[2025 Guide] Install Windows 11 24H2 on Unsupported PCs (Bypass Compatibility Check)

Introduction

Starting with the Windows 11 24H2 release in 2025, Microsoft has tightened hardware checks even further. TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and a supported CPU generation are now strictly enforced for most consumer installations, and many older but still functional PCs are blocked at the familiar message:

“This PC can’t run Windows 11.”

If you have an older CPU, don’t have TPM 2.0 enabled, or your firmware doesn’t support Secure Boot, you may find that the official installer simply refuses to continue — even though the machine runs Windows 10 without any issues.

This article explains what compatibility-check bypass tools do, why many PCs can’t upgrade to 24H2, and introduces three common methods people use to bypass these checks — along with the real risks and things you must understand before going down this route.

What is a “compatibility check bypass tool”?

Normally, the Windows 11 setup program checks whether your device meets several minimum requirements:

• CPU generation (Intel 8th-gen / AMD Zen+ or newer for most scenarios)
• Presence and version of TPM (Trusted Platform Module), typically 2.0
• Secure Boot capability
• UEFI firmware instead of legacy BIOS
• At least 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage

If any of these checks fail, the installer shows an error and stops. This is by design: Microsoft treats these hardware features as the foundation for security, virtualization-based protections, and upcoming AI features in Windows 11.

A compatibility bypass tool is anything — a USB creation utility, script, or manual tweak — that temporarily disables or skips these checks during installation. The core idea is:

Instead of changing your hardware, you change how the installer behaves, so it continues even on “unsupported” devices.

These tools do not magically add TPM or Secure Boot; they simply tell the installer to ignore the usual rules. As you’ll see later, this comes with trade-offs and no guarantee of long-term stability or support.

Why can’t the 24H2 update be installed on many PCs?

Windows 11’s requirements are stricter than Windows 10. For 24H2, they still revolve around the same pillars:

These requirements are meant to guarantee a baseline of security, stability, and performance that Microsoft can rely on, especially as more AI-related and virtualization-based features are added to the OS.

The problem is that many older PCs — and some relatively recent ones — are missing at least one of these elements. Common blockers include:

• No physical TPM chip or only TPM 1.2
• Secure Boot disabled in firmware, or firmware too old
• CPU not on Microsoft’s supported processor list, even if it’s still powerful enough

As Microsoft continues to enforce these checks more strictly in 24H2 and later, users with otherwise usable hardware increasingly look for ways to keep their machines alive without buying a new PC.

Three ways people bypass the compatibility check

Warning: The methods below are widely discussed online and often work at the time of writing, but Microsoft can close these loopholes in future builds. There is no guarantee that they will continue to work or that your system will remain fully supported.

Method ①: Use a tool that supports bypass (Beginner-friendly)

Tools like Rufus and Ventoy can create a Windows 11 USB installer that skips certain checks (TPM, Secure Boot, CPU, sometimes RAM) when you boot from it. Many guides now recommend Rufus because it exposes these options clearly when you build the USB.

Example: Using Rufus to relax Windows 11 checks

1. Download the latest version of Rufus from its official website.
2. Download the official Windows 11 24H2 ISO from Microsoft.
3. In Rufus, select your USB drive and choose the Windows 11 ISO.
4. When the Windows User Experience options appear, enable the checkboxes to:
   • Skip TPM checks
   • Skip Secure Boot checks
   • Skip CPU / RAM requirements (if offered)
   • Optionally, allow creating a local account instead of being forced into a Microsoft account
5. Create the USB, boot from it, and start the installation on the target PC.

Behind the scenes, Rufus adjusts setup files and registry settings inside the installer so that it no longer stops at the usual compatibility screens. You still install an official Windows image, but with the “soft floor” checks relaxed.

Important: Always download Rufus and Ventoy from their official sites, and use genuine ISO files from Microsoft. Fake download pages or modified ISOs are a major malware risk.

Method ②: Manual registry tweak during setup (Intermediate)

Another common approach is to modify the Windows registry while the installer is running. This method does not require third-party tools, but you need to be comfortable editing the registry and working with setup screens.

During a clean install from USB:

• When you reach a screen that refuses to continue because the PC is not compatible, press Shift + F10 to open Command Prompt.
• Type regedit and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\LabConfig

If LabConfig doesn’t exist, create it as a new key. Then add the following DWORD (32-bit) values and set each one to 1:

• BypassTPMCheck
• BypassSecureBootCheck
• BypassCPUCheck

Close the Registry Editor and Command Prompt, then click back/next in setup or restart the installation step. In many cases, the hardware checks will now be skipped.

