How to upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 - 2 free options

akinbostanci / Getty Images On Oct. 14, 2025, Microsoft will stop delivering security updates to your Windows 10 PC unless you're willing to pay for a subscription to the Extended Security Updates program. If you try to upgrade to Windows 11 on a PC that's more than five or six years old, you'll probably encounter an error message telling you -- in no uncertain terms -- that your old PC doesn't qualify because its CPU isn't on the official list of compatible processors. Microsoft has made it abundantly clear that it will not revise those requirements. You will also hit roadblocks if your PC doesn't have a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0. Also: Can't upgrade your Windows 10 PC? You've got 5 months to act - here are your options That might be the official policy, but -- as with everything Windows-related -- it pays to read the fine print. Those pesky restrictions prevent you from automatically upgrading to Windows 11 using Windows Update or the Windows 11 Installation Assi ... Read full article.