The final and stable version of Windows 11 has already begun to be deployed around the world, here is how you can upgrade or download and install Windows 11 for free.
Microsoft provides it as a free update for personal computers with a valid Windows 10 license and meeting the minimum required hardware requirements. Windows 11 is also available as ISO images for new installations, running in virtual machines or third-party updates, as well as being the reference version of Windows that OEM manufacturers will use for pre-installations on new machines.
Before starting with the mini tutorial to install Windows 11 on your PC it is necessary to know the minimum system requirements that Microsoft recommends.
- 1 GHz 64-bit or faster processor with 2 or more cores.
- 4 GB of RAM.
- Minimum 64GB or more of available storage.
- DirectX 12 compatible graphics card with WDDM 2.0 driver.
- Screen larger than more than 9 “diagonal.
- UEFI compliant with Secure Boot.
- TPM 2.0.
- Internet connection, only to activate Windows 11 Home.
How to upgrade to Windows 11
If your computer meets the requirements, it will be updated sooner or later. In case of being “fully compliant”, you will receive the update much sooner than the computers that are in the process of reaching that status which will arrive when Microsoft considers that the experience is good enough. So much so that completing the program will take months —mid-2022 — to reach all eligible Windows 10 devices.
To check if the update is available for a computer, just go to Settings, then Update and Security, and finally Windows Update. In this section, it is possible to ask the system to check for new updates available. If the answer is negative, do not despair; to reach all the compatible devices that are scattered around the world, Windows 11 will take a while.
How to download and install Windows 11 for free
In addition of upgrading Windows 11 from Windows 10, Microsoft also offers Windows 11 ISO file, the Windows 11 Media Creation Tool and the Installation Assistant for download.
With Windows 11 installation wizard
This will download software to your computer that will check the hardware requirements and, if you meet them, proceed to download the new system.
Creating installation media for Windows 11
If you want to install Windows 11 for the first time on a new or already used PC, download the media creation tool to create a bootable USB. Here you need a license to install Windows 11 or a Windows 10 device that is eligible for an upgrade to Windows 11.
This will download software to your computer that will check the hardware requirements and, if you meet them, proceed to download the new system.
Install with Windows 11 ISO
With the Windows 11 ISO, you can, of course, create a bootable installation media using different methods, like with the Rufus tool. Installing Windows 11 through the ISO image can bypass the minimum system requirement recommended by Microsoft. The bad news is that Microsoft will deny them security, driver, and new feature updates
For greater device security, it is worth waiting for the official version. For those without a compatible computer, Microsoft says, “There has never been a better time to buy a PC.”
