How to upgrade to Windows 11: Every option explained

Microsoft has several tools to upgrade you from Windows 10 to Windows 11 in a matter of minutes.

- MARK HACHMAN

Windows 11 (see page 25) has finally been released to the public, and you can download it right away if you’d like! Here’s how to get Windows 11, a free upgrade for your Windows 10 PC.

Downloading the official final version of Windows 11 is very much like downloading the original Windows 11 beta (fave. co/3vxJJ9N), but Microsoft has added a tool to facilitate the process. In fact, there are four ways to download Windows 11, each of which has its own unique advantages. We’ll show you all four, after explaining what you should know before you upgrade.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO DOWNLOAD WINDOWS 11

Before you begin downloading Windows 11, make sure you have the right PC hardware. While we don’t think there’s much risk to downloading and installing Windows 11, there’s always the chance that something could go wrong. Take a moment and back up critical files to an external hard drive (fave. co/3nlNb3Z) or the cloud (fave. co/3FWaMk6) before proceeding. Our Windows 11 upgrade checklist (fave. co/3lYLqdp) can help you ensure that you have all your ducks are in a row.