out the update to new machines first, followed by existing devices. It expects all eligible devices will have been offered the update by mid 2022 – a long time to wait if you are at the end of that queue.

So, how do you get the Windows update? First, check if your machine measures up. To run Windows 11, you’ll need a 1GHz or faster chip that has at least two cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or system on a chip. You’ll also need at least 4GB of RAM, which is the bare minimum you’ll see in many machines sold these days. The software requires 64GB of storage at a minimum, and the system needs to be capable of secure boot.

There are more requirements, around Trusted Platform Module, graphics cards and display.

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You can download a tool from Microsoft to check if your PC is compatible with the updated operating system. This Healthcheck app will scan your system and give you either the green light to download Windows 11, or tell you why your computer is not suitable for the new operating system.

But even if you get rejected by Healthcheck, it doesn’t mean that it is incapable of running Windows 11. Microsoft has hard requirements and soft requirements, and the list of supported chips recognised by the Healthcheck app has a bit of wiggle room apparently.

How to get the update

Before you run any update, it is a good idea to back up your important files – if you haven’t already. It’s unlikely that, if your PC meets all the requirements for Windows 11, that the update will harm your system, but it is not worth taking the risk.

If your laptop or desktop meets the minimum hardware requirements, go to the Windows Update settings by selecting: Settings >Update & Security >Windows Update, and check for updates there. Microsoft says it will become available here once your turn for upgrade has arrived – assuming your device is eligible.

But what if it doesn’t appear? If you aren’t seeing a notification that you have a Windows update available, you may have to wait a few weeks to get to the top of the queue. You can either wait, or you can go another route – although we should point out that Microsoft recommends that you wait until the upgrade is offered through the Windows Update system. Proceed with caution on any other methods, as it could go wrong and you may not be able to recover your data if it does.

You can use the installation assistant to get the new software, but if your machine failed the Healthcheck test, the assistant won't allow you to install Windows 11 unless you alter your machine's registry to allow it to bypass checks for the TPM or a supported processor. Microsoft provides instructions on how to modify the registry on this page, but also slaps warnings all over it so consider what you're getting into before you get started.

Another option is to create installation media on a USB key and install the operating system using that. A final option is to download a Windows 11 disk image to create a bootable installation media such as a USB stick or DVD, or create a virtual machine to install the new Windows software. See Microsoft's guide here for more details.

Be aware though that installing the new operating system by any means other than the Windows Update tool could mean you have to repeat the process as updates become available.