AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU Not Working | Fix

Seeing the Windows 11 installer ignore your hard work in Registry Editor is frustrating, especially when the AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU tweak should bypass CPU and TPM checks.

This article walks through the real reasons the allowupgradeswithunsupportedtpmorcpu not working problem shows up and the practical steps that still give you the best chance of a clean upgrade. Before you change anything, back up important files, create a restore point, and accept that Microsoft may stop updates on unsupported devices.

You also run this tweak at your own risk, so if the installer still refuses to move on, it helps to know where the limits sit and when a different method makes more sense.

What AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU Does

AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU is a DWORD value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup that tells the Windows 11 installer to skip the usual CPU and TPM 2.0 checks for an in-place upgrade.

Microsoft created this registry switch as an approved exception for devices with at least TPM 1.2 that still fail the strict Windows 11 list, which means it does not help on machines with no TPM at all.

You enable it by creating a 32 bit DWORD named AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU, setting its value to 1, closing Registry Editor, and then starting setup.exe from the Windows 11 ISO or the official installation assistant.

When everything lines up, the installer shows a warning about unsupported hardware, asks you to accept the risk, and then upgrades in place without further compatibility messages.

Common Reasons AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU Not Working

When Allow Upgrades With Unsupported TPM Or CPU refuses to have any effect, it usually comes down to one of a handful of simple problems rather than a hidden Windows bug.

The table below summarizes the most common causes and the matching fix, so you can scan for the one that fits your setup before you read the detailed steps.

Symptom	Likely Cause	Quick Fix
Key added but installer still says PC does not meet Windows 11 requirements.	Wrong registry path or value name, key created under the wrong hive, or typo in the DWORD.	Create the key under HKLM\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup as a 32 bit DWORD and set its value to 1.
Setup starts but fails again right before copying files, still complaining about CPU or TPM support.	Value created, yet installer cache still uses the old checks or the tool you run ignores the key.	Restart Windows, run setup directly from the Windows 11 ISO, and make sure the upgrade assistant is the latest version.
Key value keeps flipping back to 0 or disappears after reboot.	Group Policy, a hardening tool, or security suite enforces registry baselines and removes unsupported upgrade settings.	Temporarily relax those tools, or create the key in offline registry from Windows PE before setup starts.
No option to keep files or apps, upgrade only offers a wipe even with the key in place.	Current build or edition is too old, language or architecture does not match, or disk layout blocks an in place upgrade.	Download a fresh ISO that matches edition, language, and architecture, then start setup from inside Windows 10.

Each symptom on that list maps to a slightly different path, so as you work through them you can match your own allowupgradeswithunsupportedtpmorcpu not working error to the root cause instead of trying random hacks.

The next sections go through the highest value checks in order, starting with basic registry hygiene and moving up to stronger install methods when the official key cannot carry the whole load any more.

How To Fix AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU Upgrade Errors

This section covers systems that already meet the basic disk, RAM, and secure boot lines, but where the CPU or TPM block still appears during an in place upgrade.

1. Confirm the registry path — Open regedit, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup\MoSetup, and check that the value sits there, not under HKCU or another branch.
2. Use a 32 bit DWORD — Right click the right pane, pick New > DWORD 32 bit value, name it exactly AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU, then set Value data to 1.
3. Set the value correctly — Double click the entry, choose Decimal, type 1, make sure there are no leading zeros, and avoid adding quotes around the number.
4. Close and restart setup — Exit any running installer, close regedit, restart Windows for good measure, then launch setup.exe from the Windows 11 ISO or installation assistant again.
5. Use the right upgrade tool — The key works with the Windows 11 installation assistant and in place ISO upgrades, but clean installs from booted media often rely on different LabConfig keys.
6. Check TPM and firmware — This registry switch still expects TPM 1.2 at minimum, so open tpm.msc, confirm the version, and turn on firmware TPM in UEFI if your board supports it.

If setup still reports that your PC does not meet requirements, take a screenshot of the exact message, since wording such as processor not supported, TPM missing, or secure boot off often hints at the next missing piece.

That snapshot keeps you from chasing ghosts, because it tells you whether the Allow Upgrades With Unsupported TPM Or CPU hack is active at all or whether the installer never reached that part of the check.

Allow Upgrades With Unsupported TPM Or CPU Not Working In Windows Update

Some users try this tweak for feature updates delivered by Windows Update or the Upgrade Assistant, not just for a one time jump from Windows 10 to 11.

