Microsoft made Windows 11 version 22H2 available in the Release Preview Ring yesterday, and it appears that some Windows 10 users with unsupported hardware are currently seeing the update in Windows Update. A long thread on the Windows 11 subreddit (via Neowin) has various testimonies of Windows 10 users who’ve been able to install the update on their unsupported PCs.
Windows 11 version 22H2 is currently available for “seekers” in the Release Preview ring, and that includes people still on Windows 10. Reddit user AceRimmer412 posted a screenshot of Windows Update offering him to download Windows 11 version 22H2 on his Windows 10 PC with an unsupported Intel Core i5-7200 CPU.
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Reddit user JMHC also claimed to have been offered the update on his Surface Book 2 with an unsupported Core i5-7300U CPU. “It said unsupported on the right panel but the Windows 11 update was in the queue. I’ve just finished updating and all seems good,” the message reads.
There are many other similar testimonies from Windows 10 users also seeing the update on this Reddit thread, some of them on even older hardware. However, this unexpected Windows Update behavior seems to be quite random.Â
“Windows Update also says that Windows 11 can run on my 4th gen i7 laptop.. but the thing is.. when I check Windows Insider.. it still says my laptop does not meet system requirement for 11.. strange,” wrote Reddit user HanatoKobato in the same thread.
It’s not clear if Microsoft pushed the wrong button somewhere, but the company doesn’t seem to have updated its list of supported CPUs for Windows 11 to add more older models. Anyway, if you’re a Windows Insider and have a PC that’s not eligible for a free Windows 11 upgrade, let us know in the comments if you noticed any changes in Windows Update since yesterday.
Update 3:50 PM ET: The Windows Insider team has confirmed that this is actually a bug that’s being investigated. “The requirements have not changed. We’re looking into the scenario,” the team said on Twitter.
dftf
<p><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">"I am thinking Windows 11 22H2 may be the start of them optimizing the OS much more and possibly relaxing the CPU requirements even slightly…."</em></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Unlikely! </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Windows 11</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> is built from the same codebase, by-and-large, as </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Windows 10</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">, and the latest 21H2 release of Win10 still runs-fine on my 2010-era laptop with 8GB RAM and a </span><u style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">first-generation</u><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">(!) </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Intel Core i3</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> processor with SATA-based SSD (though limited to SATA II, not SATA III, speeds).</span></p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">If that old laptop of mine can still run </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Windows 10</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> without issues, I highly-doubt there is any-reason regards to performance why </span><em style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Windows 11</em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"> even-now couldn’t support older CPUs… clearly they are limiting based on either driver-support (such as the integrated GPU) or some instruction-sets the later CPUs offer that older ones don’t.</span></p>
dftf
<p>If I go into the <em>Windows Update</em> section of the <em>Settings</em> app on my 2016-era <em>HP EliteBook</em> then it constantly states that laptop is "not quite ready for Windows 11" and advertises to download the <em>PC Health Check</em> app — which then advises me both the CPU and TPM v1.2 chip are both unsupported! So, rather-pointless to bother suggesting downloading the app for <u>two things that cannot be changed</u>!</p><p><br></p><p>(A little-clearer though on my much-older, 2010-era laptop: "This device is not capable of running <em>Windows 11, </em>but will continue to receive security-updates for <em>Windows 10</em>". Fair enough!)</p>