Can I Upgrade to Windows 8?

Yes, as long as you have the minimum system requirements to run it

By
Melanie Uy
Melanie Uy
Writer
  • Queens College
  • Harvard University Extension School
Former Lifewire writer Melanie Uy has 5+ years' experience writing about consumer-oriented technology and is an expert telecommuter.
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Updated on August 18, 2022
Reviewed by
Jessica Kormos
Jessica Kormos
Reviewed by Jessica Kormos
  • Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College
Jessica Kormos is a writer and editor with 15 years' experience writing articles, copy, and UX content for Tecca.com, Rosenfeld Media, and many others.
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Microsoft stopped mainstream support of Windows 8 and 8.1 on January 9, 2018, and will end extended support on January 10, 2023. Windows 10 is Microsoft's newest operating system. This article remains available for archival purposes.

Upgrading to Windows 8 should be a smooth transition most of the time. However, if you have an old computer, use the information below to verify if an upgrade to Windows 8 is practical given your hardware situation.

Windows 8 tablet
PIX1861 / Pixabay

See our article on how to upgrade to Windows 10 if you'd rather do that. Given that Windows 8 has long since been deprecated, you're better off upgrading to Windows 10 than to any version of Windows 8.

Windows 8 Minimum System Requirements

These are the minimum system requirements for Windows 8 according to Microsoft:

  • Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster
  • RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) (32-bit) or 2 GB (64-bit)
  • Hard disk space: 16 GB (32-bit) or 20 GB (64-bit)
  • Graphics card: Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver

Below are some additional requirements that are needed for Windows 8 to run certain features, like touch.

  • A tablet or monitor that supports multitouch.
  • Windows Store apps require a screen resolution of at least 1024x768, and to snap apps you need a 1366x768 screen resolution.
  • Some games/applications only run at full capacity if used with graphics cards with DirectX 10 or higher.
  • DVD playing software is not included by default in Windows 8, so you have to download your own program either from the Windows Store or through a vendor's website.
  • For Windows 8.1 Pro users, BitLocker To Go requires a USB flash drive.
  • A TV tuner is needed to record live TV in Windows Media Player.

If your computer runs Windows 7, Windows 8 should work just as well (if not better) on that same hardware. Microsoft ensures Windows 8 is backward-compatible with Windows 7.

As for device-and-app compatibility, most programs and devices that work with Windows 7 should work with Windows 8—the full Windows 8 operating system, not Windows RT. 

If there's a particular program you depend on that doesn't work right after the upgrade, try the Program Compatibility Troubleshooter.

How to Find Your Computer's Specs

To see the hardware specifications for your computer, you could either run a system information tool that gathers all that information for you (most of them are easy to use) or you could use Windows itself.

To find your system's specs in Windows, do the following:

  1. In the Charms Bar, select Search.

  2. In the Search box enter system information and select the magnifying glass or press Enter.

  3. Select System Summary on the left panel to see your hardware specs in the right panel.

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