Microsoft released the Windows 11 operating system on October 5, 2021. It is their first major release since Windows 10 in 2015. As technology advances, hardware and software compatibility changes, as well. So, in this guide, we’ll provide you with the latest Windows 11 compatibility information as well as guidance on whether or not you should upgrade.
- Should I upgrade to Windows 11?
- Windows 11 minimum system requirements
- Windows 11 PC hardware compatibility
- Windows 11 software manufacturer compatibility list
Should I upgrade to Windows 11?
If you are using your first Windows PC or you haven’t upgraded your OS in a while, you should review every step before deciding whether or not to upgrade. If any part of your system is incompatible, then you won’t be able to install Windows 11. However, Microsoft will be supporting Windows 10 until October 14, 2025, so there isn’t any immediate need to upgrade your software or hardware.
Windows 11 minimum system requirements
Just like every other piece of PC software, your Windows computer must meet the minimum requirements. Unlike Windows 10 and below, Windows 11 is more specific. Here are the minimum system requirements for Windows 11. Once you review them, continue to Windows 11 PC hardware compatibility for more details.
- 1GHz processor with two or more cores on a compatible processor or system on a chip (SoC)
- 4GB of RAM
- 64GB+ of hard drive space for installation. Microsoft recommends more space for future updates and specific features
- UEFI, Secure Boot compatible
- TPM version 2.0
- 720p display with a monitor greater than 9″
- Internet connection — this is necessary, as you must create a Microsoft account to complete the OS setup on your PC
64-bit processors only
Windows 11 will only be released for 64-bit systems, so computers with a 32-bit processor will not be able to upgrade. However, 32-bit programs can still be used in the 64-bit environment.
TPM and Secure Boot: What Are They and How Do I Enable Them?Learn more about what TPM and Secure Boot are and how to enable them on your Windows PC.Windows 11 PC hardware compatibility
Microsoft hasupdated hardware requirements to make PCs more secure on Windows 11. Because ofthis, minimum hardware specs are stricter. So, before you install Windows 11,you’ll first need to check to see if your PC’s motherboard and processor arecompatible with the new OS.
If you have a computer built within the past two years (2018 or later), then Windows 11 will more than likely work fine. Custom-built PCs are harder to predict simply because there can be so many different variations of motherboards, processors, and GPUs. So, before you try to upgrade to Windows 11, use the free Microsoft PC Health Check app to see whether or not your PC is compatible. Once you’ve confirmed that your machine is fully compatible, please continue to our Windows 11 Download and Install Guide.
Microsoft’s PC Health Check app will tell you whether or not your computer is compatible but may not provide detailed information as to why. The WhyNotWin11 application will provide more detail regarding your hardware compatibility to help narrow things down a bit more.
- Download the PC Health Check app from Microsoft.
- Navigate to your Downloads folder and launch the installer. If prompted, allow the program to run.
- When the PC Health Check app is launched, click Check now.
- A pop-up window will appear that will tell you whether or not your computer is compatible.
- Click See all results for more detailed information on what components are and are not compatible.
Click the image to download the PC Health Check application from Microsoft.
Windows 11 software manufacturer compatibility list
IMPORTANT
Windows 11 was released on October 5th, 2021, and manufacturers are working hard to make sure their software and hardware are compatible.Pleasecheck back often for the most up-to-date Windows 11 compatibility and support information.
Ableton
Fully Supported
Live 10.1.42, Live 11, and Live 12 are fully compatible with Windows 11. Check out Ableton’s support page to learn more.
Accusonus
Fully Supported
Make sure that your system meets the Windows 11 requirements (compatible editor version and hardware)
Acon Digital
Fully Supported
Acon apps and plugins are compatible with Windows 11.
Acoustica, Inc.
Fully Supported
System Requirements for Mixcraft 9 Recording Studio and Mixcraft 9 Pro Studio:
Windows 7 SP1, 8, 10 or 11 (64 or 32-bit)
8 GB RAM
1.8 GHz Dual Core CPU (Quad Core or higher recommended)
Sound card, USB, or Firewire sound device
Mixcraft 9 Pro Studio requires Internet access for Voltage Modular Ignite and Melodyne activation.
Voltage Modular Ignite (included in Mixcraft Pro Studio) requires 64-bit Windows and 64-bit Mixcraft.
ADJ
Fully Supported
AIR
Fully Supported
All supported products are listed at this link.
