Microsoft Surface computers are quite common among users of the Windows operating system. They first appeared as convertible tablets with the arrival of Windows 8, and little by little from Microsoft they have been launching new versions of their increasingly advanced equipment and with different options to adapt to all types of user, from simple versions for those looking for something more basic, to the most advanced equipment.
As you probably already know, Windows 11 was recently presented with a multitude of new features for users of the operating system. However, as we have already seen, the minimum installation requirements have changed compared to Windows 10, causing Many computers cannot run the new Windows 11, and logically this is something that will also affect Microsoft Surface tablets.
Of the 25 Microsoft Surface models released, only 13 of them will be able to install Windows 11
As we mentioned, in this case Windows 11 minimum installation requirements are somewhat higher than Windows 10. In particular, it highlights the fact that it will be mandatory to have 4 GB of RAM, as well as a TPM 2.0 chip. And, in the event that these and some other requirements are not met, the installation of Windows 11 will not be possible.
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With this in mind, since PCWorld They have contacted Microsoft to inquire about the Microsoft Surface models that Windows 11 can be installed on, and the results can be somewhat surprising. Of the 25 different models of computers released by Microsoft so far, only these 13 will be supported with the new Windows 11:
- Surface Book 3 (May 2020)
- Surface Book 2: Models with 8th generation Intel CPUs, with the Core i5-8350U or Core i7-8650U processors (November 2017)
- Surface Go 2 (May 2020)
- Surface Laptop 4 13.5 inches (April 2021)
- Surface Laptop 4 15 inches (April 2021)
- Surface Laptop 3 13.5 inches (October 2019)
- Surface Laptop 3 15-inch (October 2019)
- Surface Laptop 2 (October 2018)
- Surface Laptop Go (October 2020)
- Surface Pro 7+ (February 2021)
- Surface Pro 7 (October 2019)
- Surface Pro 6 (October 2018)
- Surface Pro X (November 2019)
In this way, at least officially, You can only install Windows 11 on your Microsoft Surface if you have one of the models specified in the previous list. This is so because they are the only models that meet all the minimum installation requirements for said operating system, which we discussed earlier:
- Processor: 1 GHz or faster with 2 or more cores in a compatible 64-bit processor or SoC.
- RAM: 4 GB or more.
- Storage: at least 64 GB of memory.
- System firmware: UEFI, Supports Secure Boot.
- TPM: version 2.0.
- Graphic card: DirectX 12 or later compatible with WDDM 2.0 driver.
- Screen: high definition (720p) over 9? diagonal, with 8-bit channel per color.
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In fact, if you run Microsoft’s own checking tool to see if your device is compatible or not (you can download it for free from this link) and you have a Surface older than the models shown, or with a processor not mentioned in the list, you will see how it shows that your computer is not compatible with the new Windows 11.
In many cases, this problem is caused by the changes regarding the TPM requirements, for at least for now it seems that in order to install Windows 11 this chip with a version 2.0 or higher will be necessary, which allows guaranteeing the security of the operating system. And, in this case, it’s not such a simple change such as an increase in RAM or a change in the hard disk to become compatible with TPM 2.0.
It is expected that, with a view to the official release of Windows 11 for all users, which in principle would occur coinciding with Christmas, from Microsoft reduce these requirements somewhat seeing the big complaints that are popping up globally.
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However, in the event that this does not happen and you need to install the new version of Microsoft’s operating system on your Surface, say that there are already external procedures that allow you to bypass the installation program checks, although without a doubt it is not the most recommended considering the possible compatibility problems that may arise in the future.
