The Windows 10 support end date is October 24th, 2025. Many people say that although Microsoft will end support for Windows 10, it still works. It seems there is no obvious negative impact on the function. Actually, there are.
Reasons to Upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 10 Before Windows 10 End of Support
⛔ No official support means being vulnerable to attack. After Windows 10 reaches the end of support, there will be no further security patches or vulnerability fixes. It will make Windows 10 vulnerable to attacks. Historical data shows that the probability of device attacks surged 300% after Windows 7's end of service, and similar trends are likely to happen to Windows 10.
⚠️ App incompatibility issues. While Windows 10 is ditched, Office 2016/2019 will also be discontinued, let alone new software. Within the next two years or in the long term, software developers will not make software compatible with Windows 10. Although some programs currently work correctly, they may malfunction abnormally in the near future.
📉 System performance stagnates. Windows 10 is unable to receive new features like the system interface, performance optimization, and AI integration, preventing you from experiencing the improvements brought by the new system.
📈 Compared with Windows 10, Windows 11 offers significant improvements in performance, security, and functionality, such as multitasking, enhanced security, biometric login with face/fingerprint recognition, a modernized interface with virtual desktops, and more.
Requirements for Windows 10 Upgrade to Windows 11
Microsoft ended support for Windows 10. To protect your data and experience the advanced features of Windows 11, you need to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11. However, before you get started, please verify that your computer meets the Windows 11 system requirements. Here are the requirements for the Windows 11 update.
1. Operating System Version Requirements:
To update Windows 10 to Windows 11, your computer must be running Windows 10 2004 or later. If not, you must first upgrade it to a support version of Windows 10 now.
2. Hardware Requirements:
⚙️ Processo: 1 GHz or faster 64-bit processor with dual-core/multi-core support (e.g., Intel 8th Gen and above, AMD Ryzen 2 and above, Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c and above)
📏 Memory: 4 GB or above
💽 Storag: 64 GB or above
🎛️ System Firmwar: UEFI support with Secure Boot enabled
🎚️ TPM (Trusted Platform Module): Version 2.0 (must be enabled in BIOS)
🌄 Graphic: DirectX 12 or above with WDDM 2.0 driver support
💻 Displa: HD (720p) screen with a diagonal resolution greater than 9 inches
It's easy for a computer expert to learn the specifications of their computer and check whether their computer can update to Windows 11 or not. If you're not familiar with your computer's hardware, you can use the Microsoft PC Health Check program to determine if your computer is compatible with Windows 11.
Go to the Microsoft Store to download the latest PC Health Check. After seeing it here, click DOWNLOAD PC HEALTH CHECK APP.
After downloading it, click WindowsPCHealthCheckSetup.msi from your browser's download notification. Accept the terms in the license agreement and install the app.
After the Windows PC Health Check setup is complete, click Finish to launch the application.
From the main window, click "Check Now" to let the program check whether your computer can update to Windows 11.
Wait patiently for the result. It will tell you whether your computer can update to Windows 11 or not. If it can't update to Windows 11, the reasons will be listed.
Must-Dos for Windows 10 to Windows 11 Update
In the above paragraph, we mentioned that you must check the compatibility of your computer with Windows 11. If your computer meets the Windows 11 update requirements, then you can move forward. However, there are some must-dos before you get down to updating Windows 10 to Windows 11.
📤 Back up your files: Though the upgrade preserves your files, apps, and settings in the file system, it does not include some personal files. In this case, to protect your personal files, you must back up these files to the following locations: Documents, Downloads, Videos, Music, Desktop, etc.
🔋 Connect to power: Make sure your computer is plugged in or connected to a reliable power source. The time it takes to update from Windows 10 to Windows 11 varies. You must keep your computer powered on. Don't force-shut down your computer during the update process.
♻️ Check the available storage for the Windows 11 update. If there is a message telling you that your C drive storage is not enough for the Windows 11 update, you must free up storage for the Windows 11 update or choose to update Windows 11 from an external hard drive. For updating to Windows 11, at least 20GB of storage is needed.
🌐 Stable network. To update Windows 10 to Windows 11, you should keep your computer connected to a stable and secure network. It will last for more than 30 minutes.
How to Update Windows 10 to Windows 11 Directly
There are basically two ways to update Windows 10 to Windows 11. One is directly from the computer's "Windows Update," and the other is using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant.
Method 1. Upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 10 with Windows Update
Microsoft Windows has a built-in feature named "Windows Update". If there is any available version for update, you can see it in the Settings menu. You can try it to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11.
Click to open the Start menu and navigate to Settings.
Click on Update & Security > Windows Update ( Update & Security in some old Windows 10 versions).
From there, click the "Check for updates" button. If your device is eligible, the Windows 11 upgrade option will appear.
After that, click the "Download and install" button. The system will automatically complete the remaining process. The entire process will take 30-60 minutes to complete.
Method 2. Update Windows 10 to Windows 11 with Windows 11 Assistant
Besides using the built-in Windows Update feature in Windows 10 to upgrade to Windows 11, you can also use Windows 11 Assistant directly to install the Windows 11 operating system.
In the Windows 11 Installation Assistant section, click the "Download now" button. Then you can see a file named Windows11InstallationAssistant.exe is downloading.
When the download is done, double-click to run the downloaded Windows11InstallationAssistant.exe file.
Just as you would with other software programs, you need to tick the "Accept and install" option to update Windows 10 to Windows 11.
Follow the on-screen prompts to complete the installation. After that, the computer will restart, and you can see the new Windows 11 desktop.
When updating Windows 11 from Windows 10, if your disk storage is insufficient, you will receive a message indicating that you can't complete the Windows 11 update due to insufficient disk space. In this case, what to do? You can either free up disk space or use an external hard drive to update Windows 11. USB drive, SD card, or external hard drive will all do.
How to Update Windows 10 to Windows 11 with an External Hard Drive
Prep work:
💽 An external hard drive with more than 10 GB of storage available
When the disk space is insufficient to do the update, then you can see the option "Fix Problems".
In the new windows, you should click the drop-down list on the right to select the external hard drive you connected in step 1. Click "Next".
Follow the instructions to complete the update installation. After that, you can remove the external storage device securely.
If the external hard drive storage is not enough for the update, then you will be asked to free up space on the computer's internal drive.
FAQs
It depends. You should check your computer’s eligibility by going to Start > Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update. Click Check for updates to see whether there is a free update to Windows 11.
There are various reasons for being unable to update Windows 10 to Windows 11, including hardware issues with the Windows 10 versions. As mentioned above, you should use Microsoft PC Health Check to check your Windows 10 PC and list the reasons.
Here are the possible issues after upgrading to Windows 11
Some SSDs may experience malfunctions, manifesting as file explorer freezes or crashes, inability to read SMART information, or even the drive disappearing.
The September 2025 update may cause SMBv1 sharing connections to fail, impacting sharing functionality on Windows servers and clients. Microsoft has confirmed this issue and is working on a fix.
During the upgrade process, you may encounter file corruption, insufficient permissions, or other issues, which can result in installation interruptions or system instability.
It is strongly recommended to back up important data before you update Windows 10 to Windows 11 and run the Windows Update Troubleshooter to troubleshoot any issues. If a critical file is lost, try iBeesoft Data Recovery to scan the entire computer and retrieve it.