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.

laptop with windows 10 installed

Replies (2) 

Was this reply helpful?

Sorry this didn’t help.

Great! Thanks for your feedback.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback, it helps us improve the site.

How satisfied are you with this reply?

Thanks for your feedback.

Hi Roger,
I am Sumit, an Independent Advisor and a 3 year Windows Insider MVP here to help.

You can create an Installation media yourself. Requires another working PC though.

On a working computer, create an Installation media of Windows 10 that allows you to repair existing Windows Installation.

Boot from the USB Flash drive-Make sure you have disabled Secure boot/Fast boot in BIOS Settings.

Then open Advanced Startup options after the computer boots from USB. Click Repair your computer at the first screen that says Install now.
https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2294-boot-a.

Select Startup repair, let it finish the job and see if the computer can boot afterward.

If that doesn’t help, consider doing a clean install after rescuing your files.

Disclaimer: Tenforums is a non-Microsoft website. The page appears to be providing accurate, safe information. Watch out for ads on the site that may advertise products frequently classified as a PUP (Potentially Unwanted Products).There is no need to buy paid products to fix your computers as they do more harm than good sometimes.

Sumit
Available 6 PM — 8 AM PST

It is always good to include your PC Specs, make and model in the question

Never Call the Phone numbers received in Emails from the Microsoft Community

How to install Windows10 using a USB flash drive?

I got an Acer Aspire T3-715 desktop PC.

There are some reasons that I want to remove every thing on my this PC. And then install Windows 10 again as a «Brand new PC»

I mean to install via an USB drive. That you remove everything first completely, and then installing Windows 10 again on your PC. That removes all early error etc . . .

Someone those are Data Experts says that this method have to do after every 6 or 8 months. Because that gives you every time a brand new Windows, that removes/deletes all current error and all other things.

I bought this PC in october last year. It has already been in service center.

It is very difficult for me to pack this so big and heavy desktop PC and then send it to service. The problem last time was that it took almost 5 to 6 minuts to come to the dekstop after you start up your PC.

I just want to remove all, and then install Windows again, that remove all eraly error and all other things. That I dont understand the reasons

Lastly, Is there any easy way to do that without any problem that cause trouble to you while doing that? Because it is very expencive to get help by an Data Expert.

Thanks for your all dear members reply!

[edited to comply with guidelines]

Best Answer

1) download a windows 10 iso using Microsof tool:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=691209
select the proper windows 10 version (the same installed on your laptop) and choose to save it as iso file when prompted
2) download Rufus:
http://rufus.akeo.ie/?locale=en_US
plug your USB flash drive, run Rufus then:
select ISO image from the dropdown menu near «Create a bootable disk»
click on the little icon on the right and browse to the windows 10 downloaded iso file
as Partitions scheme select «GPT partition scheme for UEFI»
as File system select «FAT32»
click on Start
wait until it finish, then uplug your USB flash drive
3) with the USB flash drive plugged to your PC, boot to BIOS pressin Del key
4) look if F12 boot menu is enabled, if not, enabled it

5) check if UEFI is the selected BIOS mode (no launchCSM)

6) press F10 to save and exit

7) reboot and press F12, choose the USB flash drive as bootable device

8) choose to do a custom installation and then delete everypartition on your main HDD/SSD

9) then continue with windows 10 installation

FAQ & Answers

1) download a windows 10 iso using Microsof tool:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=691209
select the proper windows 10 version (the same installed on your laptop) and choose to save it as iso file when prompted
2) download Rufus:
http://rufus.akeo.ie/?locale=en_US
plug your USB flash drive, run Rufus then:
select ISO image from the dropdown menu near «Create a bootable disk»
click on the little icon on the right and browse to the windows 10 downloaded iso file
as Partitions scheme select «GPT partition scheme for UEFI»
as File system select «FAT32»
click on Start
wait until it finish, then uplug your USB flash drive
3) with the USB flash drive plugged to your PC, boot to BIOS pressin Del key
4) look if F12 boot menu is enabled, if not, enabled it

5) check if UEFI is the selected BIOS mode (no launchCSM)

6) press F10 to save and exit

7) reboot and press F12, choose the USB flash drive as bootable device

8) choose to do a custom installation and then delete everypartition on your main HDD/SSD

9) then continue with windows 10 installation

First of all many thanks for your kind reply.

But do you suggest me to do that or not yet?

Because my current this desktop PC is almost 6 month old.

The reason I want to do that is to delete all I already intalled, and then begin with a brand new Windows.

I am using desktop PC more than my laptop PC. Because I like to use desktop PC than laptop.

Lastly, as you are an Data Expert. Do you suggest me to do that?