Windows 11 Upgrade and Windows 10 EOL
Windows 11 is a no-charge upgrade and is already in use by many units/faculties on campus. Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025.*
All units and individuals on campus are strongly encouraged to begin planning to ensure Windows computers (managed and unmanaged) are upgraded to Windows 11 before October 2025. On October 14, 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide technical support, feature updates or security updates for Windows 10*.
Upgrading to Windows 11 by October 2025 is essential from a cybersecurity and data privacy perspective.*
Windows 11 has been evaluated for use with University of Waterloo enterprise applications.
It is also recommended to encourage employees and students to update their self-managed/personal Windows machines to Windows 11 by October 2025 (steps and instructions are below).
Upgrade to Windows 11
Before you upgrade
Check to see if your computer will run Windows 11:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows/windows-11-specifications
https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows/windows-11#pchealthcheckTest any specialized applications/peripherals with Windows 11, and upgrade as needed.
Ensure there is enough free space on your computer’s hard drive, before installing Windows 11. Windows 11 requires ~20-30 GB of free space. See Freeing up hard drive space in Windows 10 - IST Knowledge Base - Confluence.
Windows 11 Upgrade Instructions – managed computers
Windows 11 Upgrade Instructions – unmanaged/personal computers
Windows 11 upgrade instructions for self-managed/personal devices: Windows 11 update instructions (personal or self-managed computers)
What if my computer/software/peripheral is too old to support Windows 11?
To see if your computer will run Windows 11, see https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows/windows-11-specifications and run https://www.microsoft.com/en-ca/windows/windows-11#pchealthcheck
*The campus community is encouraged to upgrade hardware and software to support use of Windows 11 where possible.
Windows 11 Learning Resources
Windows 11 - what's new, different
Windows 11 Essential Training | Learning
Learn more about Windows 10 end of support updates for education.