Microsoft makes the Windows 11 v23H2 update free upgrade available for compatible Windows 10 devices. If your device hardware meets Windows 11 minimum system requirements and running Windows 10 version 2004 and later the upgrade is offered via Windows update. Also, there is an official Windows 11 23H2 installer assistant to get it manually. Well if you have a compatible device but running Windows 7 or Windows 8 it won’t offer the free upgrade. You first need to upgrade latest Windows 10 then Go for the Windows 11 upgrade. Or you can download Windows 11 ISO and perform a clean install. Well if you have a compatible device here is how to Upgrade to Windows 11 version 23H2 from Windows 10 for FREE.
Check Windows 11 system requirements
This time the company has made Windows 11 system requirements controversially high. You need a processor with Intel 8th Gen Coffee Lake or Zen 2 CPUs and up. TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module) and UEFI firmware support, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage are required to install or upgrade the latest Windows 11 23H2 update.
This system requirement leaves millions of PCs unable to officially upgrade to Windows 11, although there will be unsupported workarounds if you really want Windows 11. Again if you don’t have a compatible device won’t worry Microsoft promised, will continue supporting Windows 10 with security patches until October 2025.
Here are the official system requirements for Windows 11
- Processor – 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC)
- Memory – 4 Gigabytes (GB) or greater
- Storage – 64 GB or more of available storage space
- System Firmware – UEFI, Secure Boot Capable
- TPM – Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
- Graphics Card – Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
- Display – High definition (720p) display that is 9” or greater diagonally, 8 bits per color channel
- Internet connection – Internet connectivity is necessary to perform updates, and to download and use some features
Note: TPM stands for Trusted Platform Module and It’s usually built into business laptops and desktop machines that enhance computer security and privacy. To find out if your PC has TPM 2.0 for Windows 11 Press the Windows key + R, type tpm.msc and click ok.
If you are not sure about your system configuration, Microsoft has Windows PC health check tool and running that automatically checks if your PC is compatible with Windows 11.
How to Upgrade to Windows 11 23H2
If your device passes the above system requirements then installing Windows 11 is quick and easier. The official way to install Windows 11 update version 23H2 is to check for Windows update and download it if available for your device. Also, there are official Windows 11 Installation Assistants to upgrade your eligible Windows 10 computer to Windows 11. Or you can download Windows 11 ISO (64-bit) to upgrade or clean install Windows 11 on a new PC.
Install Windows 11 Via Windows 10 Settings
- Press the Windows key + R and select settings app,
- Go to Update & Security then Windows Update and hit the check for updates button,
- If pending updates are there allow them to download and install on your device.
- Also, check if you get a notification that Windows 11 version 23H2 is ready – and it’s free, if yes then hit the Download and Install button
- You must agree on the software license terms to allow the download of Windows 11 23H2 update files from the Microsoft server.
This will download the complete Windows 11 package and take some time depending on your internet speed and hardware configuration.
Once the download and install are complete you need to reboot your computer to apply the new update.
Install Windows 11 via Assistant
Also, there is an official Windows 11 installation assistant available to make the upgrade process easier and error free. If your device is compatible with the Windows 11 update but won’t see the upgrade notification, you can force it using Install Assistant. Here is how.
- First Open the Download Windows 11 page(Opens in a new window) and click the Download Now button under the Windows 11 Installation Assistant section.
- Locate the Windows11InstallationAssistant.exe file under the download section, and double-click on it. Click yes if UAC prompts for permission.
- Let the installer assistant check your system for Windows 11 compatibility and when the license screen prompts you must click Accept and Install to proceed.
- This will start the Windows 11 23H2 update download from the Microsoft server, automatically verify the download and install it on your device.
- And once it’s ready your computer will need to restart to apply the new version and changes. You can click on restart now or your device automatically restarts after 30 min.
- The Windows 11 update installation process may take more than 15 to 30 min, and your device restarts several times.
- Once done you will prompt the brand new Windows 11 login screen with lots of new features and improvements.
Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool
Also, you can use Microsoft’s Media Creation Tool that let you create installation media for the new OS. Using the Windows 11 media creation tool you can create an installation media or download the official Windows 11 ISO image for clean install windows.
- At the Download Windows 11 page(Opens in a new window), click the Download now button under the Create Windows 11 Installation Media section.
- Next Run the MediaCreationToolW11.exe file, Click yes if UAC prompts for permission,
- Next, accept the license terms and confirm the language and edition of Windows that you want.
Next, you need to choose between create a USB flash drive or download the Windows 11 ISO file and burn it to a disk.
Select the USB flash drive and follow the on-screen instructions to make it bootable and use the USB drive for upgrade or clean install Windows 11 on a different PC.
Also, you can select the ISO download option click next, select the folder where to save the ISO file and follow on-screen instructions to get Windows 11 ISO downloaded on your PC. Next, open the drive and double-click the setup.exe file to kick off the upgrade.
Install Windows 11 on unsupported PC
If your device doesn’t meet Windows 11 system requirements but you still want to try it on your PC there is option to Bypass Windows 11 Requirements but it’s not recommended.
To Bypass Windows 11 Minimum Installation Requirements
- Press the Windows key + R, type regedit and click ok to open the Windows registry editor,
- Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > SYSTEM > Setup > MoSetup in the left panel of the Registry Editor.
- Right-click on the MoSetup key and select New > DWORD (32-bit) value. Give it the name AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU.
- Double-click on the newly created entity, enter 1 in the Value Data field and press OK
Finally, close the Registry Editor reboot your computer, and try to upgrade to Windows 11 23H2 update.
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