How to Remove System Requirements Not Met Watermark in Windows 11

You remove the “System requirements are not met” watermark in Windows 11 by editing a specific registry key.

This watermark appears on desktops running Windows 11 on unsupported hardware, such as machines lacking TPM 2.0, to notify you of the installation’s non-compliance.

The message is primarily a visual cue, as Microsoft notes potential instability on unsupported systems but the watermark itself doesn’t directly impact performance.

Following this guide, you will disable the watermark, restoring a clean desktop appearance and removing this constant reminder of unmet hardware specifications.

Steps to remove the watermark

You can remove the “System requirements not met” watermark in Windows 11 by making a simple change in the Registry Editor, which is a built-in tool for managing Windows settings.

1. Click the Start button and type regedit to open the Registry Editor.
2. Use the sidebar to navigate to this path: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache
3. If you do not see the folder named UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache, 🖱️ right-click on the Control Panel folder, select New, and name the new key UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache.
4. Inside that folder, look for a file named SV2.
5. If SV2 is missing, right-click in the empty space, select New, then choose DWORD (32-bit) Value and name it SV2.
6. Double-click the SV2 file. Change the “Value data” box from 1 to 0.
7. Click OK and 🔄 restart your computer to apply the changes.

Summary

Removing the “System requirements not met” watermark in Windows 11 involves changing a setting in the Registry Editor.