Microsoft does away with ‘soft floor’, updates minimum Windows 11 specs with TPM 2.0 requirement

We reported yesterday that Microsoft’s documentation made it clear that it was possible (but not recommended) for PC users to upgrade to Windows 11 even if their device only has a TPM 1.2 chip.

Microsoft has spent some time today explaining the importance of TPM 2.0 for the security features they wish to build into Windows 11, and have now also quietly updated the minimum hardware requirement page to reflect their hard requirement for the TPM 2.0 chip.

Microsoft writes:

There are new minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11. In order to run Windows 11, devices must meet the hardware specifications. Devices that do not meet the hardware requirements cannot be upgraded to Windows 11.

• Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster with 2 or more cores on a compatible 64-bit processor or System on a Chip (SoC)
• RAM: 4 gigabyte (GB)
• Storage: 64 GB or larger storage device
• System firmware: Trusted Platform Module (TPM) version 2.0
• Graphics card: Compatible with DirectX 12 or later with WDDM 2.0 driver
• S mode is only supported on Home edition of Windows 11. If you are running a different edition of Windows in S mode, you will need to first switch out of S mode prior to upgrading.

Previously the page said:

While we understand Microsoft’s security motivations, it is unclear what changed between the writing of the page originally and the update, and why Microsoft decided to remove the option to upgrade against advice.

via FireCube

Microsoft does away with ‘soft floor’, updates minimum Windows 11 specs with TPM 2.0 requirement