AIR Music Tech | Windows 11 Compatibility
AKAI Professional
No Official Support
Akai Professional encourages all their users to remain on their current Windows OS until all necessary hardware and software products have been qualified for use with the new Windows 11 operating system.
Alesis
No Official Support
Alesis encourages all their users to remain on their current Windows OS until all necessary hardware and software products have been qualified for use with the new Windows 11 operating system.
Allen & Heath
Fully Supported
Antares
Fully Supported
https://www.antarestech.com/os-compatibility/
Apogee
Fully Supported
Applied Acoustics System
Fully Supported
Following the release of Microsoft’s Windows 11, we’ve conducted a series of tests on our instruments and we’ve have found no issues with either the standalone applications or the plug-ins.
Arobas Music
Fully Supported
Arturia
Fully Supported
We’re pleased to announce that our products arefully compatible with Windows 11. This includesindividualinstruments,effects, andutilities.
ASM
Fully Supported
Audient
Fully Supported
Audient products are fully compatible with Windows 11.
Audified
Fully Supported
Audified products are compatible. Please make sure you have downloaded the latest update
Audio Ease
Fully Supported
Audio Modeling
Fully Supported
All SWAM instruments should be compatible with any host or DAW supporting VST / Audio Units / AAX formats that is compatible with Windows 11.
Audionamix
Fully Supported
AVID
Read More Below
Avid Pro Tools version 2022.4 and higher is compatible with Windows 11.
Avid Pro Tools Operating System Compatibility Chart
Avid Sibelius version 2022.3 and higher is compatible with Windows 11.
Avid Sibelius Operating System Compatibility Chart
For Avid Media Composer compatibility information, please follow this link.
Avid Media Composer System Requirements
Behringer
Read More Below
U-Phoria UMC audio interfaces gained Windows 11 support with Behringer’s driver version 5.30.0.
Download the latest driver from Behringer’s UMC product pages.
Best Service
Fully Supported
Best Service’s sound libraries and the Best Service Engine are compatible with Windows 11. Best Service provides VST, AAX and AU plugins that are compatible with Native Instruments Kontakt 6.6 and higher, which is in turn compatible with Windows 11.
For the latest Best Service product updates, please follow this link.
Big Fish
Limited Support
Big Fish’s loop and sample libraries are used within third-party DAWs and so they should work with Windows 11 if they are running in a Windows 11-compatible DAW.
The Big Fish Momentum plugin is available in AAX and VST formats, but Big Fish does not provide official support for Windows 11.
Bitwig
Fully Supported
Current Compatability updated here.
System requirements
CPU: Dual Core AMD or Intel CPU or faster with SSE4.1 Support
Display: Min 1280 x 768 pixel screen resolution
RAM: Min 4GB RAM
Disk Space: Min 12GB free disk space (for full content installation).
Internet Connection: Decent connection to download bundled content (not included with installer).
Blue Cat Audio
Fully Supported
The latest updates of all Blue Cat Audio plug-ins (except the Remote Control) are compatible with Windows 11.
Make sure your DAW is compatible with Windows 11.
Boss
Read More Below
Many Boss products are compatible with Windows 11. For a detailed list of products, follow this link:
Casio
Fully Supported
Celemony
Fully Supported
Celemony Melodyne is compatible with Windows 11
Cherry Audio
Fully Supported
Cinesamples
Fully Supported
Cinesamples sound libraries run on Native Instruments Kontakt. They will be compatible with Windows 11 if they are run on the newest version of Native Instruments Kontakt that supports Windows 11.
CME
Fully Supported
Crane Song
No Official Support
Cre8audio
Fully Supported
Cre8audio’s NiftyKEYZ provides MIDI over USB. its connection is class-compliant on Windows, meaning that no custom driver is required. Therefore NiftyKEYZ is compatible with Windows 11.
Cycling 74′
Fully Supported
Cymatic Audio
No Official Support
D16 Group
Read More Below
D16 provides plugins in VST and AAX formats. D16 products should be Windows 11-compatible if they are run in a DAW which is itself Windows 11-compatible.
– D16 Full Compatibility Chart
Denon DJ
No Official Support
Denon DJ encourages all users to remain on their current Windows OS until all necessary hardware and software products have been qualified for use with Windows 11.
Deskew Technologies
No Official Support
Dexibell
Fully Supported
Dreadbox
No Official Support
EastWest
Fully Supported
EastWest software is compatible with Windows 11.
