Microsoft clarifies its stance to remove non-compliant Windows 11 PCs from Insider Program

windows 11 inside preview written next to a virtual laptop running Windows 11

Recently, Microsoft started notifying Windows 11 Insiders with unsupported hardware that they will soon be moved to Windows 10 Release Preview channel as they don't meet the minimum system requirements for Windows 11.

This move caused quite a stir and now Microsoft has clarified its stance on the issue. In a tweet, Microsoft's Brandon LeBlanc pointed out that this move was announced along with the Windows 11 announcement and should not come as a surprise to Windows users. Brandon further noted that unsupported PCs running Windows 11 Insider builds will continue receiving cumulative updates, but Microsoft will not seed new builds to those systems.

Kip, Windows Insiders don't just get "new builds" they also get updates - e.g. Cumulative Updates. This is an important distinction here. PCs given exceptions in the Dev Channel will not get *new builds* in the Dev Channel going forward. June 24th blog post will still hold true.
— Brandon LeBlanc (@brandonleblanc) September 1, 2021

According to Microsoft's initial blog post from June 24, existing Insiders on Dev channel with unsupported PCs will continue receiving Insider builds up to General Availability, which is October 5.

Chart showing requirements for Windows 11 Insider Program

Once Microsoft starts the Windows 11 rollout, unsupported PCs will be opted out of the Insider Program and will need to clean install Windows 10 using ISO. However, users with unsupported hardware can enroll into Release Preview program and continue testing Windows 10 builds. In the blog post, Microsoft states:

Once Windows 11 is generally available, these PCs will be opted out of flighting and will not be able to receive future Windows 11 Insider Preview builds. These PCs must clean install back to Windows 10 with the media (ISOs) that we provide and can then join the Release Preview Channel to preview Windows 10 updates.

For more information on Windows 11, you can check out our article on minimum system requirements. Apart from the general requirements, Microsoft has also listed out specific feature requirements for Windows 11 including webcams, Bluetooth, and Precision Touchpad on all upcoming laptops. Several manufacturers have published a list of hardware that will be compatible with Windows 11.

If you are still out of the loop, then you can check out our hands-on video. If you want to get in-depth information about Windows 11 then you can check out our article covering all the new features and changes.