It’s finally here: on June 28, 2021, Microsoft released the first build of Windows 11 to members of the Windows Insider Program. Here’s how to join and install Windows 11 Insider Preview on your computer.
Warning: you are testing pre-release software
Windows 11 is in an early and incomplete state. It has bugs and flaws, and it can corrupt your data. So only install Windows 11 Preview on a test machine and only if you have full backups of your data.
This is not a production version of Windows 11 intended for everyday use. It’s intended to help Microsoft identify bugs and fix them before the full release of Windows 11 later this year.
First, check if your PC can run Windows 11
Before you start installing Windows 11, you should first check if your PC meets the system requirements.
The fastest way to do this is to download the free software from Microsoft PC health check app and run it on your machine. You’ll get a message that you’re good to go or that your PC can’t run Windows 11, along with details about why it doesn’t meet the requirements.
It should be noted that Microsoft has announced that it is relaxation of some system requirements to meet the minimum requirements to join the Windows Insider Program during the Windows 11 preview period.
If you’d rather not run the PC Health Check app, you can also view the Windows 11 system requirements and manually compare them to your machine’s specs.
Soon: How to check if your Windows 10 PC can run Windows 11
Then join the Windows Insider Program
To get a taste of Windows 11, you’ll need to join the Windows Insider Program, which is like signing up to become a beta tester for early versions of Windows. It’s totally free (in fact, you’re helping Microsoft by testing its software for free).
To join, you must visit the Windows Insider website and click “Register”. Then sign in with your Microsoft account (if you don’t have a Microsoft account, you’ll need to create one first).
After clicking on several agreements, you will be registered. Congratulations!
Now that you are a Windows Insider, log into your Windows 10 PC that you want to update to Windows 11 Preview. Open Settings and click “Update & Security”, then select “Windows Insider Program” from the sidebar.
At this point, if you’ve disabled optional diagnostic data on your Windows 10 installation, the settings will tell you to enable it first before installing Insider updates. if so, follow the link provided on the Settings page, enable optional diagnostic data, then return to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program. Once there, click “Get Started”.
To note: If Windows 11 is not running on your PC, or if Microsoft recommends that you avoid running Windows 11 on your PC hardware, you will see a message telling you so on the Windows Insider settings page here.
After linking your Windows Insider account, you will be asked to “Choose your Insider settings”. Choose “Dev Channel” to get the Windows 11 Insider Preview, then click “Confirm”.
On the next agreement screen, click “Confirm”. After that, click on “Restart now”. Once the restart is complete, your PC will be fully logged in and enrolled in the Windows Insider Program.
Soon: How to Join the Windows Insider Program and Test New Features
Download Windows 11 Preview in Settings
Now that your PC has been enrolled in the Windows Insider Program, open Settings and go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program again. Click on “Check for updates” and after a while Windows 11 Insider Preview download will start.
After a long download and installation process in Windows Update, you will need to restart your machine. Windows Update will then take care of updating your PC while you see a blue screen that shows the progress and says “Your computer may restart multiple times”. This is actually reassuring because, in our case, Windows restarted our test computer at least five times during the update.
Suddenly your PC will reboot into a login screen with the clock in a new location. Your PC is now running Windows 11 Insider Preview. Your account will be the same, so sign in and you’ll see Windows 11 in all its glory.
Have fun exploring all the new features of Windows 11!
