Microsoft changes list of officially supported Windows 11 Intel CPUs again
Microsoft has updated the list of officially supported processors for its Windows 11 operating system again. This time, the company added processors from Intel, which it had removed earlier this year.
Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system has stricter system requirements as Windows 10 and earlier versions of Windows. Not all Windows 10 devices can be upgraded to Windows 11 as a consequence. Microsoft explained that security and reliability were two main factors for changing the system requirements of the operating system.
Windows 10 users may run Microsoft's PC Health Check Tool to find out if their device is compatible. Third-party tools may also be run, if that is preferred. To name a few: Windows 11 Requirements Check Tool, Check & Enable, or WhyNotWin11.
Microsoft published lists of supported processors on its website. These lists, for Intel, AMD and Qualcomm processors, is publicly available. Organizations, manufacturers and also home users may consult the lists to find out if a specific processor is compatible.
Windows 11 refuses to install if a processor is not on that list. While there are ways around these restrictions, these come with issues of their own. Any feature update installation, for instance, repeats the compatibility check.
Tools like Rufus help users around the restrictions. While Microsoft is discouraging installing Windows 11 on unsupported devices, no widespread chaos has come out of this until now.
Supported Intel CPUs update
Microsoft removed 44 Intel processors from the list of supported Windows 11 CPUs back in August.
The removal came as a surprise to many as it meant that processors that were once considered compatible with Windows 11 were not anymore. While the removal had no immediate consequences for devices running this processors, it was clear that the next feature update release would change that. Windows 11 checks the compatibility of the device when feature updates are installed.
The next, Windows 11 version 23H2, will soon be released.
Our colleagues over at Deskmodder discovered now that Microsoft has readded the processors to the list of compatible CPUs. Microsoft gave no explanation when it removed the processors from the list, and it has also not given an explanation about the adding of the previously removed processors.
The removal could have been done in error, which would explain why the processors are once again on the list of supported CPUs. All 44 processors are Intel Xeon E processors, entry level server and workstation processors.
Devices with these processors won't face any issues upgrading to the upcoming Windows 11 2023 Update, provided that they meet the other system requirements. Microsoft has not altered the AMD CPU listing.
Why don’t they just drop that pointless requirement? They are going green, ecofriendly hypocrites like Apple. All lies.