Missing ‘Update’ option for Windows 11

You have a PC that is compatible with the hardware requirements for installing Windows 11. However, you are unable to find the ‘Update’ option on the Windows Update program on your PC. Even though Windows 11 has been launched on 5th October, you are not getting any updates or an option to update the Windows 10 install to Windows 11. There are tons of such user queries that are related to the Windows 11 update option. What needs to be done to upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 on PC or computer systems that are compatible with Windows 11 hardware requirements?

Windows 11 will update through Windows Update program in a phased manner

There seems to be a lot of confusion in regard to the update process from Windows 10 to Windows 11. While Windows 11 has been officially launched on October 5th 2021, the update process will run in a phased approach. All the eligible systems will receive updates of Windows 11 updates by mid-2022.

Understandably, Microsoft would have drawn a schedule to push updates to the eligible systems in a slow and phased approach. Depending on the user feedback, the pace of updating from Windows 10 to Windows 11 is likely to change in the next few weeks and months.

We also expect a lot of development updates through the update cycle as more and more bugs or product gaps may come to the fore. Such deficiencies are likely to be bridged as we move ahead with the Windows 11 update process.

This means that the eligible systems will get updates in a scheduled or queued approach. Newer systems are expected to get updates before the older systems. Infact, ACER and ASUS have already announced the availability of Windows 11 based laptops since October 5. Dell is also following up with HP to launch new Windows 11 based professional series laptops. These newer products are shipping with Windows 11 installations already.

Thus, you will get an opportunity to update from Windows 10 to Windows 11 when you get a notification through the Windows Update program in the control panel. Until then, it is best to wait out for your scheduled turn. If you do not wish to wait for your turn to update from Windows 10 to Windows 11, you have an option to manually install Windows 11 on your PC. You can learn more about installing Windows 11 manually through the instructions given below.

How do I manually install Windows 11 on my eligible system?

You can manually install Windows 11 on an eligible computer through one of the three ways given by Microsoft

1. you can download the Windows 11 installation assistant from the following URL to initiate the installation of Windows 11 on your system – https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2171764. The installation assistant is an EXE file. Once you install it on your system, it should take over the installation process of Windows 11 on the eligible system
2. you can download the ‘Media Creation Tool’ from the Microsoft website. This will help you in creating a DVD or a bootable USB image of the Windows 11 installation files. The DVD or USB drive can be used to install Windows 11 on your computer.
3. Finally, you can also install Windows 11 using the ISO image that is made available through the Microsoft website. The 64 bit version of Windows 11 ISO image in English language can be downloaded from the page – https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows11. On a similar basis, you may download language specific versions of the ISO install files from the Windows 11 downloads link.

Once the Windows 11 operating system has been installed manually, you would be able to get the future updates through the Windows Update program in the control panel. This is the essential difference in installing Windows 11 on a supported vs unsupported hardware configuration. Access to security and feature updates for supported computers will happen through the Windows Update program.

My system is incompatible with Windows 11. Can I install Windows 11 on top of it?

You can install Windows 11 on incompatible PC or computers. Such an installation will have to taken up manually. So, you could install using one of the following 3 installation media:

• using Windows 11 installation assistant
• using ISO image of Windows 11
• using media creation tool to burn a DVD or USB.

Using the installation files, you could install Windows 11 on an incompatible PC. Such an installation of Windows 11 on an incompatible personal computer will not be supported by Microsoft. You are also unlikely to get any future security or feature updates from Microsoft. Basically, you are on your own when it comes to installing Windows 11 on an unsupported hardware configuration. You also carry a potential risk in terms of unpatched systems and vulnerability to exploits from remote attackers.

Is there a cost of upgrading to Windows 11?

Eligible Windows 10 PCs or systems will get Windows 11 updates for free. There is no money involved here. And, if you prefer to wait for the updates to be available through the Windows 11 program, there is nothing that needs to be done by you.

Summary

Windows 11 updates will be sent to the eligible Windows 11 personal computers through the Windows Update program. We encourage users to wait for the update to be available in the control panel’s Windows Update. For people who wish to install right away, there are manual installation methods that have been laid out by Microsoft.