Microsoft is testing a Windows 11 desktop watermark for unsupported hardware

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Microsoft is experimenting with two new ways to warn Windows 11 users that they have installed the operating system on unsupported hardware. A new watermark has appeared on the desktop wallpaper in the latest test builds of Windows 11, along with a warning in the landing page of the settings app.

If the test build is running on hardware that isn't supported by Windows, the desktop watermark states that the system requirements aren't met and appears alongside the build number that is only shown on evaluation or pre-release versions of Windows. It is similar to the watermark that appears in Windows if you haven't activated the OS. The settings warning was spotted by Albacore.

It is not clear if Microsoft will allow this desktop wallpaper warning. New additions to Windows 11 that might not make the final cut will be tested by the software maker. Microsoft wants to modify how Windows 11 appears on hardware that is not supported by the company.

Microsoft's minimum hardware requirements for Windows 11 have been controversial as the OS only supports Intel 8th Gen Coffee Lake or Zen+ and Zen 2 CPUs and up. This move left millions of PCs behind, but there is an easy way to install Windows 11. People who have used the workaround may see warnings in future updates.

Microsoft restricts features like dark mode, personalization settings, and themes from being modified until a system is activated in the past. Microsoft doesn't appear to be experimenting with any feature restrictions, and the warnings are only subtle.