It is worth recalling that Microsoft still has not closed the loophole for updating Windows 7 to Windows 10. In other words, there is no direct way to upgrade to Windows 11 using a downloadable Windows Update update.Īlthough Microsoft provides a free upgrade for Windows 10 users, according to Neowin, license keys from Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 will also be supported so if you have a computer with powerful hardware and an old OS, the upgrade is quite possible.

Lenovo has published an FAQ page that explicitly states that you can upgrade your computer from Windows 7 to Windows 11 but only using a “clean install”, which actually requires a complete formatting of the system drive.

However, some manufacturers have addressed this issue by publishing hardware compatibility lists and ways to activate or emulate the TPM. The company itself did not say whether they intend to provide a free update for Windows 7 and 8.1 users. Windows 7 and 8.1 users will be able to upgrade to Windows 11 but with a condition

Windows 8.1 free upgrade