Hardware requirements for Windows 11
In many ways, Windows 11 represents an innovation, coming six years after the release of Windows 10. Not only is it a major release for the first time since Windows 8.1, which causes support for several older CPU generations to expire, but it also represents a milestone on the client level with the end of 32-bit support. What we are already used to on the server side beginning with Server 2008 (Server 2008 was the first server OS offered as a 64-bit version only) will now also become standard for client operating systems. Windows 11 and all future versions will only be released as 64-bit (also on the ARM side). More details about the reasons for this CPU decision can be found in the CPU limitations section further on in this chapter.
Official (minimum) requirements
There are other important system requirements that can also be a stumbling block, such as UEFI, TPM 2.0, and so on. Therefore, let’s take a closer look at the minimum requirements...