For the past three years, Microsoft has provided guidance on how to install Windows 11 on PCs that do not feature Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 hardware. However, this workaround has recently vanished from the company’s help page, signaling a potential shift in policy.
TPM is a crucial security technology that encrypts sensitive data, including encryption keys, and verifies the authenticity of both hardware and operating systems. It can be implemented through a discrete chip on a PC’s motherboard or integrated into a CPU. When Windows 11 was launched in 2021, TPM 2.0 was not yet widely available, leaving many capable PCs unable to access the new operating system.
This exclusion sparked frustration among PC owners who felt sidelined from an OS that Microsoft touted as innovative and essential. In response, shortly after Windows 11’s debut, Microsoft published a page detailing “ways to install Windows 11,” which included instructions for bypassing the TPM 2.0 requirement. This workaround involved creating a Windows Registry key, although it still necessitated the presence of a TPM 1.2 module, which was more commonly found in existing PCs at the time.
As noted by Neowin, the language regarding this bypass has been removed from Microsoft’s help page. The latest version no longer includes a section about the Registry key workaround, although it still mentions that physical media can facilitate the installation of Windows 11 on hardware equipped only with TPM 1.2. This change is not entirely new; it appears that Microsoft eliminated the Registry key workaround sometime between December 12 and 14, 2024, as per the Wayback Machine’s archives. The current status of the workaround—whether it still functions or has been actively blocked—remains unclear, and inquiries to Microsoft have gone unanswered.
Server install workaround on its way out, too?
Another popular method for bypassing the TPM 2.0 requirement involved installing Windows 11 using Windows Server 2025 hardware requirement checks, which allowed the operating system to install without TPM. However, Microsoft tightened this loophole in August 2024. Despite this, users could still utilize third-party applications like Flyby11, which enabled installations on hardware lacking TPM or Secure Boot, and even on devices with unsupported processors.
In a recent update, the developer of Flyby11 noted that Microsoft Defender began flagging the application as the potentially unwanted tool Win32/Patcher, a designation typically associated with malicious software. The developer expressed uncertainty regarding whether this was an intentional action by Microsoft or merely a false positive. Efforts to obtain comments from both Flyby11’s developer and Microsoft regarding this flagging have been made.
While the removal of information from a help page and the potential misclassification of a workaround tool may seem trivial, they serve as indicators that Microsoft is steadfast in its requirement for Windows 11 to operate on machines equipped with TPM 2.0 chips. As the company continues to promote its flagship OS, it appears that workarounds to bypass these restrictions are rapidly diminishing, reflecting a broader strategy to ensure compliance among users.
No Windows 11 hardware requirement workaround for you!
For the past three years, Microsoft has provided guidance on how to install Windows 11 on PCs that do not feature Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 hardware. However, this workaround has recently vanished from the company’s help page, signaling a potential shift in policy.
TPM is a crucial security technology that encrypts sensitive data, including encryption keys, and verifies the authenticity of both hardware and operating systems. It can be implemented through a discrete chip on a PC’s motherboard or integrated into a CPU. When Windows 11 was launched in 2021, TPM 2.0 was not yet widely available, leaving many capable PCs unable to access the new operating system.
This exclusion sparked frustration among PC owners who felt sidelined from an OS that Microsoft touted as innovative and essential. In response, shortly after Windows 11’s debut, Microsoft published a page detailing “ways to install Windows 11,” which included instructions for bypassing the TPM 2.0 requirement. This workaround involved creating a Windows Registry key, although it still necessitated the presence of a TPM 1.2 module, which was more commonly found in existing PCs at the time.
As noted by Neowin, the language regarding this bypass has been removed from Microsoft’s help page. The latest version no longer includes a section about the Registry key workaround, although it still mentions that physical media can facilitate the installation of Windows 11 on hardware equipped only with TPM 1.2. This change is not entirely new; it appears that Microsoft eliminated the Registry key workaround sometime between December 12 and 14, 2024, as per the Wayback Machine’s archives. The current status of the workaround—whether it still functions or has been actively blocked—remains unclear, and inquiries to Microsoft have gone unanswered.
Server install workaround on its way out, too?
Another popular method for bypassing the TPM 2.0 requirement involved installing Windows 11 using Windows Server 2025 hardware requirement checks, which allowed the operating system to install without TPM. However, Microsoft tightened this loophole in August 2024. Despite this, users could still utilize third-party applications like Flyby11, which enabled installations on hardware lacking TPM or Secure Boot, and even on devices with unsupported processors.
In a recent update, the developer of Flyby11 noted that Microsoft Defender began flagging the application as the potentially unwanted tool Win32/Patcher, a designation typically associated with malicious software. The developer expressed uncertainty regarding whether this was an intentional action by Microsoft or merely a false positive. Efforts to obtain comments from both Flyby11’s developer and Microsoft regarding this flagging have been made.
While the removal of information from a help page and the potential misclassification of a workaround tool may seem trivial, they serve as indicators that Microsoft is steadfast in its requirement for Windows 11 to operate on machines equipped with TPM 2.0 chips. As the company continues to promote its flagship OS, it appears that workarounds to bypass these restrictions are rapidly diminishing, reflecting a broader strategy to ensure compliance among users.