Keep in mind:

• Microsoft has started tightening some of these loopholes with newer builds of Windows 11, especially around 24H2, so not every tweak that worked in 2023 will still work in late 2025.
• Editing the registry incorrectly can make setup fail or cause other issues, so only do this if you are comfortable undoing changes or starting the installation over.

Method ③: Offline account bypass (for Microsoft account enforcement)

Separate from hardware checks, Windows 11 24H2 increasingly tries to force the use of a Microsoft account (MSA) during setup. Some users prefer to keep a local account, especially on lab machines or devices with unreliable internet.

One widely shared trick is to use a special OOBE command during setup:

OOBE\BYPASSNRO

Here’s how it typically works:

• At the account setup screen, press Shift + F10 to open Command Prompt.
• Type OOBE\BYPASSNRO and press Enter.
• The system reboots and returns to OOBE with an option to skip network requirements, which then lets you create a local account.

This doesn’t disable hardware checks, but it helps users who want Windows 11 without tying the device to an online account from day one. Some tools like Rufus can also automate this by pre-configuring the installer.

Risks of installing via bypass

Bypassing checks does not magically turn an unsupported PC into a fully supported one. In practice, you’re running Windows 11 in a configuration that Microsoft did not intend or test for long-term reliability.

• No official support: Microsoft may refuse support for issues on unsupported hardware, and future feature updates may be blocked or behave unpredictably.
• Security or AI features may not work properly: Some protections rely heavily on TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and specific CPU capabilities. Certain AI features may require newer hardware and will simply not appear.
• Driver or peripheral issues: Old chipsets, GPUs, or peripherals (printers, webcams, capture cards, etc.) may behave worse under Windows 11 than under Windows 10.
• Update failures: Cumulative updates or major feature updates may fail or get stuck in loops on unsupported configurations.

Always back up important data before attempting a bypass install, especially on aging hardware. Treat this as an experiment, not a guaranteed, stable upgrade path.

Why go through the trouble at all?

Despite the risks, many users still choose to install Windows 11 24H2 on older PCs because:

• They want to extend the usable life of existing hardware beyond Windows 10’s end of support in 2025.
• They want access to newer features, UI improvements, and app support that target Windows 11 first.
• They are curious about AI features and Copilot integrations, even if some of them may not fully work on older hardware.

In other words, the bypass is a way to buy time — but not a full replacement for eventually acquiring modern, supported hardware.

Common post-bypass issues people report

Based on user reports and community threads, some recurring problems after a successful bypass install include:

• Older peripherals (printers, scanners, webcams) not working or losing features
• Sleep/hibernate and resume instability caused by firmware quirks
• Graphics glitches or poor performance on non-WDDM 2.0-compatible GPUs
• Certain AI-powered or security features simply not appearing in Settings
• Windows Update failures or repeated attempts to “repair” the installation

These issues don’t occur on every device, but it’s important to understand that your environment will not be as predictable as on officially supported hardware.

Are bypass tools themselves safe?

Well-known utilities like Rufus and Ventoy are widely used in IT communities and considered trustworthy — provided you download them from their official project sites or GitHub pages.

The real risk comes from:

• Fake download sites bundling malware or adware
• Unofficial “all-in-one” ISOs that you can’t easily audit
• Scripts you don’t understand, run with full administrator rights

If you decide to use these tools, make sure you:

• Verify URLs carefully
• Prefer official Microsoft ISOs for Windows
• Scan downloads with reputable security software

Conclusion

To summarize, here are the three main bypass approaches discussed:

As Microsoft tightens Windows 11’s hardware verification with 24H2 and beyond, these methods may change or stop working. Right now, however, they still allow many users to install Windows 11 on unsupported devices — as long as they accept the risks and limitations that come with it.

Please proceed at your own risk: Always back up important data, test on non-critical machines first, and stay up to date with newer guides if Microsoft changes the setup behavior again.

✔️You might also find these helpful:

▶︎ How to Safely Clear the Windows Update Cache to Fix Update Issues (2025 Guide)

▶︎ Emergency Fix: Can’t Log in After Windows 11 24H2 Update? PIN Reset Fails and Verification Code Doesn’t Arrive — Full Step-by-Step Solutions

▶︎ How to Fix Windows C Drive Permission Errors (Full Recovery Guide)

タグ: 24h2, Windows 11, TPM, Secure Boot, Rufus, Windows Upgrade, registry tweak, unsupported PC, compatibility bypass