Installing Windows 11 on Mid 2011 imac - How To and the Pitfalls

[clarkr]

Mid 2011 imac 12,1 - 12 GB Ram - 2 TB HDD OWC Hard Drive
System: Mac High Sierra - Windows 10 Pro - Bootcamp 5.1
Firewire 400 and 800 ports
Thunderbolt 1 port
USB 2 ports - There are no USB 3 ports on this mac
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500S CPU @ 2.70GHz, 2701 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)


Hi all again. I upgraded my imac to Windows 10 Pro from 8.1 because most all online software stopped working correctly. The updated online software seems to work OK now although a lot of extra crap/junk programs and apps to sift through on 10 and delete. The old Photoshop 6 does not work on 10 so I bought a copy of Photoshop CS6 Extended which is supposed to work on 10 and 11. The problem with this version of Photoshop is it can only be installed twice so I don't want to try it on 10 yet and am waiting until I hope I can install 11.

I found out trying to reinstall Windows on a new drive with 8.1 that I could only do this using the original internal optical drive. Is this involved in doing the 11 upgrade too? I have downloaded the Windows 11 ISO file. Now what do I do with it?

As I have been told, Windows 11 is a better OS that is more stable and also still supported. So... I am open to discussions on how to best install Windows 11 (since I don't have that stupid motherboard chip) on my imac. I have heard there can be problems with the OS on the older Intel Macs. Has anyone installed this on an imac like mine and if so how is it running? Any problems or concerns I should know about? Anyone installed an older Photoshop and if so how is it working?

What I use this imac for:
1. Exclusively editing and also creating high resolution image files in Photoshop and Illustrator.
2. Using it online for browsing and viewing online instruction video's. Very rarely creating small video's.

I do not use my imac for gaming or editing or creating large video files other than small video info files and this rarely.

Any and all suggestions are welcome. Thanks to all in advance for your help and support.

Clark

 

[chabig]

Windows 11 can be installed and run on a Mid-2011 iMac (iMac12,1), unofficially. Microsoft's official requirements include TPM 2.0, Secure Boot capable UEFI firmware, and a supported 64-bit processor. Your 2011 iMac does not meet these.

Users on other forums report successful workarounds:

Methods typically involve:

• Bypassing TPM/Secure Boot checks (e.g., registry edits during install or tools like Rufus to create a modified USB installer).
• Using Boot Camp drivers (from Boot Camp 5.1) or modified setups for graphics, audio, etc.
• Installing in BIOS/Legacy mode (common for stability on 2011 models) or UEFI mode (with extra tweaks for audio, as EFI mode can break internal speakers on Cirrus Logic hardware without DSDT overrides or OpenCore hacks).

Common installation paths:

• Create a Windows 11 USB installer, bypass checks, boot via Option key.
• Some use an older Windows version first (e.g., Win 10), then upgrade.
• Issues like BSODs (often from Intel/AMD graphics drivers like igdkmd64.sys) are fixed by injecting drivers early or disabling auto-install of incompatible ones.

Some issues you may face:

• Graphics: AMD Radeon HD in discrete models works better than integrated Intel HD 3000
• Audio: Internal speakers may not work
• Other hardware: Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc., may need manual driver fixes.
• Overall: The hardware is from 2011, so Windows 11 will feel sluggish compared to Windows 10, especially on a hard drive.

 

[SnowPenguin]

I faced this issue with my iMac 2011. I managed to install Windows 10 on it with a flash drive. It worked, but I lost access to sound & the discrete graphics. I eventually thought it wasn't worth the hassle, so wiped it out & installed Linux on it instead. I still wish to know a good way around Apple's faulty CD drive.

 

[Snowlover]

I still wish to know a good way around Apple's faulty CD drive.

Windows install

Windows Install​

Download Windows Install for free. Installing Windows from macOS. Suitable for Hackintosh and Macintosh. The Windows Install.app program allows you to install Windows directly from the Mac OS system. There is no need to create an installation flash drive.

