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No longer able to upgrade to Windows 11 on unsupported processors?

Joe Harris 0 Reputation points
2025-10-06T05:44:30.2666667+00:00

In the past I was able to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 on PCs that had CPUs that were not on the official supported CPUs list. Namely intel i5 6500/T, and AMD 2400GE. My company has a bunch of HP and Dell mini towers that have TPM 2.0 updates available to them. I also did this for a few personal builds that have intel 6th and 7th gen, by adding tpm 2.0 modules to their motherboards.

Before I would upgrade the TPM, make sure the Windows was using GPT and had secureboot enabled, then running the PC health check tool would allow me to upgrade to windows 11. It looks like that it no longer the case with a more recent windows version?

Just wondering when this changed? and why now, so close to the Windows 10 sunset?

Windows for business | Windows Client for IT Pros | Devices and deployment | Install Windows updates, features, or roles
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  1. Chen Tran 3,285 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2025-10-06T06:55:30.4633333+00:00

    Hello Joe,

    Thank you for posting question on Microsoft Windows Forum.

    Based on your query of not being able to upgrade to Windows 11 on unsupported processors any more.

    Well! I would like to share my insight with you to address your concern. In the past, users with unsupported processors who met the TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot criteria could often upgrade through the official PC Health Check tool. The primary reason is most likely the the enforcement of a specific CPU instruction set: SSE4.2 and POPCNT. While your Intel 6th and 7th generation CPUs, as well as the AMD 2400GE, could be equipped with TPM 2.0 and support Secure Boot, they may lack this specific instruction set that is now being required for the latest Windows 11 feature updates. This is a more fundamental hardware requirement that cannot be as easily bypassed as the initial checks for TPM and CPU model numbers.

    This move is likely motivated by Microsoft to ensure a stable and secure user experience, as newer features and security mitigations in Windows 11 may rely on these more modern processor capabilities. On the other hand, This increased enforcement coincides with the approach of the Windows 10 sunset might indicate Microsoft's stance of that Windows 11 should only be installed on supported hardware to guarantee full functionality and security updates.

    Hope the above information is helpful! If it is. Free feel to hit "Accepted" for benefitting others in community having the similar query too.

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