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The Windows 11 Installation Assistant is Microsoft's official free tool for upgrading a Windows 10 PC to Windows 11 in place, keeping your files, apps and settings, now that Windows 10 stopped receiving support in October 2025.
Windows 10 stopped getting support on 14 October 2025, and that is almost certainly why you are here.
This is Microsoft's own tool for moving an existing PC to Windows 11 without reinstalling anything.
It is free, it takes about an hour, and the part worth reading first is whether your PC qualifies at all.
Why You Are Probably Here
Windows 10 still works. It just stopped receiving security updates, which is a slower problem than a broken PC and a more serious one.
Microsoft's answer is either this upgrade or its consumer Extended Security Updates programme, which keeps security patches coming to Windows 10 machines until 12 October 2027. Enrolling needs a Microsoft account, and it buys security fixes only - no features, no improvements, no support.
That is the real choice in front of most people: upgrade now, or take ESU and upgrade later. Nobody has to do this today.
What the Assistant Does, and What It Does Not
It upgrades the PC you run it on, in place. Your files, installed programs and settings survive, and you end up on Windows 11 with the same desktop you had.
It is Microsoft-signed and downloads from Microsoft's own servers, so there is no bundled toolbar and no third party involved.
It does not make installation media, it does not do clean installs, and it does not run on a PC that fails the requirement checks. It also will not move you between editions or architectures.
Check First, With PC Health Check
Microsoft's PC Health Check tool is on this page alongside the Assistant, and it is the sensible first click. It takes seconds and tells you specifically which requirement your PC fails rather than just refusing.
That specificity matters, because two of the common failures are fixable in the BIOS rather than in the shop. TPM and Secure Boot are frequently present but switched off from the factory.
If it reports a processor that is not on Microsoft's supported list, that one is not fixable, and the section further down on unsupported hardware is the one you want.
System Requirements
The requirement everyone quotes is the RAM. The requirement that actually fails people is the processor.
| Requirement | Minimum | How to check it |
|---|---|---|
| Processor | 1 GHz, two or more cores, 64-bit, and on Microsoft's supported list | PC Health Check names it. CPU-Z tells you exactly which chip you have. |
| RAM | 4 GB | Task Manager, Performance tab |
| Storage | 64 GB, with roughly 20 GB free for the upgrade itself | File Explorer, This PC |
| Firmware | UEFI, Secure Boot capable | Run msinfo32 and read the BIOS Mode line |
| TPM | Version 2.0 | Run tpm.msc. It reports the version or says none is found. |
| Graphics | DirectX 12 with a WDDM 2.0 driver | Run dxdiag, or use GLview Extensions Viewer |
| Display | 720p, 9 inches or larger | Any monitor made this century |
The word "compatible" is doing all the work in the processor line. Microsoft maintains a list of supported chips, and broadly it starts at Intel's 8th generation and AMD's Ryzen 2000 series. A fast, healthy machine from 2017 can fail on that alone while meeting every other requirement comfortably.
If storage is what is short, that is the easiest one to fix. Kudu Cleaner clears junk, and Driver Store Explorer removes the old driver copies Windows hoards, which is often several gigabytes on an older machine.
How to Upgrade, Step by Step
Set aside an hour and plug the laptop in. The PC restarts several times and you should not interrupt it.
- Back up anything irreplaceable first. In-place upgrades are reliable, and reliable is not the same as certain.
- Download the Installation Assistant from this page and double-click it.
- Review and accept Microsoft's licence terms.
- Wait while it checks your PC against the requirements above.
- Click Accept and Install to begin.
- Leave it alone. Downloading and installing typically takes 30 to 60 minutes, longer on a slow connection or a hard drive.
- Follow the on-screen prompts once it restarts into Windows 11.
If you decide you hate it, Windows keeps a rollback option in Settings for ten days after the upgrade. After that the old installation is deleted and going back means a clean install.
If It Says Your PC Is Not Supported
This is the message most people hit, and it usually means the processor rather than anything you can change.
The hardware checks can be bypassed. FlyOOBE is the current tool for it, and Rufus can write installation media with the checks removed - both routes are covered in our guide to installing Windows 11 on unsupported hardware.
Know what you are trading away. Microsoft does not support Windows 11 on hardware that fails the checks, has stated that such devices are not entitled to receive updates, and puts a desktop watermark on some of them. It works, plenty of people run it, and it is a choice with a cost rather than a free workaround.
The alternative is to take Extended Security Updates on Windows 10 and keep the machine patched until October 2027, which for an otherwise healthy PC is often the calmer decision.
