While upgrading to Windows 11, some users face a strange issue. Windows 11 PC Health Check app shows the computer is eligible for upgrade and both the hardware & software components meet the eligibility tests. However, while initiating the upgrade process for Windows 11, the Windows Update utility displays an error: “Your PC can’t upgrade”.
This mismatch can occur due to a variety of reasons. In this workaround, we’ll discuss a few ways to fix this problem.
Solution 1: Update Old Cache
If you’ve recently upgraded your computer’s hardware, the upgrade eligibility score may continue to show the old results. You’ll continue to see the old error message: “Your PC can’t upgrade”. This problem occurs because of older cache contents. There are two ways to refresh the cached results- Task Scheduler and Command Prompt. We’ll highlight both of them.
Method 1: Using Task Scheduler
- Click the Search box on the taskbar.
- Type Task Scheduler in the Search Box and open it from the search results.
- Expand the following nodes in the newly opened program: Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience.
- On the right-hand side panel, right-click on Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser and choose the Run option from the context menu.
- Wait for some time until the Ready status is displayed.
- Once the Ready status is displayed, click on the Action > Refresh.
Method 2: Using Command Prompt
- Type Command Prompt in the Search Box on the taskbar.
- Right-click Command Prompt from the results, and select Run as administrator.
- Type the following command:
schtasks.exe /Run /TN “\Microsoft\Windows\Application Experience\Microsoft Compatibility Appraiser”
- Press Enter.
- It may take some time for the completion of the task. Once the task is successfully performed, click on Start > Settings.
- In the Update & Security > Windows Update and start the update download & install process.
Solution 2: Enable TPM 2.0
Windows 11 imposes a prerequisite that your computer must have Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 2.0 installed and enabled. Even if your computer has the TPM 2.0 chip installed, it must be enabled in order to upgrade to Windows 11. Go to your computer’s BIOS settings and activate it, if disabled.
Note: The actual steps may differ depending on the computer manufacturer and model you use. Please refer to your computer’s manual/ documentation or contact the vendor for the accurate instructions.
- Restart your computer.
- Press F2 or the Delete key repeatedly until the BIOS Setup page opens.
- Go to the Security tab.
- Set the Intel Platform Trust Technology (IPTT) feature to Enabled position. If you’ve got an AMD Processor, look for the AMD CPU TPM and set it to Enabled.
- Save the settings and exit.
Solution 3: Delete SoftwareDistribution Folder Contents
The SoftwareDistribution folder contains files downloaded by Windows Update utility. Your PC may experience problems upgrading to Windows 11 due to some incompletely downloaded or corrupted files. Deleting the contents of the SoftwareDistribution folder might help.
In order to delete the contents of the SoftwareDistribution folder, you need to stop the associated services first. Your files cannot be deleted while they are in use. After stopping the services, you can delete the files and restart the stopped services again. Alternatively, they might also start automatically when you restart your computer.
- Open Command Prompt with elevated privileges.
- Execute the following commands one by one:
- net stop wuauserv
- Net stop bits
- Open File Explorer.
- Go to the following location: C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution.
- Select all the files from the SoftwareDistribution folder and delete them. This might take some time because there may be too many files in large numbers.
- Open Command Prompt again.
- Execute the following commands one by one:
- net start wuauserv
- net start bits
Note: If you’re unable to delete the files, reboot your computer in Safe Mode.