It is a big day for Microsoft and its operating system. According to the Windows Health Dashboard documentation, Windows 11 is now available for broad deployment, which means every user can download and install it via Windows Update. Microsoft usually does this after several months of slow rollout to ensure a smooth and stable upgrade experience for as many users as possible.
Despite making Windows 11 available for broad deployment, Microsoft does not plan to impose it as it did in 2015 by force-updating users to Windows 10. The newest operating system remains optional, and you are free to stay with Windows 10, which will receive three more years of active support.
Microsoft may hold you off Windows 11, even if you try to update a fully compatible computer that meets all the hardware requirements. This happens when a known issue applies to your device. For example, when Microsoft finds a bug in an app or driver, it temporarily flags affected systems as incompatible until a solution is available to prevent user frustration.
As of now, there is only one "upgrade block" affecting computers with a specific Intel SST driver. Windows 10-based PCs with that driver do not receive the offer to install Windows 11. You can learn more about the bug and how to bypass it in the official documentation.
Windows 11 getting the "ready for broad deployment" status comes at an interesting time. Microsoft is about to ship the first feature update that should fix many shortcomings of the initial release. Still, Microsoft thinks Windows 11 is now suitable for all users with qualifying hardware.
Microsoft and regular users often have different views on whether an update is "ready for all." Hence, it is natural to expect a big chunk of Windows 10 customers remaining reluctant to install Windows 11 until it gets more polish and features. According to the latest data from AdDuplex, every fifth Windows PC now runs Windows 11, and the OS is steadily gaining more people on Steam.
If you plan to upgrade from Windows 10 to 11 for the first time, check out the list of temporarily unavailable and removed features that may catch you off-guard after updating. Also, we recommend reading our comprehensive review of Windows 11 22H2 to learn more about what is coming soon.