Microsoft hiring cuts could spell bad news for Windows and Office fans

Today’s blog post provides two updates. First, an update on Windows 11 minimum organization requirements based, in part, on feedback from the Windows Insider community. Second, information on the updated PC Health Cheque app that is now available to Windows Insiders.

Since the introduction of Windows 11, we accept received valuable feedback from the Windows Insider community, our fans, customers and partners. Thank yous for being a role of the release of Windows xi, coming at a time when the PC is playing a more central office in the way we connect, work, learn, create and play.

In June, nosotros heard your questions nigh how we set the Windows 11 minimum organization requirements and shared more information on the established principles that guided united states in setting them. And as a team, we committed to exploring through Windows Insider testing and with OEMs whether there were devices running on Intel 7th Generation and AMD Zen 1 processors that met our principles.

Following the results of our testing, we are making a small number of additions to the compatible processor list (explained farther below), simply otherwise will maintain the minimum organisation requirements every bit originally gear up. We have ended that the compatible 64-fleck processors selected, 4GB of memory, 64GB of storage, UEFI secure boot, graphics requirements and TPM 2.0 are the right minimum system requirements to deliver on the principles nosotros established to best support you.

We did identify a set of PC models that meet the principles while running on Intel 7^th
Gen processors that we did not originally include in our minimum organization requirements. Based on those findings, we have expanded the list of uniform 64-fleck processors to include the post-obit:

• Intel® Cadre™ Ten-series, Xeon® W-series
• Intel® Core™ 7820HQ (only select devices that shipped with modernistic drivers based on Declarative, Componentized, Hardware Support Apps (DCH) design principles, including Surface Studio 2)

Later on carefully analyzing the first generation of AMD Zen processors in partnership with AMD, together nosotros concluded that there are no additions to the supported CPU list. We will be updating the PC Health Check app to identify the correct systems with the newly added Intel CPUs in the coming weeks before the tool is released for full general availability. Additionally, nosotros will have more than to share on the tools and reports IT Pros can use to sympathize their organisation’s hardware eligibility at scale every bit nosotros go closer to Windows xi full general availability subsequently this yr.

Nosotros have included more details below on our principles that guided usa in establishing Windows eleven minimum system requirements. Here are some insights from the information we gathered over the last couple months that affirmed our decision.

• Reliability:
  Devices that practise not encounter the minimum organisation requirements had 52% more kernel manner crashes. Devices that do meet the minimum system requirements had a 99.eight% crash free experience.
• Security:
  Windows xi raises the baseline of Windows security by improving the security default configuration to gainsay increasing cyber-attacks. These requirements were informed based on trillions of signals from Microsoft’s threat intelligence as well as input from leading security experts similar the NSA, United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland National Cyber Security Center and Canadian Middle for Cyber Security. Boosted details on the background and value of Windows xi baseline are beneath.
• Compatibility: People continue to increasingly utilize their PCs for video conferencing, productivity and gaming. To ensure all Windows 11 devices tin can run a core fix of applications to encounter those needs, we set the minimum arrangement requirements to align with some of the most ordinarily used apps.

Post-obit our announcement in June, we acknowledged that we missed an opportunity to provide clarity and accuracy through the PC Health Check app. Today, nosotros are releasing an updated preview version of the PC Health Check app to Windows Insiders. This updated version expands the eligibility cheque functionality with more than complete and improved messaging on eligibility and links to relevant back up manufactures that include potential remediation steps – the screenshot below illustrates this. After a feedback period with Windows Insiders and with the boosted updates for the newly added processors, we plan to re-release the PC Health Bank check app for general availability in the coming weeks. Today, we are too simultaneously releasing versions that support 64-bit Windows, 32-bit Windows, Windows on Arm and Windows 10 in South mode PCs to Windows Insiders. Windows Insiders tin can provide feedback on the PC Health Bank check app by going to Feedback Hub > Apps > PC Health Check.

Equally our unprecedented number of Windows Insiders take shown, near people with eligible devices volition choose to move to Windows 11 to feel all the new innovations across connection, productivity, creativity and play that it has to offer. For those who are using a PC that won’t upgrade, and who aren’t fix to transition to a new device, Windows x is the right option. We will support Windows ten through Oct 14, 2025 and we recently announced that the next feature update to Windows 10 is coming later this year. Whatsoever you decide, we are committed to supporting you and offering choice in your calculating journey. If you want to encounter the total Windows 11 minimum arrangement requirements, you tin can visit this page.

