The Windows 10 Anniversary Update is available now, and with its release Microsoft has provided new minimum requirements to run the operating system. While Windows 10 works on a variety of devices, some weaker machines might not make the cut to run the Anniversary Update.

Most people are running computers far more powerful than the minimum requirements, but it's still good to know the minimum in case you're trying to update an old computer (since future-proofing wasn't worth it) or just want to have a baseline to compare specs to.

Per Microsoft's Windows 10 specifications, here are the requirements to run the Windows 10 Anniversary Update:

  • The system's processor must be 1 GHz or faster.
  • For RAM, you must have at least 1 GB when doing an update on a 32-bit system and 2 GB for an update on a 64-bit system. You must have 2 GB of RAM for a new device that's either 32- or 64-bit.
  • The hard drive must have 16 GB free for installing 32-bit Windows 10 or 20 GB for installing 64-bit Windows 10.
  • Your graphics card must support DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver.
  • The laptop screen or monitor must be at least 800 x 600.

As long as you have these or better specs, you should be ready to install the update! Of course, Windows 10 won't run well on a computer this weak, but you'll be able to at least get the system going. Any decent computer built in the last five years will almost surely have these specs.

If you're having issues after installing the Anniversary Update, you're not alone. Find out how to fix common issues with the Anniversary Update.

Have you ever run Windows on a minimum-specs PC? Let us know if you find anything about these requirements interesting in the comments!

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