Elektron
Fully Supported
Overbridge 2.1 is compatible with Windows 11.
eMedia
Fully Supported
eMedia EarMaster is compatible with Windows 11.
– eMedia EarMaster product page
Empirical Labs
Fully Supported
Empirical Labs software is compatible with Windows 7 and above.
Eventide
Fully Supported
All Eventide and Newfangled Audio plug-ins are compatible with Windows 11.
FabFilter
Fully Supported
FabFilter products are compatible with Windows 11 on DAWs that are themselves compatible with Windows 11.
Fable Sounds
No Official Support
Flux::
Fully Supported
OS Compatibility
Windows 10 / 11 – 64bit only
Focusrite
Read More Below
All current Focusrite products have been tested and are compatible with Windows 11. Some older products will not be supported.
FXPansion
No Official Support
With regard to BFD, FXPansion encourages their users to remain on their current Windows OS until all necessary hardware and software products have been qualified for use with the new Windows 11 operating system.
Garritan
Fully Supported
After thorough testing with our Finale notation and Garritan products, we have not found anything in Windows 11 that prevents the programs from operating as expected. Windows 11 is considered a supported OS within our system requirements.
Fore a full list of system requirements for notation products, please **click here.**
GetGood Drums
Read More Below
GetGood Drums’ products are VST/AU/AAX plugins which should be compatible with Windows 11 when run inside a DAW that is itself Windows 11-compatible.
GetGood Drums’ drum libraries run inside Native Instruments Kontakt and should be compatible when used with a version of Kontakt which is Windows 11-compatible.
GForce
No Official Support
No information about Windows compatibility is provided on the GForce website. Contact GForce technical support with questions.
Heavyocity
Read More Below
Heavyocity provides sound libraries and instruments that run in Native Instruments Kontakt. Heavyocity products should be Windows 11-compatible if they are run in a version of Kontakt which is Windows 11-compatible.
iConnectivity
Fully Supported
iConnectivity’s support information states that Windows 10 is the most recent version currently officially support.
What Operating Systems do iConnectivity interfaces work with?
IK Multimedia
Fully Supported
Ilio
Fully Supported
Ilio makes sound libraries which run within Spectrasonics products. Ilio libraries will work correctly with the latest versions of Spectrasonics products that are compatible with Windows 11.
– ILIO Product Frequently Asked Questions
Image Line
Fully Supported
FL Studio is compatible with Windows 11.
Image Line Knowledge Base: FL Studio compatibility with Windows 11
iZotope
Limited Support
Most iZotope products are compatible with Windows 11.
The only products that aren’t currently compatible are Stutter Edit, Iris 2, Vinyl, and Trash.
Kawai
Fully Supported
Keith McMillen Instruments
Fully Supported
Keith McMillen editor apps are compatible with Windows 11.
USB Audio Driver must be installed (restart is suggested) before using editor on Windows 11.
Korg
Read More Below
Many Korg products are compatible with Windows 11. Please visit their compatibility chart for more information.
Kurzweil
No Official Support
We do not yet have official support for Windows 11, as we are still testing in house with our engineers.
From operation tests and feedback thus far: Kurzweil 3000 v16/v20 and Kurzweil 1000 v14 will install and register without issue and the general functions operate as expected. See below for the current known issues.
Known issues:
Windows 11 does not have the “Toolbars” feature, as such the Kurzweil Taskbar will not operate.
Kush Audio
Fully Supported
KV331 Audio
Fully Supported
Lexicon
Limited Support
Lexicon products that use 64-bit drivers are fully compatible.
32-bit versions are no longer compatible.
Line 6
Fully Supported
All recent Line 6 software and Line 6 hardware drivers work with Windows 11.
Plugins that have been tested with Windows 11 are Helix Native, Amp Farm, Echo Farm 3 and Pod Farm 2 when used with Cubase, Pro Tools, Ableton, Studio One and Reaper.
However, Variax hardware will not connect to Workbench via the Variax USB interface under Windows 11.
Lynx
Fully Supported
Lynx provides drivers for Windows 11 for currently supported hardware. Follow this link for more information.
M-Audio
No Official Support
M-Audio encourages users to remain on their current Windows OS until all necessary hardware and software products have been qualified for use with Windows 11.
Magix
Fully Supported
All the latest MAGIX programs, including some previous versions, work reliably with Windows 11.
