Lenovo Windows 11 Update: Check Compatibility and Upgrade Safely

Windows 11, an absolutely new operating system, brings a rejuvenated Start menu, settings, features, and improvements. Compared to Windows 10, the new OS has many differences, and you can refer to the Windows 11 vs Windows 10 guide. To have a brand new experience, some of you plan to upgrade to Windows 11.

Quick Answer

To upgrade your Lenovo PC to Windows 11:

1. Check Lenovo’s support device list or check Windows 11 compatibility.
2. If eligible, back up your important data.
3. Perform the Lenovo Windows 11 update via USB, ISO, or Installation Assistant.
4. Install the latest drivers.

Which Lenovo Devices Can Upgrade to Windows 11?

To run a Lenovo Windows 11 upgrade, you should make sure your Lenovo laptop or desktop is compatible with Windows 11. 

On Lenovo’s official website, this manufacturer lists some Lenovo devices that are supported for Windows 11, including multiple series like ThinkPad, ThinkBook, Notebook/Ideapad, ThinkStation, ThinkCentre & AIO, and IdeaCentre & AIO. To know the detailed models, refer to the Lenovo devices supported for Windows 11 page.

If your Lenovo model doesn’t support the target Windows 11 version, use Microsoft’s PC Health Check app to check compatibility. Then consider upgrading or replacing the device.

Check if Your Lenovo PC can Upgrade to Windows 11

To quickly know if your Lenovo laptop or desktop supports Windows 11, run the PC Health Check app. This app is designed by Microsoft used to see if your current PC meets the system requirements to run Windows 11. In addition, you can run WhyNotWin11 or Win11SysCheck to perform a Lenovo Windows 11 compatibility check.

To know much information about these tools, refer to our previous post – Windows 11 System Requirements Tools: Run a Compatibility Check.

What to Do Before Upgrading Your Lenovo PC to Windows 11

Before upgrading Windows 10 to Windows 11, Lenovo recommends the following steps:

1. Use a stable network and internet connection.
2. Create a Microsoft account – go to the Microsoft account page, click Sign in > Create one, type in an email, and then create an account.
3. Make a backup of the Bitlocker key. If you don’t know how to find that key, follow the ways in this post – Where to Find My BitLocker Recovery Key on Windows 10.
4. Back up your files to avoid data loss.

Although an upgrade is designed to preserve your data, unexpected issues can still cause data loss. To back up important files, use professional backup software like MiniTool ShadowMaker. It is designed to back up folders, files, systems, disks, and partitions.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

Step 1: Launch MiniTool ShadowMaker and navigate to Backup.

Step 2: Click SOURCE > Folders and Files and select what you want to back up.

Step 3: Go to DESTINATION and choose a drive to save the image file.

Step 4: Click Back Up Now to perform the backup.

After the file backup, go to Tools > Media Builder and create a bootable drive so that you can boot the PC for a recovery in case of a system breakdown. Then, you can follow one way to start a Lenovo Windows 11 update.

How to Run Lenovo Windows 11 Update

Refer to the table below to find the right method for your situation.

Method 1: Run Windows 11 Installation Assistant

Installation Assistant is an official tool from Microsoft used to upgrade your current PC to Windows 11.

To upgrade your Lenovo laptop or desktop:

1. Download Windows 11 Installation Assistant from the official download page.
2. Run this tool as an administrator.
3. Select Accept and Install.
4. Click Restart Now to complete the installation.

Method 2: Perform Lenovo Windows 11 Update via ISO

You can also upgrade your Lenovo PC to Windows 11 directly from an ISO file.

Follow these steps:

Step 1: Download Windows ISO.

1. Go to the download page and scroll down to the Download Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) section.
2. Choose Windows 11 and click Download.
3. Choose a language like English (United States) and click Confirm.
4. Start downloading by clicking 64-bit Download.

Step 2: Right-click on the ISO file and choose Mount.

Step 3: Open the virtual drive and run the setup.exe file to start the update.

Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions to choose to keep your personal files and apps.

Step 5: Begin the in-place upgrade process.

Method 3: Perform a Clean Installation

Additionally, you can run a Lenovo Windows 11 update via a clean installation. This can erase your personal files, so back up important data before starting. Then, follow these steps to install Windows 11.

Step 1: Create a bootable USB drive using the downloaded ISO file.

1. Connect a USB drive to the PC.

2. Download Rufus and launch it.

3. Configure some settings and burn the ISO file to that USB drive.

Step 2: Install Windows 11.

1. Insert the bootable USB drive from your PC, enter BIOS by pressing Del, F2, or another key, and change the boot order to let your Lenovo laptop or desktop run from the USB drive.

2. Then you will get an interface to ask you to choose a language, time format, and keyboard method.

3. Click Install now to start Windows 11 installation.

4. Go to I don’t have a product key > Custom: Install Windows only (advanced).

5. Decide which partition you want to install Windows 11 on.

6. Start the installation process. After that, set up Windows 11 on your Lenovo laptop/desktop based on your likes.

How to Download and Install Lenovo Windows 11 Drivers

After installing Windows 11 or upgrading to this new operating system, there is one thing you should do to make sure the PC run perfectly and it is to install new versions of the drivers.

Lenovo has released some up-to-date Windows 11 drivers for some devices, for example, camera driver, NVIDIA VGA driver for Windows 11, Generic DisplayLink driver, touchpad driver, Realtek audio driver for Windows 11, and more.

You can download a specific driver from the Lenovo website and install it. Additionally, you can use Lenovo System Update to install Lenovo Windows 11 drivers. It is a useful utility that can be used to download data updates for software, drivers, and BIOS from a Lenovo server directly over the Internet.

Final Words

To upgrade a Lenovo PC, check if the machine can meet the system requirements to run Windows 11. Then, run Installation Assistant, perform an in-place upgrade via ISO, or perform a clean installation. After the update, update drivers to the latest version to get an excellent PC performance.

If you encounter some issues when using MiniTool ShadowMaker for PC backup, contact us at [email protected].

Lenovo Windows 11 Update FAQ