Windows 11 install error: Windows cannot be installed to this disk

Here is a guide to let you install Windows 11 on any PC:

https://www.mobiledic.com/windows-cannot-be-installed-to-this-disk

There will no such an error if you tried with the above method.

When you're trying to install Windows and you hit that pesky "Windows cannot be installed to this disk" error, it can be super frustrating—trust me, I’ve been there! Here are some common culprits you should watch out for, along with some tips to help you avoid them.

1. Disk Partitioning Issues
Make sure your disk is formatted correctly! If it’s got an old file system (like MBR) and you're trying to install Windows in UEFI mode, you’re gonna run into issues. Use Disk Management to delete all existing partitions and let the installer create new ones.

2. Secure Boot and Fast Boot Settings
These settings can be a real pain. Sometimes, disabling Secure Boot or Fast Boot in your BIOS settings makes a world of difference. Just dive into the BIOS setup when you boot up your computer and give those options a good look.

3. BIOS/UEFI Settings
If your motherboard's settings are off, it can cause problems too. Make sure your SATA configuration is set to AHCI instead of IDE if possible. That can help lots of systems to recognize the drive correctly.

4. Drive Encryption
If your drive is encrypted (like with BitLocker), you’ll need to decrypt it before installing Windows. That’s just how it goes, so make sure you manage your encryption settings first.

Why not change BIOS/UEFI settings if Windows 11 install error: Windows cannot be installed to this disk?

1. Access BIOS/UEFI:

• Restart your PC and enter the BIOS/UEFI setup by pressing a key during boot (usually F2, F10, Delete, or Esc, depending on your manufacturer).

2. Change Boot Mode:

• Look for an option related to boot mode. You may find options like "UEFI" or "Legacy".
• Change the boot mode from "UEFI" to "Legacy" or "CSM" (Compatibility Support Module).
  Save and exit BIOS/UEFI settings.

3. Retry the Installation:

• Boot from the USB drive again and see if you can select the partition. This method allows the installation to recognize the MBR partitions without needing to convert it to GPT.

Windows 11 can be only installed to GPT disk. MBR is not supported. Fortunate, Windows 10 comes with a command line tool for converting MBR to GPT. If you are comfortable with commands, then it is a quite good option to solve Windows cannot be installed to this disk problem when installing Windows 11 from USB.

Step 1: Restart the Windows 10 computer and press the appropriate key (e.g., F8, F12, DEL, or ESC) to access the boot menu.

Step 2: Select ​​Troubleshoot > Advanced Options > Command Prompt​​.

Step 3: In the Command Prompt, type the following commands one by one to list and select disks:

list disk
select disk X

Replace X with the number of the disk you want to convert. Usually, it is disk0 or disk1.

Step 4: Clean the disk and convert to GPT.

clean
convert gpt
exit

Warning: This will erase all partitions and data on the disk. Please backup the data first.

Step 5: Reboot the Windows 10 computer and start upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11 from a bootable USB now!

I recommend a completely free and open source disk partitioning tool GParted Live, which is based on the Linux environment, provides a bootable USB version, through an intuitive point-and-click interface, supports MBR to GPT, creating EFI system partitions and initializing disks, solves the problem of Windows 11 not being able to be installed, and runs on a stand-alone USB environment that does not depend on Windows. It runs in a standalone USB environment, does not depend on Windows, is compatible with all hardware, and is easy to use for novices.

Once the disk is converted to GPT and you won't see 'Windows cannot be installed to this disk' error and you can install Windows 11 on any disk or drive.

1. Plug in GParted USB and reboot, enter BIOS to set it as USB boot (select Legacy / CSM mode), enter GParted graphical interface.

2. Find the target disk, if it is in MBR format, backup the data, click Device - Create Partition Table, select GPT and apply it to complete the conversion.

3. Right-click the target disk's unallocated space, create a new 100-300MB fat32 primary partition, label it EFI, and check the boot and esp flags.

4. Right-click the remaining unallocated space, create a new ntfs primary partition labeled Windows, and click Green ✓ to apply all operations.

After verifying that the disk is converted to GPT and partitioned correctly, exit GParted, remove USB and reboot. 2. Download Windows 11 ISO from Microsoft website and make a bootable USB in UEFI mode. 3. Plug in the USB, enter BIOS to enable UEFI and Secure Boot, and set USB as the preferred boot. 4. Follow the wizard to install Windows 11, select NTFS partition (Windows), and finish the installation.

"Windows cannot be installed to this disk" The error you're encountering indicates that your system is in UEFI mode, which requires a disk with a GPT (GUID Partition Table) partition scheme, while your current disk is using an MBR (Master Boot Record) partition scheme. You have a couple of options to resolve this issue. Below, I’ll provide a step-by-step guide on how to convert your disk from MBR to GPT and proceed with the installation of Windows 11.

How to Convert MBR to GPT Using Diskpart if Windows cannot be installed to this disk:

1. Boot from the Windows 11 USB Drive:
Insert the bootable USB drive into your PC.
Restart your PC and boot from the USB.

2. Open Command Prompt:
When you reach the Windows Setup screen, press Shift + F10 to open the Command Prompt.

3. Use Diskpart:
In the Command Prompt, type diskpart and hit Enter.
Type list disk and hit Enter. This will show you a list of your connected disks.
Identify your main disk (usually Disk 0), which contains your current Windows installation.

4. Select Your Disk:
Type select disk 0 (replace 0 with the number of your disk if different) and hit Enter.
Type clean and press Enter. This will remove all partitions on the disk.

5. Convert to GPT:
Type convert gpt and hit Enter. This converts the disk to GPT format.

6. Create New Partition:
Type create partition primary and hit Enter.
Type format quick fs=ntfs and hit Enter.
Type exit to close Diskpart, and then close the Command Prompt.

7. Restart Installation:
Close the setup and restart your PC. Boot from the USB drive again.
Now you should be able to select your disk and proceed with the installation of Windows 11.

This is a common issue when you are trying to upgrade Windows 10 to Windows 11 on an old PC. You need to convert MBR disk to GPT in order to fix "Windows cannot be installed to this disk." error when installing Windows 11 from USB. This can be done with the help of Veentoy tool.

Veentoy is a minimalist interface, intuitive operation of the green installation-free software, fast startup, just a few minutes to create a UEFI boot USB flash drive, copying the ISO file without complex configuration, novice can easily get started, and support for multi-ISO files. Although it can not directly repair the disk partition, but as an installation media creation tool, it can effectively solve media-related problems.

1. Run Veentoy2Disk.exe as administrator, select a USB flash drive with at least 8GB, select UEFI mode and click 'Install'.

2. Visit the Microsoft website and download the Windows 11 ISO file and copy it to the root directory of the USB flash drive where Veentoy is installed.

3. Insert the USB flash drive and restart your computer, enter BIOS to set the USB flash drive as the preferred boot item, enable UEFI and Secure Boot, select Windows 11 ISO in the Veentoy menu, and follow the wizard to complete the installation.

Once it is done, the error message "Windows cannot be installed to this disk." will not show up and you can now install Windows 11 on unsupported PC without any issue.