Windows 11 requirements checklist for a small business

Why do this now

Microsoft's own TPM page says Windows 10 support ended on October 14, 2025: no more free Windows Update updates, technical help or security fixes. A PC that cannot run Windows 11 is now a PC you must replace, pay to extend, or accept the risk on.

The job is the same for 5 PCs or 100: find out which machines pass, which fail only because of a setting, and which need replacing. Do it once, in one list, before you spend money.

Hardware is only half of it. Your business software and printers also need to work on Windows 11. This guide covers the PC hardware only.

Step 1: list every PC

Start with a sheet that has one row per PC. A PC you forget is a PC you find out about when it fails. Walk the office, including the back room, the reception desk and laptops that live in a bag.

• Computer name: shown at Settings, System, About. The model name appears just under it on Windows 11.
• Make and model: also on the label under a laptop or on the back of a desktop.
• Serial number: on the same label. Photograph it so you do not need to walk back.
• User or room, so you know who to tell before a change.
• Windows version, and whether the PC is a spare or a daily machine.

Add columns for each requirement. You will fill them in during the next steps.

The seven requirements

This is Microsoft's minimum list for installing or upgrading to Windows 11, as read on 2026-11-03.

Microsoft adds that more storage may be needed over time for updates and features. Leave room beyond 64 GB. Windows 10 PCs also need version 2004 or later and the September 14, 2021 security update or later for a direct upgrade.

A PC that runs Windows 10 in S mode must leave S mode first. That needs internet and cannot be undone.

How to check each one on a single PC

Processor, memory, storage: open Settings, System, About. You see the processor name and the installed memory. For disk space open System, Storage. Look the processor up on Microsoft's list for your chip maker. On the Intel list the Core i3, i5, i7 and i9 entries start at 8th generation, but some lines such as Core X-series are listed too, so look up the exact model. Microsoft says the list is a snapshot, that newer chips may be missing, and to contact your hardware vendor for specific details.

TPM: press the Windows key and R, type tpm.msc and press Enter. If the window says a compatible TPM cannot be found, the TPM may be turned off. Otherwise read Specification Version under TPM Manufacturer Information. It must say 2.0. You can also open Windows Security, Device security, and look for Security processor details. The command below is another way, but it tells you only that a TPM is present and ready.

Get-Tpm

Get-Tpm shows fields such as TpmPresent and TpmReady. It does not print the version, so still read the version in tpm.msc.

Secure Boot and UEFI: open PowerShell as administrator and run the command below. It prints True when the PC supports Secure Boot and it is turned on, and False when it is supported but off. On a PC with an old BIOS or without Secure Boot it prints "Cmdlet not supported on this platform." Without administrator rights you get "Unable to set proper privileges. Access was denied."

Confirm-SecureBootUEFI

System Information (Windows key and R, then msinfo32) also lists Secure Boot State and BIOS Mode. On is good, and BIOS Mode should read UEFI.

Graphics: run dxdiag from the Start search box. DirectX Version is on the first page. The Display tab shows the Driver Model, which must be WDDM 2.0 or higher. Display: check the monitor size on its label or spec sheet, and the resolution in the display settings.

What to do when a PC fails

To reach the firmware menus on Windows 11: Settings, Recovery, Restart now, then Troubleshoot, Advanced options, UEFI Firmware Settings, Restart. If you are unsure, use the PC maker's support pages.

MBR2GPT converts a system disk without deleting data, but Microsoft warns that the changes cannot be undone. Validate first and convert second, from an elevated prompt. A BitLocker volume can be converted only with protection suspended.

mbr2gpt.exe /validate /disk:0
mbr2gpt /convert /disk:0

To see whether a disk is already GPT, run Get-Disk | ft -Auto and read the Partition Style column. Windows can start in UEFI mode only from a GPT disk, so after conversion switch the firmware to UEFI or the PC will not boot.

Spreadsheet template

Copy this header into a spreadsheet program and add one row per PC. The rows below are invented examples, not real machines.

Use three results only: Pass, Fixable, Replace. Add Not checked for a PC you could not reach. It is better to see a gap than to guess.

Doing it for many PCs

Doing the steps by hand takes about as long per PC as it takes to read this paragraph. At 100 PCs that is a long week. There are three honest options.

• Remote PowerShell: you can run the same commands on each PC from one place. You must set it up on every machine, use an administrator account, write and test the script, and collect the output. PCs that are switched off return nothing.
• A device management system: if your business already runs one, it may already hold hardware details. Ask whoever runs it which of the seven items it can report.
• A fleet checker: a desktop tool that scans PCs on your network from one computer and writes one report. Check what it cannot read from a distance and mark those items for a manual check.

Whatever you pick, spot-check a few PCs by hand and compare. A mismatch tells you the method is wrong before you act on 100 rows.

Questions

Keep reading

More guides

About Readylook

Readylook is our Windows app that checks whether the PCs on your network are ready for Windows 11 and builds one report. It only reads: nothing is installed on the PCs it scans, and no data is sent to us. The report is a guide, not a guarantee. It is not in the Microsoft Store yet.

Sources

• Microsoft: Windows 11 requirements
• Microsoft: Enable TPM 2.0 on your PC
• Microsoft: Get-Tpm
• Microsoft: Confirm-SecureBootUEFI
• Microsoft: MBR2GPT
• Microsoft: Windows 11 supported Intel processors

Checked 2026-11-03.