How to upgrade to Windows 11 for free? | Even if your PC is NOT SUPPORTED or NOT ACTIVATED

In this, blog post, I will show you, how to upgrade to Windows 11 for Free. And also whether or not your PC meets the minimum system requirements.

Why should you upgrade?

Support for Windows 7 ended on January 14, 2020, support for Windows 8.1 will end on January 10, 2023, and support for Windows 10 will end on October 14, 2025. Learn more >

1. Download Windows 11 ISO File

In both cases, you need Windows 11 ISO file, which you can easily download from the Microsoft website for FREE.
Here's the step-by-step guide to downloading Windows ISO Files: 

Download Windows 11 ISO File

Or, you can directly download it from my site: Microsoft Product for FREE
Please note: you can't directly upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows Vista and older versions of Windows (XP. 2000, ME, 98 SE, 98, 95, etc).

2. Upgrade to Windows 11

Windows 11 free upgrade matrix

Windows version and edition > Windows 10 edition
  • Windows 7 Starter > Windows 11 Home
  • Windows 7 Home Basic > Windows 11 Home
  • Windows 7 Home Premium > Windows 11 Home
  • Windows 8 / 8.1 with Bing > Windows 11 Home
  • Windows 8 / 8.1 (Core) > Windows 11 Home
  • Windows 10 Home > Windows 11 Home
  • Windows 7 Professional > Windows 11 Pro
  • Windows 7 Ultimate > Windows 11 Pro
  • Windows 8 / 8.1 Pro > Windows 11 Pro
  • Windows 10 Pro > Windows 11 Pro
  • Windows 7 Enterprise > Windows 11 Enterprise
  • Windows 8 / 8.1 Enterprise > Windows 11 Enterprise
  • Windows 10 Enterprise > Windows 11 Enterprise

Steps to upgrade to Windows 11:

  • After downloading, open the Downloads folder (or, the folder where you downloaded Windows 11 ISO file).
  • Open the ISO file (Win11_22H2_English_x64) by double-clicking on it.
  • And then open setup.
  • On UAC, Click on Yes.
    If you get the message "This app can't run on your PC", this means your Windows system type is 32-bit. Microsoft dropped support for 32-bit (x86) systems, so if you are using a 32-bit Windows, then you can't upgrade to Windows 11. You have to install Windows 11 using installation media (bootable Pendrive).
  • On ‘Install Windows 11’, Click on Next.
    If you get the message "This PC doesn't currently meet Windows 11 system requirements", then you have to change some Registry settings or use installation media to upgrade to Windows 11. Scroll down to "3. Upgrade to Windows 11 on unsupported PC".

    If it asks for a Product Key in this step, that means your current Windows is not activated. Don’t worry use these keys.
    For Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium | Windows 8.1 (Core), with Bing | Windows 10 Home: TX9XD-98N7V-6WMQ6-BX7FG-H8Q99
    For Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate | Windows 8.1 Pro | Windows 10 Pro: W269N-WFGWX-YVC9B-4J6C9-T83GX
    For Windows 7 Enterprise | Windows 8.1 Enterprise | Windows 10 Enterprise: NPPR9-FWDCX-D2C8J-H872K-2YT43
    These keys are taken from the Microsoft website. These are not Product Keys. This means your Windows will not going to activate. If the above keys do not work then try other keys from here: KMS client setup keys.
    And then click on the Next button.
  • On ‘Applicable notices and license terms, click on Accept.
  • On ‘Ready to install’, Click Install.
    If you want to start fresh with a clean installation of Windows 11 22H2, click the Change what to keep, select Nothing, the Next button, and then the Install button.
  • And then, your PC will starts upgrading to Windows 11. This may take half an hour.
  • After the Upgrade process completes, click on Start > Settings > Windows Update, and click on Check for updates. And install all the updates. This includes updates for Windows 11 and device drivers.

3. Upgrade to Windows 11 on an unsupported PC

3.1 Upgrade to Windows 11 on PC with 4GB RAM and TPM 1.2

If your PC has at least 4 GB of RAM and TPM 1.2, you can upgrade to Windows 11 by creating only one registry key.
On Windows PC:
  • Select Search on Taskbar, type Registry, and then select Registry Editor.

    On UAC, click on Yes.
  • In the Address bar, type HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup and press enter key.
  • In the blank area, right-click and select New, then DWORD (32-bit) Value.
  • Name the value AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU.
  • Double-click on the new key. In the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value window, under Value data:, type 1 and then click on OK.
  • And then close the Registry Editor.
  • Then, follow the steps from the section "Upgrade to Windows 11".

3.2. Upgrade to Windows 11 on PC with < 4GB RAM, no TPM, no Secure Boot and unsupported CPU

If you have a very old PC with less than 4 GB of RAM, no TPM, no Secure Boot and an unsupported CPU. Then you need a create Windows 11 bootable USB Drive (Pendrive) using Rufus.
White creating bootable Pendrive, on Rufus; "Windows User Experience" window, check the "Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0" option.

Source: