How to Bypass “This PC Can’t Run Windows 11” Error 2024 Edition
Windows 11 has been publicly available for more than 3 years and I don’t have the time to test it out. Recently, I am building a cross platform app that needs to be tested under Windows 11 environment. So, I made a Windows 11 bootable USB on my Mac like usual and planned to install it on my spare PC.
The Windows 11 installation wizard pops up as expected at first but the screen was stuck later, saying “This PC can’t run Windows 11”. It seems my PC does not meet the minimal requirements of Windows 11. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time and budge to build a new PC that is fully compatible with Windows 11 system requirements.
Fortunately, I managed to install Windows 11 on my unsupported PC with the help of WinBootMate utility. It only took me a few minutes to bypass the error screen. This is pretty amazing and that’s why I wrote this post to share it with potential readers.
Disclaimer: I did try other methods to bypass Windows 11 system check, including editing Windows 11 registry in Command Prompt, modifying the Windows 11 ISO and burning ISO with Ventoy but no vail!
In the following section, I am going to show you how to bypass “This PC can’t run Windows 11” error with WinBootMate app. And my test machine is a MacBook Air. The steps and UI are the same for Windows PC. Once you have the patched Windows 11 bootable USB, you can:
- Install Windows 11 without TPM/TPM2.0
- Install Windows 11 without Secure Boot
- Install Windows on an unsupported CPU
- Install Windows 11 with less than 8GB RAM
Step 1: Download Windows 11 ISO
Please download a legit copy of Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft website. The latest version is 23H2 and the file size is nearly 7GB.
Step 2: Download and Install WinBootMate on the Computer
WinBootMate is a bootable USB creation app that works on both Windows and Mac platforms. Please download and install the app on your computer.
For Windows: https://www.syscute.com/download/WinBootMate.exe
For macOS: https://www.syscute.com/download/WinBootMate.dmg
Below is the home screen when the app is opened.
Step 3: Bypass Windows 11 System Check
Now, plug in a USB flash drive into the computer and add Windows 11 ISO you downloaded earlier into WinBootMate app. After that, mark the radio button that says Create A Bootable USB. You will also see the USB name under this section.
For removing Windows 11 system check, please enable the “Bypass Windows 11’s Secure Boot, TPM and CPU” option at the bottom. This is the most important step in my tutorial. Once it is done, please click the Burn button to start patching Windows 11 ISO and burning it to USB drive.
Wait about 10 minutes and you will see a prompt indicating the burning task is completed successfully. You can now eject the USB drive!
Step 4: Start Installing Windows 11 on Unsupported PC
At this time, insert the Windows 11 bootable USB into the target computer and press the boot key to load the quick menu, where you can choose the booting device. For USB drive made with WinBootMate, there are two menus available. One is for the traditional BIOS and the other is for UEFI.
Please go with the BIOS option first. If it does not work, then switch to UEFI as we see from the above screenshot. Now, proceed with the installation by choosing a Windows 11 edition and target partition. This PC can’t run Windows 11 error will never show up!
When the installation is finished, your PC will reboot for two times. After that, you will get into the Windows 11 desktop.
This is a complete tutorial for fixing ‘‘This PC can’t run Windows 11’’ issue. Once you enable the Windows 11 bypass option in WinBootMate, this error won’t pop up again. And you are able to install Windows 11 on unsupported PC without any problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Can I install Windows 11 on unsupported CPU?
Yes. The default Windows 11 bypass option will remove the restrictions for CPU. This means you can install Windows 11 on any Intel or AMD processors.
2. Does WinBootMate bypass Windows 11 TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot check?
Yes. As you can see from the UI, TPM and Secure Boot bypass are included in the app. You can now install Windows 11 without TPM or Secure Boot.
3. My PC doesn’t have 8GB RAM, is it possible to run Windows 11?
Yes. Though the UI only mentions TPM, Secure Boot and CPU, other Windows 11 system requirements are removed too, including the requirement for 8GB RAM.
4. Can I use WinBootMate on Apple Silicon Mac?
Yes. My testing Mac is MacBook Air with Apple M1 chip and there is no problem for running this app on Apple Silicon Mac.
