How to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11

How to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11

On October 5th, 2021, Microsoft officially launched Windows 11. Besides clean installing it on any compatible computer or device, or waiting for Windows Update to push it to your PC, you can also upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 manually. The easiest way to do it is via Microsoft’s Windows 11 Installation Assistant. It’s a small tool that you can get from the Download Windows 11 webpage and which behaves as an upgrade wizard for people who already have Windows 10 on their PCs. If you want to make the switch right now, here’s how to use the Windows 11 Installation Assistant to upgrade from Windows 10:

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NOTE: This guide shows you how to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 using the Windows 11 Installations Assistant. If you’re looking for a guide on how to clean install Windows 11, read this instead: How to install Windows 11 from USB, DVD, or ISO.

How to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 using the Windows 11 Installation Assistant

To upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11, open your favorite web browser and go to Download Windows 11. Then, find the “Windows 11 Installation Assistant” section and click or tap on the Download Now button.

Download the Windows 11 Installation Assistant

Download the Windows 11 Installation Assistant

This action triggers the download of a tiny 4.04MB executable file called Windows11InstallationAssistant.exe. Save it anywhere you want on your Windows 10 computer or device.

Double-click on the Windows11InstallationAssistant.exe file

Double-click on the Windows11InstallationAssistant.exe file

Next, ensure that you are logged in to your Windows 10 PC with a user account with administrative privileges. Then, use File Explorer to get to the location where you’ve saved the Windows 11 Installation Assistant file. Double-click or double-tap on it and confirm that you want to run it when the UAC prompt pops up.

Press Yes to run the Windows 11 Installation Assistant

Press Yes to run the Windows 11 Installation Assistant

Now the Windows 11 Installation Assistant loads. If your PC meets the Windows 11 system requirements, the wizard tells you that you can “Install Windows 11” and shows you the “Microsoft Software License Terms.” If you’re OK with them and want to continue upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11, click or tap on the “Accept and install” button from the bottom-right corner of the window.

Windows 11 Installation Assistant - Press Accept and install

Windows 11 Installation Assistant - Press Accept and install

Next, the Windows 11 Installation Assistant starts downloading the files needed to install Windows 11. Depending on your internet connection speed, this step might take a while so, if you’re on a Windows 10 laptop, tablet, or similar battery-powered device, please make sure that it’s plugged into a power socket. The wizard keeps you permanently informed about the download progress, and you can keep using your PC while the Windows 11 files are downloaded.

Windows 11 Installation Assistant - Downloading the files for the upgrade

Windows 11 Installation Assistant - Downloading the files for the upgrade

Once all the files are downloaded, the Windows 11 Installation Assistant checks their integrity before carrying on with the upgrade.

Windows 11 Installation Assistant verifies the downloaded files

Windows 11 Installation Assistant verifies the downloaded files

Then comes the third step of the Windows 10 to Windows 11 upgrade: installing Windows 11. While this process is taking place, the Windows 11 Installation Assistant shows you the progress.

Windows 10 is being upgraded to Windows 11

Windows 10 is being upgraded to Windows 11

Note that this step of upgrading to Windows 11 can take a long time and can’t be canceled. Once it’s done, you are notified that “Your PC needs to restart to install Windows 11.” You can wait for 30 minutes until your PC automatically reboots, or you can expedite the process by clicking or tapping on Restart now.

Press Restart now to continue the upgrade to Windows 11

Press Restart now to continue the upgrade to Windows 11

After rebooting, Windows 10 informs you that “You’re about to be signed out. Windows 11 Installation Assistant will reboot your device to complete the install.” Wait or press Close: it really doesn’t matter because, after a minute or so, Windows 10 restarts either way.

Windows 11 Installation Assistant will reboot your device to complete the install

Windows 11 Installation Assistant will reboot your device to complete the install

Then, the process of upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 continues, and your PC might reboot a couple of times more. Just wait for it to do its thing.

Windows 11 is working on updates and might restart a couple of times

Windows 11 is working on updates and might restart a couple of times

After it’s done, you get to see what the new lock screen from Windows 11 looks like. Click or tap on it and sign in with your user account.

The Windows 11 lock screen

The Windows 11 lock screen

Then, wait for a couple of minutes more until Windows 11 makes its final updates.

The finishing touches for Windows 11 are made

The finishing touches for Windows 11 are made

Once everything’s set up, Windows 11 is up and running!

Windows 10 has been upgraded to Windows 11

Windows 10 has been upgraded to Windows 11

That’s it! We hope you’ll enjoy using the brand new Windows 11!

Did you upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 without issues?

Windows 11 comes with quite a few new features and a user interface that’s more beautiful than Windows 10’s. However, it also has its share of bugs and annoyances. Regardless, if you wanted to have it faster rather than later, now you know how to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11. The Windows 11 Installation Assistant is an easy-to-use tool that’s straightforward and doesn’t require too many steps to make the upgrade. Before leaving, would you mind telling us whether everything worked well in your case? Let us know in the comments section below.

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