Yes, Intel i5 processors do support Windows 11. As per the list shared by Microsoft, there are 91 processors from the Intel i5 family of processors that support Windows 11.
This also implies that not all i5 processors are compatible with Windows 11.
The common denominator in all the supported i5 Intel processors is that they are at least 8th generation or higher generation processors.
An Intel i5 generation processor that is below the 8th generation is considered incompatible with Windows 11 operating system.
Content in this post:
- i5 Processors incompatible with Windows 11
- When does Windows 10 become end of life?
- Will my Windows 10 computer stop working after October 2025?
- What is the ESU program for Windows 10?
- Can I install Windows 11 on unsupported Intel i5 processors?
- Intel i5 8th generation processors compatible with Windows 11
- Intel i5 9th generation processors compatible with Windows 11
- Intel i5 10th generation processors compatible with Windows 11
- Intel i5 11th generation processors compatible with Windows 11
- Intel i5 12th generation processors compatible with Windows 11
- Suggested options for unsupported Intel i5 processors
- Summary
i5 Processors incompatible with Windows 11
In all, there are 126 Intel i5 Core processors that have been made by Intel. Out of this, 91 are compatible with Windows 11. This leaves 35 processors that are incompatible with Windows 11 from the Intel i5 family of core processors. The Intel i5 processors that are not supported by Windows 11 operating system belong to the following generations:
- Fourth generation i5 processors.
- Fifth generation i5 processors.
- Sixth generation i5 processors.
- Seventh generation i5 processors.
Your computer will still need to be compatible with the other hardware requirements for Windows 11. The hardware requirements for Windows 11 are:
- Processor with a frequency of 1 GHz or higher with at least 2 cores.
- at least 4 GB RAM.
- 64 GB internal storage.
- Hardware firmware that is compatible with UEFI and Safe boot.
- Trusted Platform Module 2.0
When does Windows 10 become end of life?
Windows 10 operating system will become end of life on 14 October 2025. The end-of-life status means that Microsoft will stop releasing security updates and feature updates for Windows 10.
Will my Windows 10 computer stop working after October 2025?
Assuming you have a Windows 10 computer that cannot be upgraded to Windows 11, the logical question would be ‘Will my Windows 10 computer stop working after 14 October 2025‘?
No, your Windows 10 computer will not stop working after 14 October 2025. However, you will not get the following:
- Security updates
- Feature updates
So, any new security vulnerabilities or threats detected or uncovered in Windows 10 will remain unpatched.
To continue using Windows 10 after 14 October 2025, you do have a paid option of subscribing to the Extended Security Updates for Windows 11. These Extended Security Updates are released by Microsoft under the ESU or the Extended Security Update Program of Microsoft.
What is the ESU program for Windows 10?
The ESU program for Windows 10 is an Extended Security Update program. Under the ESU program, Microsoft will released Extended Security Updates every month.
The pricing for the Extended Security Update program for Windows 10 has been revealed.
- Home edition users of Windows 10 can extend the security coverage of Windows 10 computer by buying an ESU license for a fee of $30 per year. You can extend the security update coverage between 1 to 3 years.
- Business users or organization computers running Windows 10 can enroll in the ESU program for Windows 10 for a fee of $61 for one year. The ESU license can be bought for a period between 1 to 3 years.
These Extended Security Updates will resolve any new vulnerabilities or security threats uncovered in Windows 10 operating system. You can buy the subscription to the ESU program for a minimum period of 1 year to a maximum period of 3 years.
The paid subscription to the Windows 10 ESU program will be made available by Microsoft before the end-of-life date. You can read more about the ESU program for Windows 10 on this page.
It may be pertinent to add that the cost of the ESU program for Windows 10 is likely to be higher than the cost of a standard Windows 10 license. So, we do suggest weighing in the costs of the Extended Security Updates for Windows 10. On a simple note, it may be possible for you to just get a new PC with Windows 11 preinstalled.
Or, else, you can continue with Windows 10 without access to security updates. Your computer will remain a potential victim of malware, malicious software and targeted cybersecurity campaigns and cyberattacks.
