Here are the CPUS that officially can run Windows 11
Microsoft has drawn a line in the sand, but it remains to be seen just how restrictive that line is.
Anew operating system incompatible with older hardware—that’s surely another MACOS announcement, right? Not this time. Windows users could soon find themselves in the same boat as Apple fans: Following close behind the official announcement of Windows 11 was the reveal of much stricter hardware compatibility (see page 7) for Windows 10’s successor.
Unlike previous generations of the operating system, Windows 11 tacks on tougher security requirements, like the presence of a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 and the ability to use Secure Boot. In a mild surprise, Microsoft has already named specific processors that are cleared for the next era of Windows.
Much remains to be explained—such as the criteria for getting the green light, though
we’ve sniffed out some strong clues about processor security features ( go.pcworld. com/bhnd)— but for now, if you’re curious whether your chip made the cut, you can check. To make it easier, we dug in and pulled out the most commonly found CPUS on the list, which you’ll find below.
INTEL CPUS COMPATIBLE WITH WINDOWS 11
At the moment, Intel processors compatible with Windows 11 date back to mid-2017 and no earlier. Think 8th-generation CPUS and beyond. Microsoft has the full rundown on its site ( go.pcworld.com/flrn), which includes Pentium, Celeron, and Xeon chips. For ease of scanning, we’ve culled that list to a handful of the common mainstream consumer processors from each generation.