Upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 and bypass limitations

Guide to upgrading unsupported PCs to Windows 11 (bypassing TPM 2.0 and CPU checks).

The Problem

Windows 11 requires:

TPM 2.0
Secure Boot
Recent CPU (8th Gen Intel / Zen 2 AMD)

If your PC works fine but fails these checks, you can force the upgrade.

Method 1: The Registry Hack (Official-ish)

Microsoft allows bypassing the CPU/TPM check for upgrades, but warns about complications.

Open Registry Editor (regedit).
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup (Create the key MoSetup if it doesn't exist)
Create a new DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Name it: AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU
Set Value to: 1
Restart your computer.
Run the Windows 11 Installation Assistant or Setup from ISO.

Method 2: Rufus (Clean Install / Upgrade)

Rufus creates a modified USB installer that removes checks.

Download Rufus and the Windows 11 ISO.
Open Rufus.
Select your USB drive and the ISO.
Click Start.
A dialog "Windows User Experience" appears. Check:
- ✅ Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0
- ✅ Remove requirement for an online Microsoft account
Create the USB.
Run setup.exe from the USB inside Windows 10 to upgrade, or boot from it for a clean install.

Method 3: Delete AppraiserRes.dll (During Setup)

Why does setup fail? Because AppraiserRes.dll checks your hardware.

Download Windows 11 ISO and mount it (Double click).
Copy all files to a folder on your desktop (e.g., C:\Win11Setup).
Disconnect from the Internet (Important!).
Go to C:\Win11Setup\sources.
Delete appraiserres.dll.
Run setup.exe from the root of C:\Win11Setup.
When asked to download updates, select "Not right now".
It should proceed without checking hardware.

Is it Safe?

Security: You won't have TPM protections.
Updates: Microsoft threatens to stop providing updates to unsupported PCs, but currently (as of 2025), security updates still work fine.
Performance: Windows 11 runs similarly to Windows 10 on older hardware. SSD is highly recommended.