Windows 10 compatibility

Applies to

WindowsВ 10 will be compatible with most existing PC hardware; most devices running WindowsВ 7, WindowsВ 8, or WindowsВ 8.1 will meet the requirements for WindowsВ 10.

For full system requirements, see Windows 10 specifications. Some driver updates may be required for WindowsВ 10.

Existing desktop (Win32) application compatibility is also expected to be strong, with most existing applications working without any changes. Some applications that interface with Windows at a low level, those that use undocumented APIs, or those that do not follow recommended coding practices could experience issues.

Existing Windows Store (WinRT) apps created for WindowsВ 8 and WindowsВ 8.1 should also continue to work, because compatibility can be validated against all the apps that have been submitted to the Windows Store.

For web apps and sites, modern HTML5-based sites should also have a high degree of compatibility and excellent performance through the new Microsoft Edge browser, while older web apps and sites can continue to use Internet ExplorerВ 11 and the Enterprise Mode features that were first introduced in WindowsВ 7 and WindowsВ 8.1 and are still present in WindowsВ 10. For more information about Internet Explorer and Enterprise Mode, see the Internet Explorer 11 Deployment Guide for IT Pros.

Recommended application testing process

Historically, organizations have performed extensive, and often exhaustive, testing of the applications they use before deployment of a new Windows version, service pack, or any other significant update. With WindowsВ 10, organizations are encouraged to leverage more optimized testing processes, which reflects the higher levels of compatibility that are expected. At a high level:

Identify mission-critical applications and websites, those that are absolutely essential to the organization’s operations. Focus testing efforts on this subset of applications, early in the Windows development cycle (for example, with Windows Insider Program builds) to identify potential issues. Report any issues you encounter with the Windows Feedback tool, so that these issues can be addressed prior to the next Windows release.

For less critical applications, leverage an “internal flighting” or pilot-based approach, by deploying new Windows upgrades to groups of machines, growing gradually in size and potential impact, to verify compatibility with hardware and software. Reactively address issues before you expand the pilot to more machines.

How to Fix ‘This version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you’re running’ Error on Windows?

Windows is one of the most popular operating systems out there with more than a billion users. All of this success comes due to the numerous features that have been made part of the operating system over the years. The latest and the greatest version of Windows is the “Windows 10” operating system that Microsoft has been pushing its users to upgrade to.

“This version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you’re running” Error Message

However, the upgrade does come with some problems, most users are hesitant to upgrade because there have been reports of the “This version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you’re running” Error with certain applications and installers after upgrading from an older version of Windows. In this article, we will discuss the reason due to which this error is triggered and also provide you with a viable solution to eradicate it completely.

What Causes the “This version of this file is not compatible with the version of Windows you’re running” Error?

After receiving numerous reports from multiple users, we decided to investigate the issue and devised a solution to eradicate it completely. Also, we looked into the reason due to which it is triggered and listed it as follows.

Lack of Backwards Compatibility: The Error arises from a difference in the architecture of the application that you are trying to run and the architecture of Windows. It can either be caused if the program is too old or too recent for the version of Windows that you are trying to run it on. The problem can be solved if the issue is with backward compatibility, as all Microsoft operating systems do have backward compatibility integrated into them but it has to be manually triggered.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the nature of the problem, we will move on towards the solution. Make sure to follow the steps carefully and accurately to avoid conflict.

Solution: Changing Compatibility Settings

If the software isn’t compatible with the version of Windows that you are using this error is triggered. Therefore, in this step, we will be changing certain compatibility settings. For that:

1. Open the installation directory of the program that you are trying to run.
2. Right-click on the main “.exe” for the program.
3. Select “Properties” and click on the “Compatibility” tab.
4. Click on the “Run Compatibility Troubleshooter” for Windows 10/8 and “Help me Choose the Settings” for Windows 7.
5. Click on the “Try Recommended Settings” option and click on the “Test” option.
6. If the program works, click on the “YesSavetheseSettings” option and if it doesn’t select the “NoTryDifferentSettings“.
7. Follow the onscreen instructions and repeat the process until the program works. Running Compatibility Troubleshooter

Note: If you are using a “32-bit” operating system and are trying to install a 64-bit software it is recommended to either upgrade the operating system to a 64-bit one or search for a 32-bit version of the software. Also, if the problem is with Nvidia Graphics installer refer to this article.

How to Find Windows 10 Computer Specifications & Systems Requirements

Here’s an overview of how to find computer specification requirements, versions, and languages available for Windows 10.

Table of Contents

System requirements for installing Windows 10

These are the basic requirements for installing Windows 10 on a PC. If your device does not meet these requirements, you may not have the great experience intended with Windows 10 and might want to consider purchasing a new PC.

RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit

Hard drive size:

32GB or larger hard disk

Note: See below under “More information on hard drive space to install or update Windows 10” for more details.

Compatible with DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver

Display: 800×600 Internet Connection:

Internet connectivity is necessary to perform updates and to download and take advantage of some features. Windows 10 Pro in S mode, Windows 10 Pro Education in S mode, Windows 10 Education in S mode, and Windows 10 Enterprise in S mode require an internet connection during the initial device setup (Out of Box Experience or OOBE), as well as either a Microsoft account (MSA) or Azure Activity Directory (AAD) account. Switching a device out of Windows 10 in S mode also requires internet connectivity. Learn more about S mode here.

