Windows 11 Upgrade feature

This article covers how to use SmartDeploy's Windows 11 Upgrade feature to perform in-place upgrades on managed devices.

The current release supports the Windows 11 Upgrade feature which enables administrators to upgrade eligible Windows 10 devices to Windows 11 directly from the SmartDeploy console, without requiring a reimage. The feature leverages Microsoft's Windows Update in-place upgrade functionality via the Microsoft Installation Assistant.

When an upgrade is initiated, the Microsoft Installation Assistant downloads the Windows 11 ISO directly from Microsoft, saves user profiles on the endpoint, runs the upgrade to the latest production version of Windows 11, and restores user profiles upon completion.

Note: This can be a lengthy process that requires multiple client restarts.

Before you start

Before initiating an upgrade, ensure the following requirements are met:

• SmartDeploy version: We recommend using the latest version of SmartDeploy.
• Client Agent version: The SmartDeploy Client Agent installed on target devices should also be running the latest release. Devices with an older Client Agent version may not support this feature.
• Source OS: The minimum supported version of Windows for an in-place upgrade is Windows 10 v2004. Devices running earlier versions must be updated before proceeding.
• Windows 11 Readiness: Target devices must pass SmartDeploy's Windows 11 readiness checks. Eligibility can be reviewed directly in the console prior to initiating upgrades.
• Hardware compatibility: Target devices must meet Microsoft's official Windows 11 hardware requirements, including TPM 2.0, Secure Boot, a compatible CPU, sufficient RAM, and storage. See Windows 11 requirements. 
• Disk space: We recommend ensuring that the system has at least 64 GB of available disk space before starting the Windows 11 upgrade. Insufficient free space is one of the most common causes of upgrade failures.

Start the Windows 11 Upgrade

1. In the Computer Management workspace of the SmartDeploy Console, identify one or more computers that you want to upgrade.
2. Check the eligibility of target devices under the Windows 11 Readiness Status column. For devices that are marked as ineligible, refer to the Windows 11 Readiness Reason column to see why.

3. Select the target device(s), go to Actions and click the Windows 11 Upgrade option.

4. Select a delivery method, either Local or Cloud, then press Confirm.

Collecting Windows 11 Upgrade Logs

When troubleshooting Windows 11 upgrade issues, our Support team may ask you to collect diagnostic logs from the endpoint that failed to upgrade.

Download and run the attached PowerShell script, Collect-Windows11UpgradeLogs.ps1 (which can be found at the end of this article), on the affected device. The script collects key Windows 11 upgrade, Windows Update, driver installation, rollback, and SmartDeploy logs, and saves them to: C:\UpgradeLogs

After the script completes, compress the C:\UpgradeLogs folder into a ZIP file.

You can review the logs yourself or include them with your support request. If your organization does not allow ZIP files to be sent by email, submit the logs using the SmartDeploy Support Form, which includes a file upload option. If you are uploading logs for an existing support case, be sure to include your support ticket number so the logs can be associated with the correct case.