Microsoft has released Windows 11 23H2. The operating system is only offered to eligible computers and configurations that have no known issues.
This means that if you check for the update in Windows Update on an unsupported device, nothing will be offered. Additionally, if Windows 11 is installed on a PC that does not meet the system requirements, an issue will occur every time Microsoft releases a feature update. For what ?
While security updates and bug fixes have previously been installed without any problems, this is not the case with feature updates. You check whether the system requirements are met. You will therefore have to find other installation options to migrate your “problematic” computer to the latest version of the operating system. Since Windows Update does not produce a positive result, a different approach must be taken.
There is some good news on this thorny question of Windows 11 23H2 minimum system requirements. Microsoft is not making any changes. In short, it is the same hardware configuration as versions 22H2 and 21H2. Microsoft has made it clear
Version 23H2 shares the same maintenance branch and codebase as Windows 11 version 22H2. 23H2 is a simple update via a small activation package.
If your computer is already running Windows 11 22H2 and meets the minimum system requirements, it is compatible with this 23H2 version.
On the other hand, if you’re trying to migrate from Windows 10, the answer is trickier. There are limitations that can be significant, if not problematic. Note that Microsoft has released a small utility that you can use to check if your Windows 10 PC is compatible. Called PC Integrity Check, you can download it here.
Windows 11 23H2, the minimum system requirements
The PC has to get involved in detail
- A processor with at least two cores and a 1 GHz turbine
- 4GB RAM
- 64 GB or more storage space.
- System firmware that supports UEFI (for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, a modern version of the PC BIOS) and secure boot functions.
- a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0.
- A graphics card that is compatible with the DirectX 12 API and has WDDM 2.0 drivers.
There is also a 9-inch screen with 720p. Note that Windows 11 Home Edition requires an internet connection and a Microsoft account to complete the configuration of the device upon first use.
| Windows 10 | Windows 11 | |
| processor | 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster or SoC | 1 gigahertz (GHz) or higher, with at least 2 cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or system-on-a-chip (SoC) |
| R.A.M. | 1 gigabyte (GB) in 32 bit or 2 GB in 64 bit | 4GB |
| Hard drive space | 6GB with 32-bit OS or 20GB with 64-bit OS | 64GB |
| Graphics solution | DirectX 9 or higher with WDDM 1.0 driver | Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver |
| definition | 800×600 pixels | High-resolution screen (720p) with a diagonal of more than 9 inches, 8 bits per color channel |
| Other | UEFI compatible secure boot Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0 |
Windows 11 23H2 and specific requirements
Some Windows 11 features have different requirements than those listed above. Here is the detail
- A 5G-capable modem is required for 5G support.
- Auto HDR requires an HDR display.
- BitLocker To Go requires a USB drive (available in Windows Professional and later editions).
- The Hyper-V client requires a processor with Second Level Address Translation (SLAT) capabilities, available in Windows Professional and later editions.
- Cortana requires a microphone and speaker and is currently available on Windows 11 for Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
- DirectStorage technology requires a minimum of 1TB NVMe SSD to record and run games that use the “Standard NVM Express Controller” driver and a DirectX 12 Ultimate GPU.
- DirectX 12 Ultimate is available for supported games and graphics chips.
- Presence requires a sensor capable of detecting the distance between the human and the device or the intent to interact with it.
- Smart video conferencing requires a camera, microphone and speaker (audio output).
- The Multiple Voice Assistant (MVA) requires a microphone and a speaker.
- Inserting three columns on the screen requires the screen to be at least 1920 effective pixels wide.
- To turn on/off the sound in the taskbar, a camera, a microphone and a speaker (audio output) are required. The app must support this feature so that the sound can be turned on or off globally.
- Surround sound requires suitable hardware and software.
- Teams requires a camera, microphone, and speaker (audio output).
- Touch interaction requires a screen or monitor that supports multi-touch.
- Two-factor authentication requires the use of a PIN, biometrics (fingerprint reader or illuminated infrared camera), or a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth-enabled phone.
- A PC with a microphone is required for voice input.
- The voice wake-up function requires a modern standby power supply and a microphone.
- Wi-Fi 6E requires new IHV Wi-Fi hardware and drivers and a Wi-Fi 6E compatible access point/router.
- Windows Hello requires a camera configured for near-infrared imaging or a fingerprint reader for biometric authentication. Devices without biometric sensors can use Windows Hello with a Microsoft Portable-compatible PIN or security key.
- Windows projection requires a graphics card that supports Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 2.0 and a Wi-Fi card that supports Wi-Fi Direct.
- (The) Xbox app requires an Xbox Live account, which is not available in all regions. For current availability information, see Xbox Live countries and regions. Some Xbox app features require an active Xbox Game Pass subscription. Find out more about the pass.