Overview
Windows 11 is available in many versions including:
- Windows 11 Home
- Windows 11 Education
- Windows 11 Pro
- Windows 11 Enterprise
The versions are differentiated by the features they provide. Windows 11 Home is marketed to the home user, Windows 11 Education is available to schools through academic volume licensing, and Windows 11 Pro and Enterprise are marketed to the business user.
Due to security concerns and to ensure compatibility with our campus computing infrastructure, University IT will support only Windows 11 Education, Windows 11 Pro, and Windows 11 Enterprise.
System requirements
The minimum computer hardware requirements for running Windows 11, as recommended by Microsoft, are:
- 1 GHz or faster 64-bit processor with 2 or more cores
- 4 GB RAM
- 64 GB available disk space
- DirectX 12 graphics device with WDDM 2.0 or higher driver
- TPM 2.0 or later is recommended but not required for BitLocker Encryption support for use in the Stanford Whole Disk Encryption (SWDE) service. BitLocker does require Windows 11 Pro, Education or Enterprise versions.
- UEFI, Secure Boot capable System Firmware
Window 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education have higher minimum hardware requirements than Windows 10. Windows 11 is also 64-bit only.
Note: You can do an in-place upgrade to Windows 11 EDU from Windows 10 EDU. Contact your local IT local support for assistance. We are waiting for official documentation from Microsoft regarding in-place upgrades for previous operating systems.
Obtaining Windows 11
Windows 11 Education is available for Stanford-owned computers through Stanford's campus agreement with Microsoft. Check with your desktop support staff for more information.
Software compatibility with Essential Stanford Software (ESS)
| Software | Description | Windows 11 Compatibility |
|---|---|---|
| BigFix Client | The latest version of the BigFix client, available through the ESS site, is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| Box Drive | Box Drive is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| Cardinal Key | Cardinal Key is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| Device Enrollment | Device Enrollment is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| Google Drive for Desktop | Google Drive for Desktop is compatible with Windows 11 . | Compatible |
| Kerberos for Windows | Kerberos for Windows (also known as Network Identity Manager) functions normally on Windows 11. | Compatible |
| Microsoft Office Pro Plus | This refers to the non-Microsoft 365 version of Microsoft Office. Microsoft Office Professional 2019 is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| Microsoft Project Professional | Microsoft Project Professional 2019 is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| Microsoft Visio Professional | Microsoft Visio Professional 2019 is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| OneDrive for Business | OneDrive for Business is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| OpenAFS for Windows | OpenAFS 1.7.33 is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| SecureCRT/SecureFX | The latest version of SecureCRT/SecureFX, available through ESS, is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| Slack | Slack is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| Stanford Anti-Malware | Stanford's anti-malware service for Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2012/2016/2019 is CrowdStrike Falcon. | Compatible |
| Stanford Software Removal Tool | The Stanford Software Removal Tool is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| Stanford Whole Disk Encryption (SWDE) | Windows 11 is supported in SWDE through BitLocker, the native whole disk encryption feature, available in Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education. More information is available on the Stanford Whole Disk Encryption site. | Compatible |
| VLRE | VLRE is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| VPN | The Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client works with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| Windows Eraser | Eraser is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
| Zoom | Zoom is compatible with Windows 11. | Compatible |
Administrative Systems applications (e.g., Oracle Financials, PeopleSoft/Axess)
Windows 11 includes Microsoft Edge, which is the default browser. Internet Explorer is no longer included. Please see Browser Recommendations for Administrative Applications to verify the applications you need are compatible with Edge .
