Microsoft doubles down, still won’t let older PCs run Windows 11

The TPM hardware requirement for Windows 11 was one of the biggest barriers to initial upgraders three years ago. And while that’s become less of an issue, it’s still a point of contention for many users. If you were hoping for a reprieve as Windows 10 approaches its end of life, Microsoft just dashed those hopes in a new blog post.

Product manager Stephen Hosking (spotted by The Verge) says TPM (Trusted Platform Module) 2.0 is a “non-negotiable standard for the future of Windows,” shutting the door on any official support for older PCs that don’t have these integrated security chips. That means that many users will be faced with relatively few options next year: buy (or build) a new PC, stay on Windows 10 without support, or switch to Linux.

Microsoft’s blog post lays out the argument for the TPM 2.0 requirement as a security necessity. TPM devices are essential for modern security and encryption tools, ensuring that every component of the computer is trusted and verified. And they’re becoming far more ubiquitous — almost every new laptop and desktop comes with a processor that has TPM 2.0 compliance built in, no extra components required. That’s even true for Arm-based hardware, like the new generation of laptops with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors.

But it’s hard to take Hosking’s promises of “future-proof” hardware at face value when there were so many issues with older machines upgrading to Windows 11, something many people are still struggling to work around. And as a cynic, I have to point out that Microsoft and its hardware partners have a vested interest in getting you onto new devices as sales for laptops and desktops are only just starting to recover from their post-pandemic slump.

Requiring more security-focused hardware is a good thing — threats to both personal and professional users aren’t going away, especially since cryptocurrency storage has given hackers a much greater incentive to search for and penetrate individual machines. And this isn’t a change in Microsoft policy, just a reiteration of stated goals.

But you can’t deny that Microsoft is wielding a big stick rather than a tasty carrot to try and get people off Windows 10.