Upgrade from Windows 7 to Windows 11 only with a clean install

Users who want to upgrade a system from Windows 7 to Windows 11 will only do so with a clean installation. The upgrade will be free, but documents and installed programs will not be included.

This can be read in a Lenovo FAQ about the new operating system. It is based on information from Microsoft itself. It states that “hardware-compliant devices” must perform a clean install or reinstall to upgrade to Windows 11. It only covers Windows 7 but doesn’t say anything about devices still running Windows 8 or Windows 8.1.

Windows 11 will be a free upgrade for devices now running Windows 10. Users can upgrade to the new OS while retaining documents and their installed software. Microsoft has previously said that software that works on Windows 7 will also work on Windows 11.