Windows 11 does not require TPM 2.0
Installing Windows 11 does not require TPM 2.0, despite Microsoft’s PC Health Check app suggesting it. Extensive documentation states that TPM 1.2 complies. This means that many more systems are eligible for the new operating system.
At the launch of Windows 11 on Thursday evening, it appeared that TPM 2.0 is a requirement for the upgrade to the new operating system. Microsoft writes on the hardware requirements page that this feature must be present and also the PC Health Check app that Microsoft released states that a system cannot be upgraded to Windows 11 if TPM 2.0 is not present.
More extensive documentation from Microsoft states that the presence of TPM 2.0 is not a hard requirement, however. Windows 11 can also be installed on systems with TPM 1.2, but a warning will be displayed that this is less secure. TPM 2.0 was introduced at the end of 2017, so if required, older systems would be left out. For example, TPM 2.0 requires UEFI.
TPM 1.2 has been around for much longer and is supported by almost all systems. The trusted platform module can be present as a physical chip, but it does not have to be. Many motherboards support fTPM in the BIOS; that is a firmware implementation of the technique. AMD’s Marketing Director notices that most AMD motherboards support at least fTPM 1.2. Users may need to activate the feature in the bios first.
TPM, or trusted platform module, is a security technique in the form of a separate cryptoprocessor, which is used to generate and store cryptographic keys. Microsoft uses this in Windows, among other things, for BitLocker.
Microsoft has also put lists of supported processors on its website. It contains almost all AMD and Intel processors from recent years, but the Ryzen 1000 series is missing. Intel processors from before the eighth generation are also not on the list. However, it is not required to use a processor that is on the list. Microsoft recommends that, but the ‘hard floor’ is that a CPU must have at least two cores and a clock speed of 1GHz or higher.