Verify App and Hardware CompatibilityĮven if the PC Health Check app says your PC is compatible, it doesn’t mean all your apps and hardware will work. The first is to wait until you see it appear in Windows Update.įind out more by checking out our top reasons to upgrade to Windows 11 and how Windows 11 improves upon Windows 10. This provides you with two options for installing Windows 11. Despite it being available as of October 2021, Microsoft is gradually rolling the OS out through mid-2022. Microsoft isn’t releasing Windows 11 to every user at once. Decide How You Want to Install Windows 11 In our post on recovering your Windows 10 product key, we also covered how to recover other types of product keys and see a list of all installed apps and software (see section 7). However, it’s a good idea to make a list of everything you’ve installed along with any corresponding product keys. If they don’t work quite right in 10, you may have problems.Īs with your files, your apps should stay the same. Make Note of All Your Apps and Product KeysĪs long as your current apps are all compatible with Windows 10, there shouldn’t be any real issues moving to Windows 11. It’s a little bit of a process but definitely worth it if you want to recreate your old OS. If you want to make sure you can revert back to Windows 10 at any time, you can instead clone Windows 10. Go to “Settings -> Update & security -> Backup.” You can also use the backup feature in Windows 10. Alternatively, get Microsoft 365 with 1 TB of storage for $69.99/year.

Obviously, Microsoft recommends using OneDrive, although it’s actually surprisingly affordable at $1.99 for 100 GB.

You can use backup software (such as IBeesoft DBackup or software included on external hard drives) and simply copy items to an external hard drive or use a cloud-based service. During the upgrade to Windows 10, many users lost files because something didn’t upgrade and install correctly.īefore proceeding with the installation, back up all of your files.

Installing Windows 11 shouldn’t erase any of your files, but sometimes things do go wrong. Back Up or Create a Clone of Windows 10Ĭompatibility isn’t the only thing to consider. You can buy a new PC (make sure it meets the minimum specs) that has Windows 10 and upgrade from there or patiently wait until the majority of new PCs already have Windows 11 installed.

You won’t be able to install Windows 11, however, until your PC is compatible. If you really like your current PC, it may mean you just need a hardware upgrade, such as RAM or a larger hard drive. If your PC isn’t compatible, you’ll see what’s missing.

Windows 11 fresh install