The short answer is: yes, you have to upgrade.

You have the freedom to choose a date and time that suits you to carry out the upgrade, but ideally the earlier the better. The earlier you upgrade, the more time you have to become familiar with the operating system before Window 10 falls out of support in October. However, it is worth noting that if you delay the upgrade for too long, you may run the risk of your account being locked.

To avoid any chance of your account being locked, upgrade as soon as you can, and please encourage your colleagues to upgrade as soon as they can too.

To perform updates on a Windows 11 device:

1. Head to settings (search for settings in the start menu, or press WINDOWS KEY + I on your keyboard).

2. Once on the settings menu, locate the Windows Update option on the left-hand menu (it will be at the bottom).

3. You will then see a blue button on the Windows Update page "Check for updates". Press this button to check for outstanding updates.

4. If an update is available, click the blue button again to install it. You may be prompted to update your device, or it may do it for you. If your device does restart, head back to the Windows Update section after you've logged back in to check that all the updates are complete and your device is up to date.

Please head to this Knowledge Base article for information about application reinstallation: IT - Reinstallation of applications after Windows 11 upgrade

Accessibility options can be accessed by pressing WINDOWS KEY + U on your keyboard. This will bring up the integrated accessibility tools provided by Microsoft.

The University of Wolverhampton is taking a staggered approach to the deployment of Windows 11. This means that, while other colleagues around the University may have access to the upgrade option in Software Center, you may not. This is because your department has not been targeted for the upgrade just yet, but it will soon (you will receive an email when it is you and your departments time to upgrade).

The reason for the delay between departments is to ensure we can provide support for these departments without Digital Services becoming overwhelmed with calls.

If you have specialist accessibility software on your device, you will be exempted from the upgrade within your department. This is to ensure that your accessibility software is available to you after you perform the upgrade.

The self-service guide provides information about how to move all your important files to your OneDrive cloud storage. However, if you are unfamiliar with OneDrive then please head to Microsoft's OneDrive webpage which provides guidance on using OneDrive to store files.

As long as you follow the guidance exactly, and familiarise yourself with OneDrive before you perform the upgrade, there should be no reason why you would lose access to files.

Caution: Some application save files may be stored locally on your device by default. As each application is unique in this respect, please take time to locate your application save files and ensure that they are saved to your OneDrive storage before upgrading.

Click here to head to the Knowledge Base article: Mapping your work PC/laptop to a share network drive.

In the unlikely event that something goes wrong when upgrading to Windows 11, you can log a Service Desk call. Please give as many details as possible about what happened when your device failed to upgrade.

Please only contact the Service Desk if you have attempted the Windows 11 upgrade yourself.

We will also have drop-in areas for those who have attempted to upgrade, but the upgrade has failed.

Passwords are saved on your browser, but you'll need to be signed into your browser to save and access your passwords. Before you begin the upgrade please ensure that you are signed into your browser. Details about how to sign into your browser can be found in the self-service guidance booklet.

Once you've upgraded to Windows 11, you'll just need to head to your browser then sign in using your university credentials. Once signed in, you'll see your passwords, bookmarks and browsing history.

Microsoft Edge

1. Open Microsoft Edge: Click the Edge icon on your desktop, taskbar or application menu.
2. Access Profile Settings: Click the profile icon (top-left corner, it's a circular icon) and select "Sign in" or "Add new account."
3. Sign In: Enter your University of Wolverhampton account credentials and select "Sign in to sync data."

Google Chrome

1. Open Google Chrome: Click the Chrome icon on your desktop, taskbar or application menu.
2. Access Profile Settings: Click the profile icon (top-right corner, it looks like a person in a circle) and select "Sign in to Chrome."
3. Sign In: Enter your University of Wolverhampton account credentials and select "Turn on sync" (Yes, I'm in).

To move your taskbar back to the left side of the screen:

1. Right click on the taskbar and select "Taskbar setting".

2. In the taskbar settings menu, select the "Taskbar behaviours" tab.

3. On "Taskbar alignment", select Centre and change it to Left.