Microsoft’s Windows 11 outreach efforts aren’t going very well

In a July 21 livestream, Microsoft Program Manager Aria Carley answered Microsoft Tech Community users’ questions about the final hardware requirements to upgrade to Windows 11. Although hardware requirements—including but not limited to TPM 2.0 support—aren’t enforced for the Windows 11 alpha images available now, Carley confirmed that the “hardware floor” would be real for final versions.

“So we talk about this new hardware floor of what devices are eligible and which aren’t,” Carley said, adding, “We know that it sucks that some aren’t going to be eligible for Windows 11.” She went on to state that Microsoft is imposing the unpopular hardware floor “to keep devices more productive, have a better experience, and most importantly have better security than before so they can stay protected in this new workforce.”

Despite acknowledging that the situation “sucks” for affected users, Carley doubled down on the inflexibility of the hardware floor in response to a later question, saying: “Group policy will not enable you to get around hardware enforcement for Windows 11. We’re still going to block you from upgrading your device… to make sure your devices stay supported and secure.”