Put Windows Install app and windows iso on a high sierra or higher external drive. Boot from the external drive and install to internal drive partition formatted to exfat. Use the legacy boot setting so sound etc works.
Have done this with windows 10 iot ltsc on 2011 macbook air. Not tried windows 11 yet.

 

[clarkr]

I faced this issue with my iMac 2011. I managed to install Windows 10 on it with a flash drive. It worked, but I lost access to sound & the discrete graphics. I eventually thought it wasn't worth the hassle, so wiped it out & installed Linux on it instead. I still wish to know a good way around Apple's faulty CD drive.

My original HD crashed and I bought a new replacement from OWC. I went through a month of trying to install Windows 8.1 on a partition a while ago (view other recent threads I posted on here) and for me it was completely impossible to install using a USB drive. I tried for a full month for a workaround on that method with no joy.

My original optical drive did not work correctly so I went to eBay and bought a used optical for my 2011. I could then install Windows 8.1 with absolutely no problem. The DVD's booted up and I installed it. Night and Day problem solved. Five minutes vs. a month.

There are numerous optical drives for sale on eBay right now if you look. The prices are dirt cheap and it is a new ballgame with that optical drive working.

During this time since I reinstalled Windows 8.1 the online software began to fade do to non support and updates. Firefox ERG? would not work correctly. I could not log into PayPal or perform without many problems on Facebook Marketplace. I have to say Google Chrome did work still but the writing was on the wall and I had to upgrade to Windows 10. I had no problems 'upgrading' a legitimate 8.1 to 10 and it seems to be working fine so far.

Some apps are a bit flaky (or I need to figure out the 10 OS differences on my part) like Open Shell which I use exclusively on Windows platforms but it still works and I am trying to figure out some solutions. The internal audio works perfect on mine so far so for me that is no problem. I don't know what you mean by discreet graphics so I can't comment on that.

The main problem I encountered in 10 was that Photoshop 6 stopped loading and had errors starting up. This was the main reason I stayed on this older platform. I bought a newer version of Photoshop CS6 that supposedly works on 10 and 11. I have not tried it yet as that software is limited to 2 installs period. This is why I am looking on here for whether to stay on Windows 10 or move up to the better and more stable 11. All browser and online apps still support Windows 10 but that is also probably going to end in the future.

Thus I am undecided what to do still after seeing the replies on here (thanks to all again).

Clark

 

[SnowPenguin]

Windows install

Windows Install​

Download Windows Install for free. Installing Windows from macOS. Suitable for Hackintosh and Macintosh. The Windows Install.app program allows you to install Windows directly from the Mac OS system. There is no need to create an installation flash drive.

Put Windows Install app and windows iso on a high sierra or higher external drive. Boot from the external drive and install to internal drive partition formatted to exfat. Use the legacy boot setting so sound etc works.
Have done this with windows 10 iot ltsc on 2011 macbook air. Not tried windows 11 yet.

This is awesome! I am tempted to try it out myself.

 

[Snowlover]

Works with windows 11 iot ltsc too.
Edit : installing bootcamp borks the system- constant reboots. Just install the needed drivers individually.

 

[ThrowerGB]

1. Exclusively editing and also creating high resolution image files in Photoshop and Illustrator.
2. Using it online for browsing and viewing online instruction video's. Very rarely creating small video's.

1) Are the tools you use not available for macOS?
2) I've been using Parallels on Macs for many years starting out on iMacs with W10 under Parallels. It includes a legitimate (MS approved) version of Windows 11. It's extremely easy to install and runs MS W11 apps smoothy and without issues. On macOS you just run the included Parallels install software and and it does everything for you. There are just a few options in the install. For example: it has the capability to access both your macOS and Windows file systems simultaneously if you want and can share the display. You can even run Windows apps from within the macOS UI.
Of course as others have noted, you're using old hardware so things might be sluggish, but will probably have the same performance as your Mac system.