Read more at MAGIX’s website
MakeMusic
Fully Supported
McDSP
Read More Below
VST and AAX plugins are usually compatible with Windows 11 if they are run within a DAW that is compatible with Windows 11. McDSP states that all their plugins are Windows 10 compatible; they do not make a statement regarding Windows 11.
Modal Electronics
Fully Supported
MODARTT
Fully Supported
Modartt’s FAQ for Pianoteq states that it is compatible with Windows 11. Contact Modartt tech support for more information.
MOTU
Fully Supported
Current versions of all MOTU software products and hardware drivers available at motu.com/download (latest versions only) appear to be compatible with Windows 11, although final compatibility testing is still on-going.
In some cases, MOTU software updates may be available soon to achieve 100% compatibility. Check motu.com frequently for further announcements in the near future.
MusicLab
Fully Supported
MusicLab products are fully compatible with Windows 11
Native Instruments
Fully Supported
The latest version of most major products are supported onWindows 11. Most hardware products are supported also. Please follow this link for specifics.
Nektar
Fully Supported
Neuratron
No Official Support
Nord
No Official Support
Nord provides Nord Sound Manager, Nord Sample Editor, Nord Drum Manager and other apps. The latest systen requirements refer to Windows 10. Nord USB Driver version 3.00 or later is required for Windows.
– Nord Windows Driver
Novation
Read More Below
Most Novation products are compatible with Windows 11. Follow this link for detailed information:
Nugen Audio
Fully Supported
Numark
No Official Support
Numark encourages users to remain on their current Windows OS until all necessary hardware and software products have been qualified for use with Windows 11.Please refer to this article.
Output
Limited Support
Some software products are not supported on Windows 11 in an official capacity.
Overloud
No Official Support
Overloud states that its products are compatible with Windows up through Windows 10. They have released no specific information about Windows 11 compatibility.
PG Music
Fully Supported
Band-in-a-Box is compatible with Windows 11/10/8/7 (32 or 64-bit)
– System requirements for Band-in-a-Box
Pioneer DJ
Fully Supported
Polyend
Limited Support
Polyend has confirmed Polyend Tool is fully compatible with Windows 11. Other products have yet to be confirmed.
Positive Grid
Limited Support
BIAS series software is not yet officially supported on Windows 11. Positive Grid recommends holding off on updating while they work to ensure compatibility.
PreSonus
Fully Supported
**Windows 11 with Windows products.**
This new OS update may cause compatibility issues with older PreSonus hardware, please read the information in our Knowledge Base for more information.
Pyware
No Official Support
Pyware has not announced support for Windows 11. Their recommended system is Windows 10.
– Pyware 3D System Requirements
Reason Studios
Limited Support
We are happy to report that the following Reason Studios products arecompatiblewith Windows 11:
Reason 12.2.5 and later
Reason Rack Plugin VST3 (12.2.5 and later)
Reason+ Companion 1.9.4 and later
Authorizer 2.12and later
CodeMeter 7.10 and later
The following products havenot been testedwith Windows 11. Once these products have been tested, we will update this compatibility statement:
ReFill Packer 10
ReCycle 2.2.4
The following products areNOTcompatible with Windows 11:
Reason Rack Plugin AAX (since Pro Tools isn’t officially compatible with Windows 11)
Ignition Key
Relab Development
Fully Supported
Reveal Sound
Fully Supported
Reveal Sound plug-ins are fully compatible with Windows 11.
System Requirements:
Windows 7 –Windows 11(32 / 64-bit)
Modern Intel or AMD processors required
VST,AAX
Reverb Foundry
Fully Supported
RME
Fully Supported
Rob Papen
Fully Supported
Rode
Fully Supported
Roland
Read More Below
While many Roland products are compatible with Windows 11, there are still products that are currently being tested. Check the following link for details.
Roland Compatibility with Windows 11
Sample Logic
Fully Supported
Sensory Percussion
Fully Supported
Sensory Percussion supports Windows 10 and up, which includes Windows 11.
Serato
Fully Supported
Serato products are compatible with Windows 11. Read this link for more information.
Windows 11 – now supported (Serato software status)
Slate Digital
No Official Support
Virtual Recording Studio, Virtual Microphone System, and Plugins are not officially supported on Windows 11.
Slate Media Technology
Read More Below
Raven touch screen products: Slate Media Technology has not yet provided information about compatibility with Windows 11. For further questions contact the company at the link below.
