How to upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 on Mac via Boot Camp?

If the thought of potentially spending an hour or two troubleshooting drivers or reinstalling Windows from your USB drive sounds acceptable to you, So, upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11 on Mac is a worthwhile operation. Your Mac is certainly powerful enough, and Windows 11 runs very well on such hardware.

About upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 on Mac via boot camp, it carries some risk, but it's generally manageable if you're prepared. Your MacBook Air is technically capable, but you're navigating unsupported territory, which always introduces potential issues.

You can usually reinstall the Boot Camp drivers from Windows 11. You should download the Windows Support Software from your Mac's macOS side before you upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 on Mac, saving it to a USB drive.

Step 1: Create a Recovery Plan and download Windows Support Software

• Use the Boot Camp Assistant on the macOS side to create a Windows 10 install USB drive. This guarantees you can always get back to a known, working state if the upgrade fails catastrophically.
• Download Windows Support Software: While in macOS, open Boot Camp Assistant, go to Action -> Download Windows Support Software, and save it to a USB drive. These are the drivers you may need to reinstall after the upgrade.

Step 2: Choose the Safest Upgrade Method

• For your situation (wanting to keep files and apps), the Registry Hack with the Windows 11 Installation Assistant (Method 1 from previous answer) is the least risky path. It's a direct upgrade that maintains your environment.

Step 3: Execute and Be Prepared to Troubleshoot

• Follow the registry hack instructions precisely.
• After upgrading, your first task is to check Device Manager for any yellow exclamation marks indicating missing drivers.
• If any hardware isn't working, run the Setup.exe file from the Windows Support Software USB drive you created to reinstall the Boot Camp drivers.

You can definitely upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 on Mac while keeping all your files and applications! Your hardware (Intel i5, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD) is more than sufficient to run Windows 11 well. The reason you don't see the upgrade in Windows Update is that Apple's Boot Camp implementation lacks TPM 2.0 (a security chip that Windows 11 formally requires).

Step 1: Download Windows 11 Installation Assistant
Go to Microsoft's official Windows 11 download page
Download the "Windows 11 Installation Assistant"

Step 2: Bypass the Hardware Check
Disconnect from internet (turn off Wi-Fi/Ethernet)
Run the Installation Assistant as Administrator (right-click > Run as administrator)
When you see "This PC can't run Windows 11" - don't close the window!
Press Shift + F10 to open Command Prompt
Type regedit and press Enter to open Registry Editor
Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\Setup
Create a new Key called LabConfig
Inside LabConfig, create these DWORD values and set each to 1:
BypassTPMCheck
BypassSecureBootCheck
BypassRAMCheck

Step 3: Complete the Installation
Close Registry Editor and Command Prompt
Click the back arrow (←) in the installer
The installation will now proceed normally
Follow the on-screen instructions (takes 30-60 minutes)

In this way you are able to upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 on Mac. Your MacBook Air will run Windows 11 smoothly with that hardware configuration. Thousands of Boot Camp users have successfully upgraded using this method!

Upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11on Mac via Boot Camp is a very common and straightforward process. Since your Mac doesn't have a TPM 2.0 chip (a formal Windows 11 requirement), you need to use a simple bypass method.

• Before You Begin: Prerequisites
• Compatible Mac: Your Intel-based MacBook Air is perfectly capable of running Windows 11.
• Activated Windows 10: Ensure your current Windows 10 installation is activated with a digital license. This will automatically transfer to Windows 11.
• Backup Your Data: While this process is generally safe, always back up important files to an external drive or your macOS partition before a major OS upgrade.
• Update Your Current Setup:
  In Windows 10, run Windows Update until no more updates are available.
  Open Apple Software Update (from the Start Menu) and install all available driver updates.

If you are going to upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11on Mac. Your best alternative is to use a Windows 11 USB created with Professional tools:

1. On a working Windows PC (or your Mac in macOS), download the Windows 11 ISO from the same Microsoft page.
2. Download the free tool and Create a bootable USB drive. When you select the Windows 11 ISO, it will give you a prompt to remove the TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot requirements. Check these options.
3. Boot into your Boot Camp Windows 10, insert the USB, and run setup.exe from the drive to start the in-place upgrade.

Upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11 on Mac via Boot Camp is theoretically possible, but not officially supported by Microsoft or Apple, especially because of hardware and firmware limitations. Here's why:

1. Hardware Requirements for Windows 11:
Windows 11 demands TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, specific CPU models, and other hardware features.
Most Macs, especially older ones with Boot Camp, lack TPM modules and may not support Secure Boot.
Your Mac with an Intel i5 3.6 GHz CPU might meet some CPU requirements, but without TPM and Secure Boot, the Windows 11 installer will typically refuse to upgrade.

2. Boot Camp Firmware and Drivers:
Boot Camp drivers are designed for Windows 10 and specific hardware.
No official support or drivers exist for Windows 11 on Boot Camp, which could cause hardware issues or stability problems.

3. Upgrade Path & Compatibility Checks:
Windows Update relies on hardware compatibility checks.
Without TPM and Secure Boot, Windows 11's installer or upgrade process may block the upgrade, which explains why you only see Windows 10 22H2 available via Windows Update.

Recommended options:

• Officially supported way: Stick with Windows 10 via Boot Camp, which Microsoft will support until October 14, 2025.
• Run Windows 11 in a VM: Use virtualization software like Para11els Desktop or VMwere Fusion, which now support Windows 11 on Macs, including Intel-based Macs.
• Upgrade hardware: If you want Windows 11 natively, consider a compatible PC or Mac with the required features.

Microsoft’s official stance is that TPM 2.0 is mandatory, but for Intel Macs, you can sometimes bypass this requirement by editing the registry during installation or using modified ISO files.

Step-by-step upgrade Windows 10 Windows 11 on Mac:
1. Check for Windows Updates: 
    Ensure your Windows 10 is fully up to date (which you already did).
2. Download Windows 11 ISO or Media Creation Tool: 
    Use the official Microsoft Windows 11 Download page to get the ISO file.
3. Create a Bootable USB Drive:
    Use tools or the Windows Media Creation Tool to create a bootable USB installer.
4. Modify ISO for Unsupported Hardware
Since Macs lack TPM 2.0, you need to bypass the check:
    Use a Windows PC to modify the ISO, adding a registry key to skip TPM 2.0 check.
    Alternatively, during installation, press Shift+F10 to open Command Prompt and run commands to disable the TPM check.
5. Upgrade via ISO or In-Place Upgrade: 
    You can attempt an in-place upgrade by mounting the ISO and running setup.exe.
    Follow the prompts, choose to keep personal files and apps when asked.
6. Run the Windows 11 Setup: 
    When prompted, select "Keep personal files and apps" to retain your data and applications.

After upgrading, check Windows Update for driver updates. You might need to manually install Boot Camp drivers for Windows 11. Your MacBook Air's hardware is capable of running Windows 11, but performance may vary depending on workload.