How to check (exactly) why your PC can’t run Windows 11

• If your computer meets the Windows 11 hardware requirements but still won’t upgrade, you can use the WhyNotWin11 tool to find out why.
• This third-party app checks your processor, memory, storage, TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, and other specs to pinpoint compatibility issues.
• Components that fail are marked in red, parts that are supported but possible in yellow, and fully compatible hardware in green.

If your Windows 10 computer meets the basic specs but still can’t upgrade to Windows 11, the problem might be specific hardware blocks. Microsoft raised the minimum requirements significantly for Windows 11, including support for Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, and newer processors, and many older PCs can’t upgrade without knowing the exact reason.

That’s where WhyNotWin11 comes in. This is a free, third-party tool by Robert C. Maehl on GitHub that runs a deep compatibility check. Unlike Microsoft’s PC Health Check app, which only shows a yes or no result, WhyNotWin11 lists every hardware component and clearly marks which ones pass or fail.

The tool analyzes:

• Processor model (must be on Microsoft’s supported CPU list).
• TPM version (must be TPM 2.0).
• Secure Boot (must be enabled).
• RAM and storage capacity.
• DirectX and WDDM version.

Green means compatible, red means blocked, and yellow means unsupported but may still work.

In this guide, I’ll outline the steps to use the WhyNotWin11 tool to know exactly why your computer won’t run Windows 11.

Check why your PC can’t run Windows 11

To know exactly why your computer cannot install and run Windows 11, follow these steps:

1. Open the WhyNotWin11 GitHub page.

2. Click the Download here button to save the tool on your device.

   

   Quick note: If the browser blocks the download, you will need to force it to keep the file.

3. Right-click the WhyNotWin11.exe file and select the Run as administrator option.

4. Click the More info link in the warning and click the Run anyway button.

5. Confirm the reason why Windows 11 can’t run on your computer.

   

Once you complete the steps, the tool will run automatically and clearly let you know whether the processor, memory, storage, and other requirements like Secure Boot, TPM, and DirectX are compatible with Windows 11.

The components that are not supported and will prevent you from upgrading to the new version of the operating system will be marked in red. The hardware that won’t block the installation will be marked in green. And you may also see components, such as the processor, with a yellow mark, which indicates that the hardware is not in the compatibility list, but you may still be able to proceed with the install.