There may be additional requirements over time for updates, as well as requirements to turn on specific features within the OS.

Keeping Windows 10 up-to-date

Windows 10 is designed to deliver updates for the supported lifetime of the device. Two types of updates may be provided: quality updates and feature updates. Quality updates include both security and non-security updates and are typically targeted to be released once a month. Feature updates also include security and non-security fixes as well as new features to Windows 10 and are typically provided twice a year. Ensuring that your device receives these updates and is kept up-to-date is important for your device security. Windows 10 periodically checks for updates so you don’t have to. When an update is available—and sufficient free disk space is available on your device—it will be automatically installed. So that Windows 10 continues to stay updated, it’s important to ensure your device has sufficient free space. See additional applicable details in the following notes.

Important notes about updates:

• A device might not be able to receive updates if the device hardware is incompatible, if it lacks current drivers or sufficient available hard drive space, or if it’s otherwise outside of the Original Equipment Manufacturer’s (“OEM”) support period. Visit the Windows Lifecycle Fact Sheet or the Lifecycle FAQ for Windows products to learn more about the servicing timeline for each feature update.
  • Some of the disk space needed for installing updates is only temporarily required. Typically, ten days after installing an update, a disk cleanup will be automatically performed to delete copies of the older, unneeded Windows files and free up space again.
• Not all features in an update will work on all devices.
• An internet connection is required to perform updates and Internet access (ISP) fees might apply.
• If you need assistance installing an update, Windows 10 Update Assistant may be able to help.

More information on hard drive space requirements to install or update Windows 10

The size of the Windows operating system that comes with your device and the amount of space needed to download and install Windows updates, are highly variable as they depend on a variety of factors. Visit here to learn why. The factors that impact the amount of free hard drive space needed to take an update include: the versions of Windows previously installed on the machine, the amount of disk space available to reuse from Windows files, such as the virtual memory pagefile or hibernation file, which applications are installed on your device and how those applications store data. Starting with the May 2019 Update, the system requirements for hard drive size for clean installs of Windows 10 as well as new PCs changed to a minimum of 32GB. The 32GB or larger drive requirement is set to leave space for users to install apps and to keep data on the device. Installing Windows or updating from a previous version of Windows on devices with less than 32GB storage will continue to work if the device has enough free space available. When updating, Windows will attempt to automatically free up enough hard drive space and guide you through freeing up even more if the automatic cleanup is not sufficient. You can also take steps to free up space on your own. For more information, see Free up space to install the latest Windows 10 update or visit the related FAQ.

Feature-specific requirements for Windows 10

In addition to the requirements above that are needed to run Windows, some features have additional requirements. In some cases, features included with updated versions of Windows 10 will be best experienced with newer processors. For specific hardware support please refer to your Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Below are some additional details regarding requirements for key features:

• BitLocker Drive Encryption (available with Windows 10 Pro or Windows 10 Enterprise only) requires a Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.2 or higher and Trusted Computing Group (TCG)-compliant BIOS or UEFI. BitLocker can be used on devices without TPM, but you will need to save a startup key on a removable device such as a USB flash drive. TPM 2.0 and InstantGo support is required when you want to automatically encrypt the local drive when joining a device to Azure Active Directory (AAD). Check with your PC manufacturer to confirm if your device supports the correct TPM version and InstantGo for the scenario you want to enable.
• BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive (available in Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise only).
• Client Hyper-V requires a 64-bit system with second level address translation (SLAT) capabilities and additional 2 GB of RAM (available in Windows 10 Pro and Windows 10 Enterprise only).
• Cortana is only currently available on Windows 10 for the United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Mexico, Japan, Canada, Spain, Australia and India.
• Microsoft account is required for some features.
• Miracast requires a display adapter which supports Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) 1.3, and a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Wi-Fi Direct.
• Movies & TV application is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to the Movies & TV information page.
• Secure boot requires firmware that supports UEFI v2.3.1 Errata B and has the Microsoft Windows Certification Authority in the UEFI signature database.
• Skype is available only in select countries and regions. Calling to select countries and regions only. Excludes special, premium and non-geographic numbers. For details, visit the Office FAQ page.
• Snap: The number of applications that can be snapped will depend upon the minimum resolution for the application with a limit of two applications in Tablet mode and four applications in Desktop mode.
• Speech recognition will vary by device microphone. For a better speech experience, you will need a:
  • High fidelity microphone array
  • Hardware driver with microphone array geometry exposed
• Tablet mode is available on tablets and 2-in-1s with GPIO indicators or those that have a laptop and slate indicator will be able to be configured to enter «tablet mode» automatically.
• Touch: To use touch, you need a tablet or a monitor that supports multi-touch.
• Two-factor authentication requires the use of a PIN, Biometric (finger print reader or illuminated infrared camera), or a phone with Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capabilities.
• Windows Hello requires a camera configured for near infrared (IR) imaging or fingerprint reader for biometric authentication. Devices without biometric sensors can use Windows Hello with a PIN or a portable Microsoft compatible security key.
• Xbox application requires an Xbox Live account, which is not available in all regions. For the most up-to-date list of regions, please go to Xbox Live Countries and Regions website.
• Wi-Fi Direct Printing requires a Wi-Fi adapter that supports Wi-Fi Direct and a device that supports Wi-Fi Direct Printing.