Can I install Windows 11 on unsupported Intel i5 processors?
Yes, you can install Windows 11 on an unsupported computer with an Intel i5 processor. Microsoft has simplified the installation of Windows 11 on incompatible systems. Microsoft has shared the registry entries that will be needed to bypass the eligibility requirements of TPM and processor. So, you can create bypass registry entries to install Windows 11 in the following cases:
- when your CPU is not compatible with Windows 11
- when your system’s TPM configuration is not compatible with Windows 11.
Bear in mind though that Microsoft does not recommend these registry entries for installing Windows 11 on unsupported computers. We feel that you should skip these steps on business computers because there is no clarity about availability of Windows Updates on unsupported computers.
For hobby or non-business computers, you may try to implement the registry entry for installing Windows 11 on unsupported computers.
You can create the registry entries to bypass eligibility requirements for Windows 11 as given below:
- Launch the registry editor using the Regedit command on a Windows computer.
- Open the registry hive – HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup. In the right pane, look for an entry that has the name: AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU. It is of the type of Type: REG_DWORD.
- Right-click on the entry to modify the REG_DWORD entry to set a value of 1.
The Value of 1 for AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU tells Windows to bypass eligibility requirements.
Once you have created the registry entries, reboot your computer. You can continue to do a clean installation of Windows 11 or upgrade to Windows 11 as per the instructions given herein.
Also, you can refer to Microsoft’s document for the validation of registry entries on this page.
If your Intel i5 processor is not compatible with Windows 11, you can still install Windows 11 on an unsupported personal computer. You could perform a clean installation of Windows 11 in one of the following three ways:
- You could download an ISO image of Windows 11 and install it using the ISO image.
- You could download the Installation Assistant of Windows 11. It will work as a virtual assistant that leads you through the installation of Windows 11 on your computer.
- Or, you could use the media creation utility to make a USB or DVD installation media. You can use the installation media to boot into Windows 11 and run through the Windows 11 installation on your computer.
All these three steps involve downloading Windows 11 from the Microsoft site. The download happens from this page on the Microsoft site.
You may still want to know that such a clean install of Windows 11 on unsupported systems is not supported by Microsoft. So, your computer will not get any product updates, security updates, feature updates or quality updates. Your access to updates through the Windows Update program will be blocked. This policy may change in the future. For now though, such unsupported systems are deprived of the Windows 11 updates from the Microsoft Windows Update program.
Below, we share the details of all the Windows 11 compatible processors from the Intel i5 family.
Intel i5 8th generation processors compatible with Windows 11
The following 24 processors from the Intel i5 8th generation are compatible with Windows 11.
- i5-8210Y
- i5-8250U
- i5-8257U
- i5-8259U
- i5-8260U
- i5-8265U
- i5-8269U
- i5-8279U
- i5-8300H
- i5-8305G
- i5-8310Y
- i5-8350U
- i5-8365U
- i5-8365UE
- i5-8400
- i5-8400B
- i5-8400H
- i5-8400T
- i5-8500
- i5-8500B
- i5-8500T
- i5-8600
- i5-8600K
- i5-8600T
You will note that the Intel i5 8200 series, 8300 series, 8400 series, 8500 series, and the 8600 series are supported for upgrade to Windows 11.
Intel i5 9th generation processors compatible with Windows 11
There are 14 Intel i5 processors from the 9th generation that support upgrades to the Windows 11 operating system. These i5 9th generation processors are mentioned below for your ready reference:
- i5-9300HF
- i5-9400
- i5-9400F
- i5-9400H
- i5-9400T
- i5-9500
- i5-9500E
- i5-9500F
- i5-9500T
- i5-9500TE
- i5-9600
- i5-9600K
- i5-9600KF
- i5-9600T
You will note that the Windows 11 compatible 9th generation processors from the Intel i5 family are in the 9300 series, 9400 series, 9500 series and the 9600 series.
Intel i5 10th generation processors compatible with Windows 11
Intel i5 10th generation processors are compatible with the Windows 11 operating system. Computers based on the 10th generation processors of the Intel i5 family of processors would get a natural upgrade to the Windows 11 operating system through the Windows Update program on your computer. Obviously, your computer will still need to comply with the other hardware requirements of the Windows 11 operating system.
