How to move to Windows 11 without losing your data

Two ways to get to Windows 11

Microsoft ended free support for Windows 10 on 14 October 2025, so most people are now choosing between two paths: upgrade the PC they have to Windows 11, or buy a new Windows 11 PC and move their files to it.

Either way, the files are what matter. Windows and programs can always be installed again; years of photos and documents can't.

Step 0: Can your PC run Windows 11?

Open the PC Health Check app from Microsoft (or Settings → Windows Update, which tells you if the upgrade is offered). Windows 11 needs a supported 64-bit processor, 4 GB of memory, 64 GB of storage, UEFI with Secure Boot and TPM 2.0. Many PCs from before 2018 don't qualify.

Path A: Upgrade the same PC

• Back up first — to an external drive, OneDrive or another PC. An upgrade normally keeps everything, but a failed one is the worst time to discover you had no copy.
• Install pending Windows 10 updates and restart.
• Free some space: the upgrade needs room to download and unpack, and keeps your old Windows for about 10 days in case you want to go back.
• Run the upgrade from Windows Update or Microsoft's Windows 11 Installation Assistant, and choose to keep personal files and apps when asked.
• Afterwards, open a few important files and check your programs start.

Path B: Move to a new Windows 11 PC

If your PC can't upgrade, or you're buying a new one anyway, set up the new PC first, then move your files across from the old one. Windows 10 (22H2) to Windows 11 is fully supported by OthTech Switch.

1. 1

   Set up the new Windows 11 PC

   Finish Windows setup, sign in, and let Windows Update install its updates. Install the programs you use every day — the old PC stays available for reference.

2. 2

   Install OthTech Switch on both PCs

   Download it from switch.othtech.com/download on the Windows 10 PC and on the Windows 11 PC. Choose “old computer” on the Windows 10 PC and “new computer” on the Windows 11 PC.

3. 3

   Pair them

   Type the 8-character code shown on the new PC into the old one, check that both show the same 6-digit number, and allow the connection on the new PC.

4. 4

   Choose what to bring

   After the scan, keep Documents, Pictures, Videos, Music, Desktop and Downloads ticked and add any other folders you use. The app warns you about online-only OneDrive files and checks that everything fits.

5. 5

   Move and verify

   Start the move. Files travel directly over your network, encrypted, and each one is checked against the original before it's marked Verified. Pause and resume whenever you need to.

6. 6

   Finish setting up

   Use the report's list of apps to reinstall what's missing, sign in to your browser to bring back saved passwords, and keep the Windows 10 PC for a few days before you reset it.

Things that don't come across by themselves

• Programs and their licences: install them on Windows 11 and sign in or enter the key (some need deactivating on the old PC first).
• Saved passwords: they come back with your browser's sync or password manager, not with your files.
• Printers and other devices: Windows 11 usually finds drivers itself; otherwise get them from the maker's website.
• Email in desktop apps: accounts set up with IMAP or Microsoft 365 just sync again; old POP mailboxes (.pst files) are files you should bring along.