Windows 11 Version 22H2 is Showing Up on Some Unsupported PCs

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.

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. 

“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.

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  • thejoefin

    Premium Member
    08 June, 2022 - 11:00 am

    <p>My work laptop is a 7th gen i7 and in Windows Update it says I can get Windows 11… I’m not bold enough to install it on my work device, but I did find it confusing that I was getting that message.</p>

  • Aaron44126

    08 June, 2022 - 11:20 am

    <p>Probably a bug on MS’s part, not limiting things appropriately to Insider users. …But it sure would be nice if it’s a sign that they’re relenting on the unnecessarily strict CPU requirements for Windows 11 22H2.</p>

    • Maverick010

      08 June, 2022 - 2:07 pm

      <p>I sure can see them keeping to TPM 2.0 due to security, but relaxing some on the CPU front would be a welcome positive and unsuspected move. I run Windows 11 on a few difference systems with 3 of them being HP Envy X360 Laptops with AMD Ryzen 2500U/2700U APUs that are not supported. When I first started they ran fine but utilization could be high on some accounts, which I point at the new CPU Task schedular, as there was an optimization bug of sorts that affected AMD Ryzen chips. After the fixes came out this year, the OS runs much smoother on them. I actually had the 22H2 Update on 2 of the 3 and noticed even slightly better performance, plus getting the missing features back. </p><p><br></p><p>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….</p>

      • dftf

        08 June, 2022 - 2:52 pm

        <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>

  • wolters

    Premium Member
    08 June, 2022 - 11:45 am

    <p>I posted in the Thurrott forums of a few potential showstoppers so those eager to grab this may want to wait. </p>

    • Maverick010

      08 June, 2022 - 2:16 pm

      <p>There really is no show stoppers for 22H2. Now reorganized areas, that can make some one say what happen, maybe..I also answered your forum questions regarding adding a printer using the IP address and how to now do it in Windows 11 22H2.</p>

  • Matthew Presley

    08 June, 2022 - 11:46 am

    <p>Betting it’s a bug as well, but I see it on my 2014 Dell XPS27. I should say that I did the registry several months ago to try the update, but I reverted during the 10 period as I changed my mind on having it installed on an unsupported system… Since the reversion, the registry key was removed, and Windows Update has always said I am on an unsupported system. Been thinking about trying it again and now that his has shown up, I’m giving it a go. Wish me luck</p>

  • jeffpr

    08 June, 2022 - 12:48 pm

    <p>It was offered today on my Surface Pro 5 w/7th gen i5-7300 (<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">in Release Preview ring) </span>and the install went fine, and everything seems to work as expected.</p>

  • Aurand

    Premium Member
    08 June, 2022 - 12:52 pm

    <p>‪It’s being offered to me on an i7 Surface Pro 3. I may press the button and see what happens. ‬</p>

    • irfaanwahid

      09 June, 2022 - 3:59 am

      <p>So far so good, I was brave enough to upgrade it to 22H2 on a 7th gen machine and apart from a banner under Windows Insiders Program that this machine is not supported, everything else works as expected. In fact little better than Windows 10 from performance pov.</p>

  • feek

    Premium Member
    08 June, 2022 - 12:59 pm

    <p>lol @ the username <em>AceRimmer</em></p>

  • feek

    Premium Member
    08 June, 2022 - 1:06 pm

    <p>Also, I noticed this yesterday on my work PC with a 4600k Intel CPU on the Release Preview ring. It alerted me that VirtualBox needed to be upgraded or uninstalled before installation could continue, which I addressed, and it then correctly installed.</p><p><br></p><p>It definitely seems like they’re changing the CPU requirements, since the installer itself didn’t prevent installation.</p>

  • Maverick010

    08 June, 2022 - 1:58 pm

    <p>I wonder if Microsoft is actually testing this as I recall them recently somewhere in some interview or something, stating they could look at opening Windows 11 to other originally unsupported hardware as they refine Windows 11 and optimize it more along with further testing….Just saying it could be anything at this moment, but seems like Microsoft is not jumping to fix it immediately, which may be saying something…</p>

  • halspuppet

    08 June, 2022 - 2:00 pm

    <p>Nothing a quick sfc /scannow couldn’t fix</p>

  • ebraiter

    08 June, 2022 - 2:37 pm

    <p>Even if offered, I wouldn’t tough Win 11 on an unsupported system. Not even trying that registry fix. I’m in no rush to go to Windows 11. Only hardware that I have that is supported is a mini PC.</p>

  • dftf

    08 June, 2022 - 2:46 pm

    <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>

  • gbroadbr

    08 June, 2022 - 9:27 pm

    <p>My PC (unsupported CPU) updated itself overnight to Windows 11.</p><p><br></p><p>I’m not sure if I missed a prompt and accidentally hit enter to install, but it was an unwelcome surprise this morning given that I would nomally do a full backup before upgrading a major OS version.</p><p><br></p><p><br></p>

  • pherbie

    Premium Member
    09 June, 2022 - 12:14 am

    <p>Perhaps they are just convincing themselves that their artificial hardware limitation is the rubbish we all know it is.</p><p><br></p>

    • Alastair Cooper

      11 June, 2022 - 3:34 am

      <p>I would call it DRM (digital rights management), not hardware requirements.</p>

  • jmetzner

    Premium Member
    09 June, 2022 - 4:30 pm

    <p>This seems to be fixed now: it showed up on one of my machines yesterday but this afternoon it’s back to saying unsupported.</p>

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