Windows 10 system requirements: What will you need to run Windows 10?

Is your PC, laptop, tablet or desktop computer equipped to run Windows 10? Here’s a run down of the specs you need to make sure

In around two weeks, Microsoft will release the most hotly anticipated piece of software of the year, Windows 10.

The company has a lot to make up for following the whole Windows 8 debacle, and early reports suggest that Windows 10 will go some way to restoring faith in the platform.

The return of the Start Menu is a good place to start in more ways than one, while a completely new web browser will finally put the bloated corpse of Internet Explorer to rest.

Meanwhile, Microsoft has acknowledged that most people are still quite happy to control their OS with a keyboard and mouse, thank you very much. In fact, we insist. The Windows 10 UI has been reworked from the touch-biased Windows 8 accordingly.

We’ve discussed how much Windows 10 will cost, and who gets to upgrade for free, But there’s an even more fundamental question to ask here: can your computer even handle it?

Windows 10 minimum specs

Here are the official minimum recommended specs for a Windows 10 machine, as provided by Microsoft:

Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC
RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS 20 GB for 64-bit OS
Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
Display: 1024 x 600 or above

Naturally, you’ll also need an internet connection, and a Microsoft account is a must too.

It goes without saying that if you want to take advantage of Windows 10’s touch interface, you’ll need a touchscreen display. If you don’t though, keyboard and mouse/trackpad will be fine.

Related: Windows 10 vs Windows 7: Should you upgrade?

Before you go diving into your system’s specs to see if you meet the grade, there’s one simple check: does your computer run Windows 8.1? If so, then you’re good to go with Windows 10.

Another way to check, if your PC or tablet is currently running Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 Update, is to use the ‘Check my PC’ feature in the in the Get Windows 10 app, which should be installed.

Cortana requirements

Also keeping mind that one of Windows 10’s core new features, the Cortana personal assistant, will only be available in certain languages – and hence in Windows 10 versions for certain countries.

Those countries are: United States, United Kingdom, China, France, Italy, Germany and Spain.

Naturally, Microsoft will expand that meagre selection over time, but it’s likely to remain fairly limited at launch.

Also, you’ll need to make sure that your computer has a microphone hooked up in order to take advantage of Cortana’s voice recognition input system. Microsoft recommends a “High fidelity microphone array” and a “Hardware driver with Microphone array geometry exposed.”

We suspect that a decent web cam will do the trick, though, and if you have a fairly recent laptop you won’t have to worry.

SEE ALSO: Windows 10 features: What’s new?

Media player

Another thing that you’ll need, which may seem a little odd to long-time Windows users, is a media player. At least, if you want to play your DVDs you will.

Why? Because if you currently run Windows 7 Home Premium, Windows 7 Professional, Windows 7 Ultimate, Windows 8 Pro with Media Centre or Windows 8.1 Pro with Media Centre and you install Windows 10, Microsoft will delete Windows Media Centre.

This means that you’ll need to install dedicated media player software once you boot up Windows 10. Weird, we know.

Still have questions about whether your PC, laptop, tablet or desktop is Windows 10-ready? Let us know in the comments section below.