Installation Assistant vs Media Creation Tool
Both are Microsoft's and both are free. The difference is what they produce.
The Installation Assistant upgrades the PC in front of you and keeps everything on it. The Media Creation Tool writes a bootable USB drive, which is what you want for a clean install, for a second machine, or for a PC that will not boot.
If you only want to upgrade this computer and keep your files, the Assistant is the shorter route.
After the Upgrade
Two things commonly surprise people on the first day, and both land on this site regularly.
Video files that played on Windows 10 may not play on Windows 11, because HEVC decoding still is not included. The free HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer package covers it if your PC qualifies, and the retail HEVC Video Extension is the paid one if it does not.
The simpler answer is a player that carries its own decoders. VLC Media Player opens more or less anything without touching Windows, and the K-Lite Codec Pack fixes playback system-wide if you would rather everything worked.
Graphics drivers are the second one. Windows 11 installs generic drivers during the upgrade, so it is worth reinstalling the proper ones afterwards - the Intel Graphics Driver if that is what you have, or Snappy Driver Installer Origin to sort out the whole machine at once.
If the interface is the part you are struggling with, PowerToys is Microsoft's own set of add-ons and can put a good deal of Windows 10's behaviour back.
Troubleshooting
Stuck at a percentage for a long time. Give it longer than feels reasonable, especially on a mechanical hard drive. Then check you have 20 GB free and a stable connection.
Error 0x80070002. This is a missing-file error in Windows Update rather than anything to do with the Assistant. Run the Windows Update troubleshooter first, then sfc /scannow, then clear the SoftwareDistribution cache.
The upgrade rolls itself back. Almost always an incompatible driver or a security tool. Update your drivers first, and uninstall rather than merely disable any third-party antivirus before trying again.
It refuses to start at all. Check whether DirectX and your graphics driver are current, and confirm you are running the Assistant as an administrator on a 64-bit Windows 10.
Quick questions
Do I have to upgrade to Windows 11?
No. Windows 10 keeps working, it simply stopped getting security updates in October 2025. Microsoft's consumer Extended Security Updates programme patches it until October 2027 if you enrol with a Microsoft account.
Will I lose my files and programs?
No. This is an in-place upgrade and it keeps files, installed applications and settings. Back up anything irreplaceable anyway, because that advice has never stopped being correct.
Is it free?
Yes, and it always has been for licensed Windows 10 PCs. Your existing licence carries over, and there is nothing to buy.
It says my PC does not meet the requirements. Now what?
Run PC Health Check to find out which requirement failed. TPM and Secure Boot are often just switched off in the BIOS. An unsupported processor is the one you cannot fix without bypassing the checks.
How long does it take?
Usually 30 to 60 minutes, including several restarts. Longer on a slow connection or an older hard drive, and it should not be interrupted.
Can I go back to Windows 10?
Yes, for ten days after the upgrade, through Settings. After that the old installation is removed and returning means a clean install from a USB drive.
Download the Windows 11 Installation Assistant and run the compatibility check before you commit to anything, or tell us how you got on if you have already upgraded.
There are screenshots here, and more Windows utilities in Other Tools.
KO
Hi there Christine,
Windows 11 can definitely feel different at first when you're used to Windows 10, but don't worry, the same features are still there, just in slightly different places. Here's how to do both tasks:
Scanning & Emailing:
Click Start → type "Scan" → open Windows Scan app → scan your document → files save to Pictures → Scans folder. Then in your email, click Attach (paperclip icon), find the file in that folder, and send to SARS.
Adding a row in Word:
Click inside your table → right-click → Insert → "Insert Rows Below". Or just press Tab in the last cell to add a new row automatically.
Hope this helps!
Windows 11 can definitely feel different at first when you're used to Windows 10, but don't worry, the same features are still there, just in slightly different places. Here's how to do both tasks:
Scanning & Emailing:
Click Start → type "Scan" → open Windows Scan app → scan your document → files save to Pictures → Scans folder. Then in your email, click Attach (paperclip icon), find the file in that folder, and send to SARS.
Adding a row in Word:
Click inside your table → right-click → Insert → "Insert Rows Below". Or just press Tab in the last cell to add a new row automatically.
Hope this helps!
CS
Is an instruction manual available ? I have been using windows 10 for many years, easy to scan documents and send mails and insert a line in a document.
windows 11 is very difficult to find where to go to send scanned documents to be attached to mails
especially to SARS.
Where to go to insert a line in a document to add a name to a list of clients.
windows 11 is very difficult to find where to go to send scanned documents to be attached to mails
especially to SARS.
Where to go to insert a line in a document to add a name to a list of clients.
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