When support for Windows 7 officially ended this year, users were left with no choice but to either upgrade to the latest Windows 10 or buy the extended support that lasts for two more years. Users with older devices may be wondering if their devices can handle the powerful Windows 10 or not.
Here, I shall discuss Windows 10 compatibility test, and how you can run older applications in Windows 10 compatibility mode.
Windows 10 Compatibility Test: Can My Computer Run Windows 10?
One of the first things you should check is the system requirements of Windows 10. Many older devices may not be able to run Windows 10 if the device that you are using does not have the recommended hardware. The minimum system requirements of Windows 10 are as follows:
Processor: 1 GHz or faster processor
RAM: 2 GB for 64-bit devices (4 GB recommended)
Storage: 32 GB or larger storage device
Graphics: Any graphics card compatible with DirectX 9 or higher
Display: 800*600
If your device has this configuration, you can upgrade to Windows 10 to enjoy the latest security patches. However, if you do not have the necessary components, you can either purchase the security components, or run the older operating system without the latest security patches.
How To Run A Game In Compatibility Mode?
Got an old piece of software that you want to run on your new device? There is a feature in Windows 10, that allows you to run such applications on the latest version of the operating system, even if the application does not have native support for Windows 10.
The Windows 10 compatibility mode allows you to run outdated software without official support. This is achieved by mimicking the older operating system for the application, which allows non-native applications to function as if they were being run on older devices.
If you have such a game or software, you can use the Windows Compatibility mode to run such software if you face problems while running them on your newer device. You can enable this after installing the application on your computer.
Follow these steps to run an app in Compatibility mode:
- First, find the executable for the application. This can also be the shortcut to the application if you have it on the desktop. If not, locate the app folder inside the installation directory.
- Right click on this executable file to reveal an additional menu.
- Select Properties from the context menu that appears.
- Switch to the Compatibility tab.
- If you earlier faced some issues with the way the application was behaving on Windows 10, you can run an associated troubleshooter in this tab. Click on the button that says, ‘Run compatibility troubleshooter’.
- However, if you know the version of Windows in which the application worked flawlessly, you can directly select that OS under this tab as well. This is especially true if you upgraded from Windows 7 or 8.1.
- Make sure to check the box next to the option that says, ‘Run this program in compatibility mode for:’
- Select the operating system from the drop-down menu under the option.
- Change the display resolution and DPI settings according to your requirements.
- Once you have reviewed the settings, click on Apply followed by OK to save the changes.
Now when you run the application, Windows 10 will emulate the operating system version that you selected only for this application, and you should not see any more issues.
Wrapping Up
So there you have it. Now you know Windows 10 compatibility test, and how to run a game in compatibility mode Windows 10 using the information provided above. Comment below if you found this useful, and to discuss further the same.