The following 26 processors from the 10th generation Intel i5 core are compatible with the Windows 11 operating system:
- i5-10210U
- i5-10210Y
- i5-10300H
- i5-1030G4
- i5-1030G7
- i5-10310U
- i5-10310Y
- i5-1035G1
- i5-1035G4
- i5-1035G7
- i5-1038NG7
- i5-10400
- i5-10400F
- i5-10400H
- i5-10400T
- i5-10500
- i5-10500E
- i5-10500H
- i5-10500T
- i5-10500TE
- i5-10505
- i5-10600
- i5-10600K
- i5-10600KF
- i5-10600T
- i5-L16G7
You will note that the Intel i5 10th generation processors that are compatible with Windows 11 come from the Intel i5 10200 series, i5 10300 series, i5 10400 series, i5 10500 series and the Intel i5 10600 series.
Intel i5 11th generation processors compatible with Windows 11
There are 22 processors from the Intel i5 family of processors that support a direct upgrade to Windows 11. This is assuming that the other hardware requirements for Windows 11 are fully met. The list of Intel i5 11th generation processors that are compatible with Windows 11 is mentioned below.
- i5-11260H
- i5-11300H
- i5-1130G7
- i5-11320H
- i5-1135G7
- i5-1135G7
- i5-11400
- i5-11400F
- i5-11400H
- i5-11400T
- i5-1140G7
- i5-1145G7
- i5-1145G7E
- i5-1145GRE
- i5-11500
- i5-11500H
- i5-11500T
- i5-1155G7
- i5-11600
- i5-11600K
- i5-11600KF
- i5-11600T
You will note that the 11th generation Intel i5 family of processors that are compatible with Windows 11 are from the 11200 series, 11300 series, 11400 series, 11500 series and the 11600 series.
Intel i5 12th generation processors compatible with Windows 11
- There are 26 processors in the i5 12th generation. All these processors are compatible with Windows 11 and you can upgrade to Windows 11 without issues.
- Out of these 26 processors, 9 are for the desktop series and 12 are for the mobile or laptop series.
- New computers on i5 12th generation processors may come preloaded with Windows 10. That does not mean you cannot upgrade to Windows 11 as a natural upgrade path.
- So, if you have an Intel i5 12th generation processor, you are good to go in terms of upgrading to Windows 11.
Windows 11 24H2 Edition – Processor Compatibility
In February 2025, Microsoft updated the list of processors that are compatible with Windows 11 24H2 edition. We would like to reiterate that this list of processors is applicable for OEM so that they could install Windows 11 on compatible processors.
Suggested options for unsupported Intel i5 processors
If your Intel i5 processor is not supported for Windows 11 update, you may continue to run on Windows 10. Windows 10 was launched in 2015. It will continue to be supported by Microsoft until 2025.
In October 2025, Windows 10 will become end of life, and updates from Microsoft will stop. After October 2025, you could enroll your Windows 10 in the Extended Security Update program. Extended Security Updates are available for a period between 1 to 3 years.
Windows 10 Extended Security Updates are free for retail consumers in Europe, except for people in Switzerland and United Kingdom. For people outside Europe, you could get 1 year of free access to Extended Security Updates for Windows 10 by encashing Microsoft reward points or backing up your computer’s settings to OneDrive. Detailed instructions can be read here.
If you are keen on getting Windows 11, it may be worthwhile to consider buying a new computer with Windows 11 pre-loaded on it. Or, you could buy a computer with Windows 10 that ticks all the hardware and processor requirements of Windows 11.
Staying on Windows 10 is not a bad idea. You could always choose to get a new Windows 11 computer at a later date of your own choice.
Summary
On this page, we have listed the Core Intel i5 processors that are compatible with updates to Windows 11. If your Intel i5 processor is not compatible with Windows 11, you could choose to perform a clean install of Windows 11. Alternatively, you could stay on Windows 10.
Simplifying technology, one step at a time.