Microsoft announces that Windows 11 is now ready for (almost) everyone

Some seven-and-a-half months after the original release, Microsoft has announced that Windows 11 is now "designated for broad deployment".

We use the word "announced" fairly loosely here; the revelation was made in a status change on the release health page for Windows 11. It means that any computer that meets the minimum requirements will now be offered the upgrade, and it lays the groundwork for the rollout of Windows 11 22H2 in the coming months.

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Head over to the release health dashboard for Windows 11, and you will see that Microsoft made a quiet update on May 17, 2022.

After noting that "Windows 11 is designated for broad deployment", Microsoft goes on to say:

If you are using Windows 10, you can determine if your device is eligible for the upgrade using the PC Health Check app or checking Windows 11 specs, features, and computer requirements. Note that you also need to be running Windows 10, version 2004 or later, and have no safeguard holds applied to your device. We encourage the use of a Microsoft Account (MSA) to get the most out of your Windows 11 experience.

This is not to say that everyone will be able to upgrade to Windows 11 even if their system meets the minimum requirements. There can still be device-specific safeguard holds in place that stand in the way.

But for any Windows 10 users who have been holding off making the upgrade to Windows 11, now is a good time. While broad deployment is by no means an indication that Windows 11 is free from issues, the majority of the significant problems have now been ironed out.

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