Here is some additional detail on the principles that guided Windows 11 minimum system requirements:

• Reliability. Maintaining reliability over time is highly correlated with OEM and IHV driver support. The processors supported on Windows eleven are within OEM and IHV support and use modern (DCH) drivers. The move to mod drivers enables drivers and associated software to be installed and serviced in a coordinated style through Windows Update and provides better mechanisms for tracking driver wellness. The result of this coordination is that system drivers are properly installed and functional after updates, providing a reliable experience when upgraded to Windows 11. From Windows Insider machines, those that did not meet the minimum organization requirements had 52% more than kernel mode crashes (blueish screens) than those that did run across the requirements. Machines that met the requirements provided a 99.8% crash-free experience that is effectively managed by OEMs and IHVs through modern commuter update management. Additionally, on unsupported hardware app hangs are 17% more than probable and for first-party apps we see 43% more crashes.
• Security: Windows eleven has raised the security baseline to brand it the near secure version of Windows always. We have used the more than than eight.two trillion signals from Microsoft’s threat intelligence, reverse engineering science on attacks as well every bit input from leading experts like the NSA, UK National Cyber Security Middle and Canadian Centre for Cyber Security to blueprint a security baseline in Windows 11 that addresses increasing threats that software alone cannot tackle. We have carefully designed the hardware requirements and default security features based on an analysis of the near constructive defenses. This analysis was based on the Microsoft data prepare of blocked attacks in 2020 which included xxx billion email threats, six billion threats to endpoint devices and 30 billion authentications. In add-on to benefitting from these intelligence sources, Windows 11 enables proven security controls based on industry wide recommendations from global experts like the NSA and NCSC.
  • TheTrusted Platform Module(TPM) requirement enables Windows 11 to exist a true Passwordless operating organisation, addressing phishing and other password-based attacks that are easier for attackers to execute when the TPM is not present. In the FY20 Microsoft digital defense study, Microsoft identified 67% fewer compromises of organizations that disabled legacy authentication and moved towards Multi-factor Authentication (MFA)- or Passwordless-based systems like Windows Hello. With Hi, the TPM works together with a Pin or biometric camera/fingerprint reader to securely store a clandestine in hardware that replaces a user’s password during authentication and is much harder to steal or spoof. The TPM is besides used for numerous other Windows 11 features such as Bitlocker and Device Encryption, which leverages the TPM to store deejay encryption keys. Research from Forrester showed that the loss or theft of assets similar smartphones and laptops were involved in 20% of the breaches reported past global security decision-makers in 2020. Bitlocker full disk encryption in Windows 11 limits the possibility of sensitive data loss from lost or stolen devices. The TPM is also used to “bind” spider web-based credentials securely to a machine, preventing extraction and theft of credential types seen in many recent breaches. Windows eleven requires TPM two.0 vs one.2 because of the security advantages it provides, particularly support for newer and stronger cryptographic algorithms.
  • TheUEFI Secure Boot
    requirement ensures that a organization boots with only lawmaking signed by either the device builder, the silicon vendor, or Microsoft. It does this past ensuring all code is signed by specific entities and by recording cryptographic hashes in hardware that tin can also be sent to the cloud to verify integrity. If a system tin can exist compromised prior to the operating organization boot, and then all kernel, user and endpoint security tools can be completely undermined. The “NotPetya” attack, which cost hundreds of millions in damages, leveraged legacy bios to inject ransomware lawmaking earlier boot, which can now be mitigated by Secure Boot. The value and best practices of Secure Boot accept as well been validated by the U.S. National Security Bureau.  We take been requiring OEMs to ship using UEFI Secure Boot enabled since June 26, 2013 and want all Windows xi devices to be able to provide that client benefit.
  • In addition to increased reliability, the supported processors increase security capabilities at the flake level. These processors provide virtualization extensions and virtualization performance improvements. Windows xi supports
    virtualization-based security
    (VBS) which enables several security capabilities, including retentiveness integrity, as well known equally hypervisor-protected code integrity (HVCI). HVCI disables dynamic code injection into the Windows kernel. HVCI too provides driver control and ensures that all drivers loaded encounter a policy of allowed drivers set by Microsoft and the user. VBS also enables credential protection for common enterprise credential types (such as NTLM) an attack technique seen in “laissez passer-the-hash” fashion attacks, and is the ground for Organisation Guard Runtime attestation, a zero-trust capability that provides tamper proof hardware-based health statements to the cloud as office of a chip-to-cloud zero trust arroyo. The Us Department of Defence (DoD) requires virtualization-based security on Windows 10 for their devices. While we are non requiring VBS when upgrading to Windows 11, nosotros believe the security benefits it offers are so important that nosotros wanted the minimum system requirements to ensure that every PC running Windows 11 can come across the same security the DoD relies on. In partnership with our OEM and silicon partners, we will be enabling VBS and HVCI on about new PCs over this next year. And we volition go along to seek opportunities to expand VBS across more systems over time.
• Compatibility. Windows 11 continues our strong commitment to compatibility. This means that devices can upgrade to Windows 11 and critical apps and devices volition simply work. Raising the Windows 11 minimum system requirements enables united states of america to improve support apps and hardware for drivers and devices. Feedback also shows the states that unsupported hardware is more likely to have older drivers that are incompatible with new OS features such as VBS. Supported hardware also comes with modern drivers, which helps ensure non but the reliability we mentioned earlier, but as well smashing hardware compatibility. In addition, the new minimum system requirements constitute a new baseline that aligns with the hardware needs of many of the most unremarkably used apps customers rely on today for teleconferencing, browsing, productivity and entertainment. Of form, sure features, apps, games and peripherals may have their own requirements that exceed our minimum arrangement requirements so we encourage people who are buying new PCs to verify the requirements with the manufacturer of the specific products they will want to use.