Install Windows 11 Without TPM or Secure Boot

This guide shows you how to install Windows 11 on a PC that doesn’t meet the official hardware requirements—specifically, no TPM 2.0 and no Secure Boot capability. You’ll use a registry tweak during setup to bypass the compatibility check, allowing a clean install from a USB drive. This works for Windows 11 22H2 and later versions, but be aware that Microsoft may limit updates on unsupported hardware.

What You’ll Need

A USB flash drive (8 GB or larger) for the Windows 11 installer.
A working PC to download the Windows 11 ISO and create the bootable USB.
Your PC must have a 64-bit CPU (1 GHz or faster, 2+ cores) and at least 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage—these are still required.
Backup of any important data on the target PC, as the install will wipe the drive.

Step-by-Step

Download the Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft’s official website. Use the “Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO)” section and select the appropriate edition and language.
Create a bootable USB drive using a tool like Rufus (free, widely used). In Rufus, select your USB drive, choose the downloaded ISO, and use the default partition scheme (GPT for UEFI, MBR for legacy BIOS). Rufus will offer an option to “Extend the Windows 11 installation”—select that to bypass TPM/Secure Boot automatically. If you don’t have Rufus, you can use the Windows Media Creation Tool, but it won’t include the bypass; you’ll need the registry tweak in step 5.
Boot from the USB drive on your target PC. Enter the boot menu (usually by pressing F12, F2, Esc, or Del during startup) and select the USB drive. If your PC uses legacy BIOS, you may need to enable “CSM” or “Legacy Boot” in BIOS settings.
Start the Windows Setup. Choose your language and click “Next”, then “Install now”. When prompted for a product key, you can skip it if you’re reinstalling Windows 10 with a digital license (choose “I don’t have a product key” and select the correct edition).
Apply the registry bypass. When you reach the screen that says “This PC can’t run Windows 11” (or similar), press Shift+F10 to open a Command Prompt. Type regedit and press Enter. In the Registry Editor, navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup. Right-click on the “Setup” key, select New > Key, and name it LabConfig. Inside LabConfig, create the following DWORD (32-bit) values, each set to 1:
- BypassTPMCheck
- BypassSecureBootCheck
- BypassRAMCheck (optional, if RAM is under 4 GB)
- BypassStorageCheck (optional, if storage is under 64 GB)
Close the Registry Editor and Command Prompt, then click the back arrow and re-click “Install now”. The warning should disappear.
Choose installation type. Select “Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)”. If you’re doing a clean install, delete all partitions on the drive you want to use (be absolutely sure it’s the right drive), then select the unallocated space and click “Next”.
Wait for installation. Windows will copy files and restart several times. After the first restart, you may need to unplug the USB drive to avoid booting back into setup.
Complete the out-of-box experience (OOBE). Set up your region, keyboard layout, and sign in with a Microsoft account (or create a local account if you prefer—you can skip Microsoft account sign-in by disconnecting from the internet or using the command prompt trick).
After installation, check for updates. On unsupported hardware, Windows Update may not offer feature updates, but security updates typically still arrive. You can also use the Registry Editor to set AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU to 1 in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\CompatMarkers to try to get feature updates, but this is not guaranteed.

Common Mistakes

Forgetting to create the LabConfig key correctly—it must be under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup, not elsewhere. Also, the DWORD values must be named exactly as shown, with the value data set to 1 (not 0).
Using a 32-bit CPU—Windows 11 is 64-bit only. If your CPU doesn’t support 64-bit, this bypass won’t work.
Booting from the wrong drive—if you have multiple drives, you might accidentally install to a secondary drive and lose data. Always double-check the drive size and partition layout.
Not unplugging the USB after the first restart—this can cause the setup to loop or restart unexpectedly.
Skipping the registry tweak when using Media Creation Tool—if you use the Microsoft tool, it doesn’t include the bypass, so you must do the registry edit manually.

Tips

Before starting, check if your CPU is actually 64-bit and has at least 2 cores. Most CPUs from 2005 onward meet this, but some old Atom processors may not.
If you have a TPM 1.2 (not 2.0), you can sometimes enable it in BIOS and skip the TPM bypass, but Secure Boot still needs to be supported.
Use a wired internet connection during installation to avoid driver issues.
After installation, install the latest chipset and graphics drivers from your PC manufacturer’s website, as Windows Update may not find them for unsupported hardware.
Consider creating a system image backup after a successful install, so you can restore quickly if something goes wrong.

Troubleshooting

Setup still says “This PC can’t run Windows 11”—Double-check that you created the LabConfig key and DWORDs correctly. Make sure you’re in the correct registry hive (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, not HKEY_CURRENT_USER). Also, ensure you’re using a recent Windows 11 ISO (22H2 or later).
PC won’t boot from USB—Enter BIOS and disable Secure Boot (if present), enable CSM/Legacy boot, and set USB as the first boot device. If the USB drive isn’t recognized, try a different USB port (preferably USB 2.0) or recreate the USB with Rufus in MBR mode.
Installation fails with an error code—Common errors like 0x80070002 or 0x8007000D often indicate a corrupted ISO or USB. Redownload the ISO and recreate the USB. Also, check that the USB has enough free space.
After installation, Windows Update doesn’t work—This is expected on unsupported hardware. You can still download updates manually from the Microsoft Update Catalog, but feature updates may not install.
System is unstable or drivers missing—Since your hardware isn’t officially supported, you may need to manually install drivers from the manufacturer’s website. If you encounter frequent crashes, consider reverting to Windows 10.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to install Windows 11 without TPM?

Yes, it’s legal. Microsoft’s hardware requirements are recommendations for the best experience, but they don’t prevent you from installing on unsupported hardware. However, Microsoft states that unsupported devices may not receive updates, and the installation is at your own risk.

Will I get security updates?

In most cases, you’ll receive monthly security updates, but Microsoft doesn’t guarantee it. Feature updates (like version 23H2) may not be offered. You can try the registry tweak mentioned earlier, but it’s not reliable.

Can I upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 without TPM?

Yes, the same registry bypass works during an in-place upgrade. You can run the setup from within Windows 10, and when the compatibility warning appears, apply the registry tweak in the command prompt, then continue.

Does this bypass work on all versions of Windows 11?

It works for Windows 11 22H2 and later. For earlier versions (21H2), the bypass was slightly different but still possible. For future versions, Microsoft may close this loophole, but as of now it remains.

Will my PC run Windows 11 smoothly without TPM?

It depends on your CPU, RAM, and storage. If your PC meets the CPU, RAM, and storage requirements, it will run Windows 11 similarly to Windows 10. TPM and Secure Boot don’t affect performance; they’re security features.

Can I enable TPM in BIOS if it’s disabled?

Yes, many PCs have TPM disabled by default. Check your BIOS for “Intel Platform Trust Technology” (Intel) or “AMD fTPM” and enable it. If your TPM is version 1.2, you may still need the bypass for TPM 2.0, but it’s worth trying.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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