On that route, AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU only solves part of the puzzle, because the PC Health Check and other tools also look at an UpgradeEligibility value under the current user hive.

If the upgrade comes through those channels, walk through these extra checks.

• Set UpgradeEligibility — Open regedit, go to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\PCHC, create a DWORD named UpgradeEligibility, and set it to 1 before you start the assistant.
• Clear cached assessments — In Settings > System > Troubleshoot > Other troubleshooters, run the Windows Update troubleshooter, then restart so stale compatibility results do not block you.
• Match build and channel — If you joined the Insider program, pick a channel that still accepts unsupported hardware, since some rings now expect full TPM 2.0 and a approved processor list.

For upgrades fired directly from Windows Update, some builds simply shut the door on hardware that never met the bar at launch, so at that point only manual ISO based upgrades or clean installs will move the machine forward.

If you run into that wall, treat AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU as one piece of a larger plan, not a magic switch that will keep unsupported hardware on every later Windows 11 release.

Extra Registry Tweaks For Unsupported Windows 11 Installs

When you boot from USB media or run setup in a way that creates a clean install, the installer leans more on a LabConfig key and related values than on AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU alone.

Under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup you can create a LabConfig subkey and add DWORD values such as BypassTPMCheck, BypassSecureBootCheck, and BypassRAMCheck, each set to 1, to relax different hardware rules.

These entries matter more when setup.exe runs from booted media or from a modified ISO created with tools like Rufus or Force Windows 11 Install, and they often succeed where the single MoSetup value fails.

If you still see checks firing after the basic AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU steps, work through these extra registry passes with care.

• Create LabConfig before setup — In regedit, add the LabConfig key under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup while you are still in Windows, then plug in your USB and start the installer from there.
• Set TPM, secure boot, and RAM bypass flags — Inside LabConfig, add BypassTPMCheck, BypassSecureBootCheck, and BypassRAMCheck as DWORD values set to 1 so the installer relaxes those specific checks.
• Edit the registry from Windows PE — When you boot from USB, press Shift+F10, start regedit, load the offline SYSTEM hive, and create the same keys there so they apply during setup.
• Keep a backup of original hives — Before heavy editing, export the MoSetup and Setup branches to .reg files so you can roll back registry changes if something goes sideways.

These deeper tweaks sit outside what Microsoft officially blesses, and they raise the risk of a dead boot if a typo lands in the wrong part of the tree, so move slowly and reach for full disk images where you can.

When You Should Skip The Registry Bypass

Registry hacks can feel like a shortcut, yet on very old hardware they often just expose how hard Windows 11 has to work on that platform, with random freezes, missing drivers, or angry fan noise every time the desktop loads.

Microsoft states that devices upgraded outside the approved list may miss feature updates and might lose backing sooner, and you also see a watermark on the desktop that reminds you the machine does not meet Windows 11 requirements.

If every pass through AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU and the LabConfig tweaks still ends in red error boxes, that can be a hint that the CPU lacks required instruction sets, the firmware cannot supply even TPM 1.2, or storage devices already sit at the edge of failure.

Windows 10 still receives security patches for now, and for many home or office PCs that already run near their limits, keeping that steady system and skipping the upgrade often brings smoother daily work than forcing Windows 11 onto every aging box.

Before you spend hours chasing one more registry trick or unofficial script, step back and look at what you really want from that machine during the next couple of years. If the tasks are light, such as browsing, email, and documents, a tuned Windows 10 install with a decent browser may meet that need without any risky upgrade at all. If you push the system with gaming, video editing, or heavy multitasking already, the bottleneck often sits in CPU cores, GPU age, and storage speed rather than the label on the start menu. In that case, saving for a hardware refresh or a used but newer tower brings a bigger improvement than any effort spent forcing an upgrade that the board was never built to carry.

Whichever path you decide on, treat AllowUpgradesWithUnsupportedTPMOrCPU as a narrow tool for a specific upgrade, not as a standing switch that stays set and forgotten for the rest of the PC’s life. Write down the registry paths, values, and install media you used, so if the same not supported message appears later you can retrace your steps or undo them without guesswork. Keep good backups of personal data on separate drives or cloud storage, since any unsupported install carries a higher chance of sudden boot failure after a big update or a power loss. That mindset turns a blocked upgrade from a crisis into a choice that you control with calm planning.