Oops: Microsoft Accidentally Offers Windows 11 to Users on Unsupported PCs
Microsoft recently offered some users the option to upgrade to Windows 11, even though they were running an unsupported device.
The accidental upgrade option appeared for Windows 10 users enrolled in Microsoft’s Insider program, which offers early access to preview builds of the operating system. On Tuesday, these users noticed they could download the latest Windows 11 22H2 preview, according(Opens in a new window) to Neonwin, which cites user posts on social media.
The opportunity to upgrade was pretty surprising since Windows 10 will go out of the way to say if your PC can officially support Windows 11 or not. In most cases, only a PC bought in the last four years will receive the upgrade option from Microsoft.
The strict system requirements may explain why Windows 11 adoption remains relatively low at around 20%, according to recent surveys. As a result, the sudden availability of Windows 11 22H2 on unsupported devices sparked some speculation(Opens in a new window) among users that Microsoft was preparing to lower requirements for the OS.
However, Microsoft told us the issue was a bug that accidentally triggered the Windows 11 version 22H2 banner on unsupported devices. If the user attempted to install the update, it likely resulted in an error. The company has since removed the banner for Windows Insiders.
If you’d like to try Windows 11 on an unsupported device, you can manually install the OS. However, Microsoft warns that doing so may result in compatibility issues and a lack of automatic updates. Still, that didn’t stop one user from successfully installing the OS on a computer running a 15-year-old Pentium 4 chip.
Sign up for What's New Now to get our top stories delivered to your inbox every morning.
Thi
Read more on pcmag.com
