You can only upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 11 with a clean installation

Users who want to upgrade a system with Windows 7 to Windows 11 will soon only be able to do so with a clean installation. Upgrading will be free, but documents and installed programs will not be included.

That can be read in a FAQ from Lenovo about the new operating system. It is based on information from Microsoft itself. It says that “devices that meet the hardware requirements” must do a clean install or a reinstall to upgrade to Windows 11. It only mentions Windows 7, but it doesn’t say anything about devices still running Windows 8 or Windows 8.1 .

Windows 11 will be a free upgrade for devices that are currently running Windows 10. Users can simply upgrade to the new OS, while retaining documents and their installed software. Microsoft has previously said that software that works on Windows 7 will also work on Windows 11.