Softube
Fully Supported
Softube products are VST3 plugins which will be supported within a DAW that is Windows 11 compatible. For details visit this link:
Softube Support System Requirements
Solid State Logic
Fully Supported
Sonarworks
Limited Support
SoundID Reference on Windows 11 is fully supported.
SoundID Listen and Reference 4 are not supported.
Sonnox
No Official Support
Sonnox is still conducting testing for compatibility with Windows 11 and cannot guarantee compatibility for any of their products at this time.
Check this link for the latest updates.
Sonuscore
Fully Supported
Sonuscore sound libraries work within the Native Instruments Kontakt environment. They will be compatible with Windows 11 if run on a compatible version of Kontakt.
Soundbrenner
Fully Supported
Soundtoys
Read More Below
Soundtoys reports that Windows 10 is officially supported and makes no statement about Windows 11. In general, VST plugins will operate on any DAW that is compatible with Windows 11. Read the following explanation from SoundToys.
Source Audio
Fully Supported
Neuro Desktop Editor is compatible with Windows 11.
Spectrasonics
Fully Supported
Omnisphere 2, Keyscape, Trilian, and Stylus RMX are compatible with Windows 11. Please visit their Knowledge Base for more information.
Steinberg
Read More Below
The newest versions of Steinberg products are compatible with Windows 11. Follow the link below to view the charts for compatibility details for specific versions of software and hardware.
Steven Slate Audio
No Official Support
For information about the VSX Headphone System, follow this link:
Steven Slate Drums
Read More Below
VST plugins will generally be compatible when run under a DAW that is compatible with Windows 11.
For specific questions, we encourage you to contact Steven Slate Drums support at this link.
Strymon
No Official Support
Strymon provides firmware update, librarian and impulse manager apps for Windows and Mac, but they have not provided information about Windows 11 or macOS 12 Monterey compatibility.
Studiologic
Fully Supported
Sugar Bytes
Fully Supported
All Sugar Bytes plug-ins are available as 64-bit versions for Windows and Mac (Intel and Apple Silicon M1).
Synchro Arts
Fully Supported
Synthogy
No Official Support
The newest update to Ivory II provides compatibility with Windows 10. For more information follow this link:
Tascam
Read More Below
Currently supported Tascam products which have been tested for compatibility with Windows 11 are listed at this link:
TC-Helicon
Limited Support
All GoXLR products are officially supported.
Other products aren’t officially supported, so connectivity and operation cannot be guaranteed.
Toontrack
Fully Supported
All current Toontrack products are compatible with Windows 11. Toontrack recommends confirming that the DAW that you use is compatible before upgrading.
Tracktion
No Official Support
Tracktion’s most recent information states that it is compatible with Windows 8 and 10.
u-he
Fully Supported
u-he provides plugins in VST and AAX formats and therefore they should be compatible when run within a Windows 11-compatible DAW.
Each product page lists detailed minimum requirements. Please check these before purchase.
– u-he | Which operating systems do u-he products support?
Universal Audio
Fully Supported
Universal Audio products are fully compatible with Windows 11. For the latest Windows 11 compatibility information please see this article:
UVI
Fully Supported
Vengeance-Sound
Fully Supported
Vienna Symphonic Library
Fully Supported
Vir2
Fully Supported
Vir2 sound libraries run within the Native Instruments Kontakt environment and will be compatible when run on a Windows 11-compatible version of Kontakt.
Waldorf
No Official Support
WaveArts
Fully Supported
WaveArts plug-ins are fully compatible with Windows 11. For more information, visit their FAQ.
WaveMachine Labs
Read More Below
Drumagog products are plugins in VST, AU and AAX formats. Therefore they should be compatible on Windows 11 when run in a Windows 11-compatible DAW.
– Drumagog System Requirements
Waves
Fully Supported
Waves plug-ins are compatible with all DAWs providing Windows 11 support.
XILS-lab
Fully Supported
XLN Audio
Fully Supported
All XLN Audio products are fully compatible on Windows 11.
Yamaha
Read More Below
Most Yamaha products are compatible with Windows 11. Yamaha provides a detailed chart with information about all of their supported products.
Zoom
Fully Supported
Zoom presents Windows 11 compatibility information on a product-by-product basis. Please look up your product at the following link:
ZPlane
Fully Supported
The newest versions of zPlane products are compatible with Windows 11.
Zynaptiq
Read More Below
Zynaptiq has provided software updates for Windows 11 compatibility for many of their products. Follow this link and search for the newest compatible updates.
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