The new Windows 11 arrives with a new user interface, brand new UI with an updated taskbar, and a perfectly redesigned Start menu. Microsoft Store has also been improved, there are better Widgets, Microsoft Teams integration, and more.
Instead of Windows 8’s Live Tiles feature, Microsoft is using a more preferable and standard Start menu. Well, aside from a few up-front design changes on the interface, Windows 11 operating system is just the typical Windows you normally use.
Despite the new design, power users will also miss some unique features that were available to Windows 10 OS. Essence such as the impressive Dynamic Refresh Rate, universal mute, and yea, Android apps support will be coming in the future.
In a more recent update, Microsoft is now offering a free upgrade to new devices that are still shipping with Windows 10, before making the OS available to other eligible existing hardware. The company is gradually rolling out Windows 11 OS, and it’s a day earlier than expected.
Page Contents
How to upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 (Free)
In order to be offered the opportunity to upgrade your Windows 10 PC to Windows 11, the following must be in place: Intel 8th Gen Coffee Lake or Zen 2 CPUs and up, TPM 2.0 (Trusted Platform Module) support, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage.
The list above is Windows 11 requirement, and on that note, not all existing Windows 10 PC is allowed to be upgraded to Windows 11. However, before going through with the upgrade, there are a few steps to follow:
a. Install / Activate Microsoft’s PC Health Check app.
b. As usual, ensure you back up all of your important documents, apps, and data.
c. Proceed to your Windows 10 PC’s Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > Check for updates.
Fortunately, if your Windows 10 PC was recently purchased and offers all the Windows 11 OS requirements, then Windows 11 upgrade will be free and available for you. As there’ll be an option to download and install, follow the on-screen prompts and configure Windows 11 settings.
How to install Windows 11 OS (other ways)
For those, whose PCs were unable to run Windows 11 from setting, don’t be disappointed, as Microsoft listed three different ways to install Windows 11 OS right away. However, Microsoft also promised a full Windows 10 upgrade to all PCs by mid-2022.
1. Similar to Windows 10, you can also download Microsoft’s Windows 11 Download Assistant which will download and install the update.
2. Download Installation Assistant and run it to get Windows 11 on a device running Windows 10
3. Select Create tool now to perform a reinstall or clean install of Windows 11 on a new/used PC. Also known as installation media, it is a bootable USB drive that installs a fresh copy of Windows 11. Click download and continue.
4. Continue the installation setup of the media by choosing the right setting for yourself. Where the following applies:
i. Full Upgrade – This keeps personal files (including drivers), apps, and Windows Settings. This is the default experience and is the one that Installation Assistant uses.
ii. Keep Data Only – This will keep personal files (including drivers) only, not apps and not Windows Settings.
iii. Clean Install – This will install Windows 11 and keep nothing from the Windows 10 installation.
5. Another quaint method includes downloading an ISO file, and then burn it to a DVD for installation.
However, Microsoft is launching Windows 11-powered hardware worldwide on October 5th. Since all existing PCs are not offered a free upgrade to Windows 11 OS, Microsoft confirmed that the Windows 11 upgrade will be fully available to both eligible and existing PCs by mid-2022.
Microsoft says, “We expect all eligible Windows 10 devices to be offered the upgrade to Windows 11 by mid-2022.” The Windows 11 OS update was made available for eligible devices in New Zealand and beyond. And newly purchased Windows 10 PC will be able to upgrade to Windows 11 right now.
