The good news is that you can try Windows 11 on your primary machine without messing with Windows 10. You have three options: use a virtual machine, dual booting or a Windows 11 simulator. You can pick the method that works best for you, and we’ll show you how to set each up in what follows.

Use a Virtual Machine

A virtual machine (VM) allows you to install Windows 11 on top of your Windows 10 OS. In short, you’ll have Windows 11 running in an app window on your Windows 10 desktop. What you’ll need:

Virtualization Application (Oracle VirtualBox)

Windows 11 ISO file

On top of that, you will need to check Windows 11’s hardware requirements in order to make sure the OS can run in your VM. If you’re unsure of some of the things on the list, you might want to perform a Windows 11 compatibility test before proceeding any further. Note: VirtualBox does not support TPM 2.0, which is a requirement for installing Windows 11. However, it’s possible to bypass this by modifying the registry after starting your Windows 11 install. If you’re not prepared to do that, you might want to take a look at the other two methods outlined in this post.

1. Install VirtualBox on Windows 10

VirtualBox is popular software to use for this purpose, because it’s easy to install and set up. Also, it doesn’t hog PC resources, which is what you want in a VM.

2. Create a VirtualBox Virtual Machine

Before proceeding to the Windows 11 installation, you’ll need to set up a VirtualBox VM.

3. Install Windows 11 in VirtualBox

Note: Press Shift + F10 and then follow the instructions under “Modify the Registry on a Fresh Windows 11 Install” in the bypass the TPM requirement post before moving to the next step.

Dual Boot Windows 11 With Windows 10

Dual booting is simply running two operating systems on one PC at the same time. While it’s not as seamless as running a virtual machine, it is less demanding on PC resources. To dual boot Windows 11 with Windows 10, your PC should have a minimum of 8GB RAM, more than 64GB available storage, UEFI firmware, TPM version 2.0, and be Secure Boot capable. To make sure your PC has everything it needs, you can go ahead and perform a Windows 11 compatibility test beforehand.

1. Prepare a Partition for Windows 11

2. Install Windows 11

Try the Windows 11 Simulator

One of the easiest ways to get a feel of Windows 11 is to use this cloud-hosted simulator. Simply go to the website to get a feel of what Window 11 would be like if you installed it.

Things You Can Do

Open the Start Menu – you can take a look at how the Start Menu looks simply by clicking on the Windows icon which is now centrally located by default. You’ll see pinned apps at the top of the menu and recommended items at the bottom.

Get a Sneak Peek of the Windows Store – click on the Windows Store icon to get a feel of the new-look store. Unfortunately, you can’t install apps in the simulator.

Try the New Search – click on the search icon on the task bar for the new search menu to pop up.

Additional Features – you can also check out File Explorer, Edge browser, and Settings.

Wrapping Up

Now that you know how to try Windows 11 without renouncing Windows 10, perhaps you’d like to learn more about Microsoft’s latest OS. For instance, check out this list of hidden Windows 11 features or learn about all the ways you can customize your Windows 11 start menu. Image credit: Pixabay