Should I update Windows 11 now?

Windows 11 officially launched on October 5, 2021. Unlike previous major Windows 10 upgrades, Microsoft isn't encouraging people to upgrade this time. In fact, Microsoft is advising many PC owners not to upgrade. Here's what you need to know before you make your decision.

How to upgrade to Windows 11 from Windows 10

Windows 11 will be a free upgrade for PCs running Windows 10, just as Windows 10 was a free upgrade for PCs running Windows 7 and Windows 8.

This time, however, Windows 11 isn't designed for all PCs running Windows 10. Windows 11 officially only supports the latest hardware: In addition to requiring TPM 2.0 and UEFI with Secure Boot, Windows 11 only supports a few recently released CPUs.

Specifically, the PC must have an 8th generation Intel processor or newer. AMD PCs must run at least AMD Zen 2. ARM PCs must have Qualcomm 7 or 8 Series hardware.

How to Check if Windows 11 Supports Your PC

Not sure what hardware your PC has and if it supports Windows 11? Microsoft offers an official PC Health Check app that will tell you if your PC can run Windows 11. If it can't, PC Health Check will tell you what the problem is.

Windows 10 is supported until October 2025

First, it's worth noting that Windows 10 will remain officially supported for many years to come. Microsoft will continue to support Windows 10 with security updates until October 2025, four years after Windows 11 was released.

If you don't want to upgrade right away, you can wait. If your PC can't run Windows 11, there's a good chance you'll be buying a new PC in the next four years.

Reasons why you don't want to use Windows 11 yet

1. Windows 11 strict system requirements

Some users have not upgraded to Windows 11 simply because their PCs do not meet all the essential system requirements. Windows 11's strict system requirements have created a barrier for millions of incompatible PCs. Here are the Windows 11 system requirements:

• Processor: 1GHz dual-core 64-bit processor
• RAM: 4 gigabyte
• Memory: 64 gigabytes
• GPU: DirectX 12 compatible graphics adapter
• TPM: Trusted Platform Module 2

Some of those system requirements are a pretty big step up from Windows 10. For example, Windows 10 only requires 1GB of RAM, making it compatible with older PCs that have 2GB of system memory. Furthermore, the 64-bit processor requirement makes Windows 11 incompatible with all 32-bit PCs.

However, the TPM 2.0 system requirement is the biggest issue when upgrading to Windows 11. TPM 2.0 is a security feature that needs to be enabled on a PC for users to upgrade to Windows 11. Many older PCs do not support TPM 2.0, and the feature is not enabled by default on many new desktops or laptops.

Such upgraded system requirements have prevented many users from upgrading to Windows 11. There are ways to bypass Windows 11's TPM 2.0 system requirement using the Media Creation Tool or by tweaking the registry. However, many users may not consider it worth the time it takes to upgrade to Windows 11.

2. Gaming performance issues

While Windows 11 incorporates a number of new gaming features, gaming performance issues have plagued the platform. Users have been complaining on forums that their PC gaming performance has dropped after upgrading to Windows 11. The biggest complaints have been about significant frame rate drops and stuttering issues when playing games on Windows 11 PCs.

That was especially the case after Microsoft rolled out the Windows 11 22H2 update near the end of 2022. Microsoft later admitted that the new update caused gaming issues after receiving multiple reports of poor gaming performance in Windows 11. Microsoft cited the activation of a GPU debugger feature as causing such issues at the time.

The main factor behind the poor gaming performance is some additional security features that are enabled by default in Windows 11. Such security features affect gaming performance. Many gamers have been unable to upgrade to Windows 11 because of gaming issues surrounding the platform.

3. Microsoft broke the Windows 11 Taskbar

The Taskbar is probably the second most important part of Windows after the Start menu. But alas, Microsoft made a mess when it “rebuilt” the Taskbar in Windows 11. Microsoft reduced the functionality of the Taskbar by removing many features from it.

Windows 11 users have been posting on Microsoft's forums about missing Taskbar features. Some have complained that they can't resize the Taskbar like they did in Windows 10 by dragging it with the cursor. Others want the Combine taskbar buttons from Windows 10 restored in Microsoft's latest desktop operating system. There's also no way for users to reposition the Taskbar in Windows 11.

Microsoft has restored some of the Taskbar features that were removed in recent Windows 11 updates. For example, Microsoft has restored the Task Manager context menu shortcut and previewed the Taskbar features on the desktop in 2022. However, some of the removed features may never return to Windows 11. Users who value such Taskbar features will likely prefer to stick with Windows 10.

4, Windows 11 doesn't have Timeline (and 19 other Windows 10 features)

Timeline is a notable feature that Microsoft has removed from Windows 11. It was part of Task View in Windows 10 and allowed users to access files saved in Microsoft apps from the timeline. Timeline is definitely useful for users who frequently use Microsoft 365 apps, Photos, Paint, and other pre-installed apps that are compatible with it.

The removal of Timeline in Windows 11 has hurt Task View. Users who appreciate that productivity feature will likely want to stick with Windows 10, where they can still use it. There's rumored to be some sort of similar timeline functionality in Edge, but it's unclear exactly where that is. Timeline is one of 20 deprecated features listed on this Microsoft Windows 11 specs page .

5. The redesigned Start menu is not attractive

Microsoft made some significant changes to the Start menu in Windows 11. The redesigned Start menu is definitely different from the one in Windows 10. Whether or not it's a change for the better is debatable. Some users like the simplicity of the new menu, but others prefer the Windows 10 Start menu.

What Microsoft has removed from the Windows 11 Start menu is pretty obvious. Live tile shortcuts are no longer present in the new menu. The Windows 11 Start menu has two layers because its app list no longer runs alongside pinned shortcuts. There’s also no way to resize the menu in Windows 11 (like the Taskbar).

As a result, the redesigned Start menu in Windows 11 is generally unappealing. Users who prefer the tiled Start menu are sticking with Windows 10 for that reason.

6. Windows 11 doesn't offer enough new features

The biggest question is what new features Windows 11 offers that its predecessor, Windows 10, didn’t have. Windows 11 certainly looks different in many ways. That includes redesigned context menus, a new-look Start menu, and a more icon-centric Taskbar layout. Microsoft has redesigned the File Explorer and Settings UIs for its new desktop platform. Microsoft has also given some of the platform’s pre-installed apps a new look.

You’ll notice these UI changes right away when you start using Windows 11, but the number of notable new features in Windows 11 is relatively small. Widgets, Snap Layouts, and Android app support are three of the big new features that Windows 11 boasts. However, widgets aren’t really a new feature for Windows, as Vista and 7 both included these desktop gadgets.

Android app support, via the Amazon Appstore, sounds like a cool new feature. However, you can still use Android apps from Google Play in Windows 10. It's not too difficult to install one of the best Android emulators like BlueStacks or Andy on your Windows 10 PC.

The Windows 11 update introduced some notable new features like File Explorer tabs, Taskbar add-ons menus, and live video captions. So Microsoft is expanding the platform's new features with each release. However, Windows 11 still doesn't seem to have enough new features to justify the upgrade.

If you want, you can use Windows 11 right now.

Microsoft says existing PCs probably won't get the upgrade until early 2022, as the standard upgrade process will be slow and gradual even for existing PCs. This will allow Microsoft to gradually test the update and make sure it works well on PCs before it's rolled out to all users.

There's no need to bother upgrading if you're not excited about running Windows 11. If you can wait a few months until Windows Update delivers an official update to your PC, you'll be less likely to run into problems.

However, if you want to have the opportunity to experience the new operating system as soon as possible, you can upgrade now.