Upgrade your 'incompatible' Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 for free - here's how

Microsoft really doesn't want customers to upgrade older PCs to Windows 11, but there are workarounds for all but the oldest devices. Now that Windows 10 support has officially ended, here's everything you need to know.

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• Most PCs from the past 15 years can run Windows 11, even if they fail checks.
• PCs sold with Windows 10 can usually upgrade after a simple registry edit.
• On older or unusually configured PCs, a third-party utility gets the job done.

Are you the PC expert in your family? If you're traveling home for the holidays, your relatives will inevitably ask you for help with that computer they're absolutely unwilling to replace, because it still works just fine. Assuming it's less than 10 years old and has sufficient memory ...