How to Install Windows 11 without TPM Using 2 Easy Hacks
I have a GigaByte PC that runs Windows 10 very well. The other day I decided to upgrade it to Windows 11 as some of the apps to be tested on latest Windows OS.
Like usual, I downloaded Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft.com, mount the ISO file and run the setup.exe for direct upgrade. However, I came across an error, saying This PC doesn’t currently meet Windows 11 system requirements.
So I proceeded to Microsoft website again and download PC Heath Check utility to see what kind of hardware is incompatible with Windows 11. As the following screenshot shows, this PC has not TPM detected.
So what is TPM? It stands for Trusted Platform Module. In simple terms, it is a hardware chip to protect the system from malware or virus infection. Another major usage is for device encryption. Currently, there are two versions of TPM standard, TPM 1.2 and the latest TPM 2.0. Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0 to be installed without error.
Fortunately, there are a few hacks available to help us bypass TPM checking for Windows 11 installation. This means it is totally possible to install Windows 11 without TPM on unsupported devices. We are going to share two different approaches to address this issue.
Method 1: Install Windows 11 without TPM for Direct Upgrade
One of the benefits for direct upgrade is that the chance for data loss is rarely low. Hence it is more secure than installing Windows 11 from USB drive. However, I could still recommend taking a back up first.
In this approach, we will replace Windows 10 install.wim file with the same one contained in Windows 11 ISO. Hence, we need a Windows 11 ISO as well as Windows 10 ISO. Fortunately, you can download both of them from Microsoft website:
Windows 11 Download Link: https://www.microsoft.com/software-download/windows11
Windows 10 Download Link: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10ISO
After download, double click Windows 10 ISO to mount it on your PC. Now, create a new folder (Bypass_TPM in my case) on your computer and copy all files in Windows 10 ISO to the new folder. Next, eject the mounted volume.
Now, mount Windows 11 ISO and locate install.wim file in sources folder. Next, copy install.wim in Windows 11 ISO and replace the same file in the newly created folder (Bypass_TPM).
Finally, run setup.exe from Bypass_TPM folder to start Windows 11 installation.
Windows 10 setup will download Windows 11 updates and check PC system again. However, there is not an error any more. You have to accept the license terms to proceed. Please follow the steps to install Windows 11 on a PC without TPM.
The above trick works perfectly on my Gigabyte PC. However, it took too much for getting system update. Also, it failed on my DIY PC. We need to apply another trick instead to solve the problem.
Method 2: Install Windows 11 without TPM from Bootable USB
In this approach, we are going to create a Windows 11 bootable USB and modify the Registry in Windows 11 installation to bypass TPM check.
There are a couple of software utilities available for creating Windows 11 bootable USB. The most popular one is Rufus. In addition, it adds a new feature for creating bootable Windows 11 USB for unsupported hardware. However, it does not work in my case.
My PC got stuck on a complete black screen and never move forward after choosing Windows 11 USB from Boot Menu.
In here, my choice is UUBye ISO Editor, a more simple and user friendly app for making Windows bootable USB from ISO image. What is more, you can also create a Windows 11 USB installer on a Mac with this app.
Windows Version Download: https://www.uubyte.com/download/uubyte-iso-editor.exe
Mac Version Download: https://www.uubyte.com/download/uubyte-iso-editor.dmg
Prepare for a USB flash drive. Then run UUByte ISO Editor on your PC or Mac and hit Burn icon to get into a new window.
Now, import Windows 11 ISO image and choose USB drive. The setting part is done and click Burn tab to start copying Windows 11 OS files to USB drive.
Wait about 3 minutes and a Windows 11 bootable USB is created successfully.
Now, this goes to the most import part.
Create a new text file (no-tpm.txt)and add the following lines into it.
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\LabConfig]
“BypassTPMCheck”=dword:00000001
“BypassSecureBootCheck”=dword:00000001
“BypassCPUCheck”=dword:00000001
After that, rename the text file to reg file. Also copy this reg file to Windows 11 bootable USB.
All the preparation work has been done. It is time to install Windows 11 on a computer without TPM.
Connect Windows 11 USB to the computer and boot from USB. This can be done via Boot Menu or BIOS.
Next, choose installation language and time zone.
After that, you will see a ‘Install Now’ window.
Please press Shift + F10 to run Command Prompt system app. Input ‘regedit’ to open Registry Editor.
From the top menu, go to File -> Import. Now, select the no-tpm.reg file stored in Windows 11 USB drive and import it into Registry Editor.
Save the changes and close Registry Editor and Command Prompt app.
Go back to Windows 11 setup and follow the steps to install Windows 11 without TPM.
From what I have seen, a lot of folks managed to install Windows 11 without TPM on unsupported hardware by following one of the above tricks. Direct upgrade is more recommended as it is more safe and straightforward. If it did not work, then a clean install with registry hacks will also do the same job quite well.
