When Microsoft released Windows 11 in 2021, it introduced several new system requirements to run Windows 11. The new requirements didn’t go down well with users as it left out older PCs and required a hardware TPM chip. That said, users found new workarounds to bypass hardware requirements for Windows 11 entirely.
One notable loophole was installing Windows 11 as a server version, which allowed users to bypass all such requirements. By running setup.exe /product server in Command Prompt during the installation process, users could install Windows 11 on unsupported PCs. However, Microsoft has since closed this workaround with the latest Canary update.
According to a tweet from Bob Pony, the recently released Windows 11 Insider Build 27686 (Dilithium) has patched the setup.exe /product server workaround for bypassing the system requirements check. This change is part of the new platform updates and is expected to make its way to the stable version with the next 25H1 build. Nonetheless, Microsoft might also patch the current 24H2 build.
Despite this closure, there are still other methods to bypass Windows 11's system requirements. Users have been able to circumvent CPU and TPM restrictions, RAM limitations, and even set up Windows 11 without a Microsoft account.
Microsoft has taken notice of these loopholes and is likely to close them with future updates. The company has emphasized that these new requirements improve security on Windows 11, aiming to create a safer platform by default.
What You Will Learn
- Key system requirements for Windows 11 and their implications for users.
- Workarounds for installing Windows 11 on unsupported PCs.
- Recent updates from Microsoft that affect these workarounds.
- Future changes to Windows 11 aimed at improving security.
