Microsoft confirms Windows 11’s TPM security requirement isn’t going anywhere

With the end date of Windows 10 in less than a year, people who still use that operating system will have to start preparing to enter the Windows 11 era. And Microsoft puts a hardware requirement on the current OS which can cause a problem for those of us using older machines.

Windows 11 will require computers to have TPM 2.0. Also known as the Trusted Platform Module, this is a dedicated chip or firmware used for device security, and version 2.0 offers several useful features for improved encryption and encryption. IA from Microsoft explains all the benefits and why it is made the main part of Windows 11 installation. Notably, the latest TPM can help future-proof the three-year-old operating system by “helping protect sensitive information as more AI capabilities come to physical, cloud, and server architectures.”

That’s all well and good, but most older machines don’t have TPM 2.0. That version became the hardware standard for Windows computers. Savvy users may be able to run Windows 11 on incompatible computers with operating systems, but Microsoft’s language of “TPM 2.0 is not just a recommendation—it’s a requirement” indicates that the company will likely be more aggressive in preventing such bypasses. You can check your computer’s TPM status with Microsoft’s PC Health Check app before the October 14, 2025 end of support date for Windows 10.