Users who want to upgrade a system with Windows 7 to Windows 11 can only do that 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 simply 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.
We know that, for some, the preservation of all settings and preferences is essential and the only advice, in this case, would be to make sequential upgrades.
What this means is, there still is a way you can go from the old Windows 7 to Windows 11 and keep all your settings.
So, it would be smarter to first upgrade to Windows 10, and only after doing so, upgrading your device to Windows 11.
If anything will change in the near future, meaning if other ways of making the big jump from Windows 7 to Windows 11 without losing any preferences become possible, we will keep you posted.
