You can easily fix cannot install or upgrade to Windows 11 in 8 simple and effective methods, even bypassing system requirements during installation. Scroll down to learn more!
When users try to install or upgrade to Windows 11, they often run into unexpected errors that stop the process.
Most of these problems occur due to hardware compatibility issues, especially missing TPM 2.0 or Secure Boot. Other causes include corrupted system files, insufficient disk space, outdated drivers, or even damaged installation media.
Before installing or upgrading to Windows 11, it’s important to perform a PC Health Check and make sure your computer meets Windows 11 minimum system requirements. Many installation errors come from missing or disabled hardware features like TPM or Secure Boot.
If you can’t install or upgrade to Windows 11, don’t worry, as most problems come from hardware settings, disk space, or corrupted installation files. You can fix this error easily using the following methods.
If your PC meets other system requirements but still shows an error, TPM or Secure Boot might be disabled.
Step 1. Restart your computer and enter the BIOS/UEFI settings, usually by pressing Del, F2, F12, or F10 during startup.
Step 2. Under the Boot or Security tab, look for the TPM option (or called FTPM, PTT, Trusted Platform Module) or Secure Boot. Then, toggle the status to Enabled.
⚠️Note: If the boot mode is set to Legacy or CSM (Compatibility Support Module), change it to UEFI or UEFI only.
Step 3. Save your changes and exit BIOS. Restart your computer and verify in Windows:
USB drives, printers, or external storage can interfere with the upgrade. Unplug all unnecessary devices (USB hubs, SD cards, Bluetooth adapters, etc.). Keep only your mouse, keyboard, and monitor connected. Then, run the setup and install Windows 11 again.
Lack of space can prevent Windows from unpacking installation files-ideally at least 30 GB of free space. You can choose to delete unnecessary files, enable automatic cleanup, etc., or even directly transfer large files.
#1: Delete Unnecessary Files:
Step 1. Open File Explorer, right-click your C: drive, and select Properties. Then, click Disk Cleanup to scan and analyze how much space you can free up.
Step 2. Under the Disk Cleanup tab, select the files you want to remove, e.g., Temporary files, Windows Update Cleanup, Recycle Bin, System error memory dump files, etc. Or click Clean up system files to free up more space.
#2: Use Storage Sense for Automatic Cleanup
Step 1. Go to Settings >System >Storage. Then, toggle Storage Sense to On and click Configure Storage Sense or run it now.
Step 2. In the pop-up window, scroll down to Storage Sense and Temporary files, respectively. Then, choose how often it should run.
Step 3. Scroll down to Free up space now, click Clean now to start cleanup immediately.
If you still don’t have enough space, you can choose to transfer videos, photos, or installers to an external drive or cloud storage (OneDrive, Google Drive, etc.).
If system files are damaged, the installer may fail. So repair it if it’s corrupted.
Step 1. Type cmd in the Start menu, select Command Prompt, and Run as administrator.
Step 2. Type the following commands and press Enter after each. It will start to scan and repair corrupted system files.
Sometimes, the installation USB is corrupted or formatted incorrectly.Be sure to prepare a healthy USB drive (at least 8 GB) and it’s formatted with FAT32 file system.
Step 1. Download Windows 11 MediaCreationTool from Microsoft’s website. Plug in a USB drive (at least 8 GB). Then, open File Explorer, right-click it, and select Properties. Under the General tab, check its file system and be sure it’s FAT32.
Step 2. Double-click the installer to open it. When prompted, choose the correct language, edition, and architecture, and ensure it’s formatted for UEFI. Be sure to accept the license terms.
Step 3. Select Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC.
Step 4. Select USB flash drive as media and click Next.
Step 5. Select your USB drive and click Next. It will start downloading Windows installation files and create Windows 11 bootable USB.
If your PC meets most requirements but the installer still blocks you, you can attempt to bypass hardware checks in the Registry or using Rufus. In addition, it’s also feasible to transfer Windows 11 to new computer using a dedicated tool.
Step1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter. Then, navigate to the following key. If “LabConfig” doesn’t exist, create it.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\LabConfig
Step 2. Right-click the right pane and choose New >DWORD (32-bit) Value to create the following DWORD (32-bit) values, and set the value to 1.
Step 3. Close Registry Editor and restart your computer to install or upgrade Windows 11 again. It should proceed without the previous restrictions.
Before starting, please download the following two items:
Step 1. Plug your USB drive into the computer. Open Rufus, and it will automatically select your USB drive under Device.
Step 2. Scroll down to Boot selection and click SELECT to select Windows 11 ISO files.
Step 3. Click Start. In the Windows User Experience window, check Remove requirement for 4GB+ RAM, Secure Boot and TPM 2.0, and click OK. Note that all data on the USB drive will be deleted during the process.
⚠️Note: You can also check Remove requirement for an online Microsoft Account and Create a local account with username…if you want to install Windows 11 with a local account and not a Microsoft account.
If you currently have a Windows 11 computer, you can choose to transfer Windows 11 to a new computer, even with different hardware, using a dedicated tool like AOMEI Backupper Professional. Its Universal Restore feature can handle driver compatibility issues well during the first startup and ensure a secure boot.
Step 1. Open AOMEI Backupper after installing it on Windows 11. Then, click Backup and System Backup. To transfer everything, click Disk Backup. Then, follow the guide to create a Windows 11 backup image.
Step 2. Connect the backup drive to your old computer and install AOMEI Backupper on it. Then, go to the Home tab and click Restore > Select image to restore to find the Windows 11image.
Step 3. Tick Restore this system backup and click Next. You can click the drop-down arrow to select full/incremental/differential backup (if there are).
Step 4. Select the current system drive as the destination. Then, click Next.
Step 5. Be sure to enable Universal Restore and click Start Restore to install Windows 11 on an old computer. Check SSD Alignment to align and accelerate SSD writing and reading speed.
⚠️Note: The "Universal Restore" feature is checked by default and will install all drivers required to start Windows, especially useful for restoring Windows 11 image to new computer, with different hardware.
The issue “cannot install or upgrade to Windows 11” is common, but it’s usually easy to fix with the right methods. Be sure to check your PC’s compatibility and enable Secure Boot or TPM for easy upgrade.
If your problem is “can’t install Windows 11 even though I meet requirements”, you can try to bypass system check using the Registry or Rufus. Or directly transfer Windows 11 to a new computer using a dedicated backup and restore software - AOMEI Backupper.