Microsoft released the final version of its next major Windows 11 update (22H2) to Release Preview testers on Tuesday, accidentally making it available for PCs that aren’t officially supported. Oops.
Twitter and Reddit users (via WindowsLatest) quickly caught the bug as hundreds of Windows Insiders were able to upgrade their Windows 10 machines to older CPUs. Microsoft has strict minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11 and is leaving millions of PCs behind, so the bug once again highlights the company’s controversial upgrade policy.
:format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23616704/aGyVl5O.jpeg)
Windows 11 officially requires Intel 8th Gen Coffee Lake or Zen 2 CPUs and above, with very few exceptions. While there are easy ways to install Windows 11 on unsupported CPUs, Microsoft doesn’t even officially let its Windows Insiders install beta builds of the operating system on unsupported PCs, so this buggy release is rather uncommon.
Microsoft is aware of the bug and says it is investigating. “It’s a mistake and the right team is investigating it,” the official said Windows Insider Twitter account. If you managed to install Windows 11 on an unsupported PC and were only expecting Windows 10 Release Preview updates, you should be able to undo the unexpected upgrade in the Settings section of Windows 11.
