Windows 11 updates arrive on unsupported PCs (for now)

The mystery around unsupported PCs and Windows 11 updates is closed.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

What you need to know

Hullabaloo surrounding theWindows 11update situation was ceaseless up until October 12, 2021, with many users wondering if they’d get updates while running Microsoft’s newest operating system on unsupported devices. Microsoft’s wording didn’t help matters, only ever stating that unsupported devicesweren’t entitled to updates. But that didn’t clarify whether users would be getting them regardless of entitlement status.

Now, with unsupported devices having survived Windows 11’sfirst Patch Tuesday, it’s confirmed that machines running Windows 11 got the chance to update, even if said devices weren’t explicitly on Microsoft’s good list.Reports on Redditverify that unsupported devices were able to get in on the cumulative update goodness. Windows Central can also confirm that October 2021’s cumulative updates appear on unsupported PCs.

For some, this development is a non-starter, since it was widely speculated Microsoft was wording things the way it was simply for legal protection purposes and didn’t plan to withhold updates from people. However, many others weren’t sure. For them, seeing was believing, and all that was being seen was a clear-cut lack of clarity from Microsoft.

The mystery of support can be put to rest for now, but there’s no telling how long Microsoft will keep this up. It could cut updates for unsupported devices whenever, so keep an eye on what’s what each time Patch Tuesday rolls around.

Get the Windows Central Newsletter

All the latest news, reviews, and guides for Windows and Xbox diehards.

Robert Carnevale is the News Editor for Windows Central. He’s a big fan of Kinect (it lives on in his heart), Sonic the Hedgehog, and the legendary intersection of those two titans, Sonic Free Riders. He is the author ofCold War 2395. Have a useful tip? Send it to robert.carnevale@futurenet.com.