It’s over of Windows 10’s roadmap—at least, according to its official end-of-life location, as determined by Microsoft. The app will continue to work, but will be less secure, and will no longer receive updates or security patches (unless you pay Microsoft to extend support for another year).
If you’re still running Windows 10, and you don’t meet the minimum requirements for Windows 11—which most older PCs don’t—then there’s a possible solution in the form of Tiny11. This unofficial, released version of Windows 11 cuts through the clutter for a smaller, simpler experience, and can run on machines that don’t support the full-fat Windows 11 released by Microsoft.
It’s not just a potential option for those upgrading from Windows 10—it’s something anyone who would like a smaller version of Windows 11 can try. Keep in mind that it is not approved by Microsoft, so there are caveats to consider, which we will go into below.
What is Tiny11?
The history of Tiny11 goes back many years. So far, in fact, that it precedes Windows 11; formerly known as Tiny10. The idea is that you get a streamlined version of Microsoft’s desktop operating system, reducing the bloat without cutting anything important from the user experience.
Many pre-installed Windows 11 apps are disconnected from the Tiny11 experience, for example. These include Mail, Calendar, Alarms, Weather, and even Solitaire. You don’t get Media Player, you don’t get Microsoft Edge, and you don’t get OneDrive integration. This makes it a good look for those who like Windows but not all of Microsoft’s extras.
There are downsides. You don’t get regular updates, you don’t get the same kind of protection that Microsoft offers in official Windows 11, and you’re putting your trust in a third-party developer to take care of your hardware. This is by no means an unknown piece of software—it’s been tried and tested by other major tech websites—but it doesn’t offer the same support and accountability as Microsoft.
As Tiny11 is stripped of its essential value, you may find that some mysterious Windows 11 features or components you rely on are missing. And while Tiny11 is free to download and install, you’ll have to provide a valid license key to use Windows 11—so this isn’t a way to get the software for free.
If you want to move from Windows 10 as soon as possible and you don’t want to pay anything extra, then you have several other options to consider: You can install one of the many flavors of Linux on your machine (and you will find many guides for this on the web), or you can consider installing ChromeOS Flex.
Get Started with Tiny11
There are several ways to obtain a bootable disk image (ISO) of Tiny11. The first is to download a ready-made Tiny 11 ISO from the Internet Archive, such as Tiny11 24H2. Just make sure the ISO has official developer NTDEV listed as a contributor to the project, and get the latest available.
The second option is to build the ISO yourself: Go to the Tiny11 GitHub page, and there you can download the script “tiny11maker.ps1” (whichever version is listed as the most recent). Then you need to grab the official WIndows 11 ISO from Microsoft, by downloading the Windows 11 Disk Image (ISO) drop-down menu.