Microsoft on Tuesday released the final version of its next major Windows 11 (22H2) update for Release Preview testers and accidentally made it available to non-officially supported computers. Wow!
Twitter and Reddit users (via WindowsLatest) quickly spotted the bug, with hundreds of Windows Insiders able to upgrade their Windows 10 machines to older CPUs. Microsoft has strict minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11, leaving millions of computers behind, so the bug will once again highlight the company’s controversial upgrade policy.
A computer not compatible with Windows 11 is offered. Image: AceRimmer412 (Reddit)
Windows 11 officially requires Intel 8th Gen Coffee Lake or Zen 2 or later CPUs, with very few exceptions. While there are easy ways to install Windows 11 on unsupported CPUs, Microsoft doesn’t even let its Windows Insiders officially install beta versions of the operating system on unsupported computers, so this wrong version is quite unusual.
Microsoft is aware of the error and says it is investigating. “It’s a mistake and the right team is investigating,” says the official Windows Insider Twitter account. If you’ve managed to install Windows 11 on an unsupported computer and are just waiting for previews of the version preview for Windows 10, you should be able to reverse the unexpected update in the Windows 11 configuration section.