How to Remove the “System Requirements Not Met” Watermark in Windows 11

When Windows 11 is installed on devices that do not meet Microsoft’s minimum system requirements, the “System Requirements Not Met” watermark may appear. This can be seen in the bottom right corner of the desktop and in Windows Settings. Although it shows crucial information, it can be unnecessary and visually disruptive, which is why it’s a good idea to turn it off.

This guide will help you learn how to remove the “System Requirements Not Met” watermark using various means, including the Registry Editor, Command Prompt, PowerShell, and the Group Policy Editor.

Methods for removing the “System Requirements Not Met” watermark

📌 Prerequisites:

• These methods apply to Windows 11 computers where the “System Requirements Not Met” message is present.
• You will need administrator privileges for the Registry Editor, PowerShell, Group Policy Editor, and Command Prompt methods.

📌 Recommended deployment strategies:

💡 Note: These methods target devices where Windows 11 was installed using workarounds or unofficial means for testing purposes and lab environments.

Method 1: Removing “System Requirements Not Met” watermark via the Registry Editor

This method lets you suppress the watermark by changing the UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache registry value.

📌 Use Cases:

• You can use this if the Group Policy Editor is unavailable on your system.
• Excellent for personal and home PCs that show the “System Requirements Not Met” message.
• This works well for removing the message without commands or scripts.

📌 Prerequisites:

• This method only works in Windows 11 systems where the watermark is displayed.
• Requires administrator privileges.

Here are the steps to suppress the “System Requirements Not Met” watermark using the Registry Editor:

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter to open the Registry Editor.
2. Next, go to this key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache
3. In case UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache does not exist, create it via these steps:
   1. Right-click on Control Panel.
   2. Select New > Key, then name it: UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache
4. Within the UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache key, make a new DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it SV2.
5. Double-click on SV2, and set the value to 0.
6. Click OK and close the Registry Editor.
7. Restart your computer.

⚠️ Warning: Tweaking the Registry may cause issues if users accidentally make the wrong modifications. To be safe, be sure to back up the registry.

Method 2: Using the Command Prompt to remove the “System Requirements Not Met” watermark

📌 Use Cases:

• This is a quick, one-step method and won’t require navigating to the registry.
• This is ideal for script deployments or applying the fix across numerous machines.

📌 Prerequisites:

• This method requires administrator privileges.
• Suitable for devices that are showing the message.

Here’s how to use the Command Prompt to make the “System Requirements Not Met” disappear:

1. Open the Command Prompt as Administrator.
2. Copy and paste the command below, and press Enter:

reg add"HKCU\Control Panel\UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache"/v SV2 /t REG_DWORD /d0/f

3. Close the Command Prompt and restart your computer to finalize the changes.

⚠️ Warning: Ensure no group policies are enforcing the warning. Otherwise, it will override any changes made with the Command Prompt or Registry Editor.

💡 Note: This will tweak the same registry value in Method 1, but it will automate the entire process.

Method 3: Utilizing PowerShell to remove the “System Requirements Not Met” watermark

You can use PowerShell to create or update the registry value that controls the watermark.

📌 Use Cases:

• If you don’t want to use a GUI or perform manual edits, you can utilize this method.
• This is ideal for login scripts and remote sessions.
• Best used for applying changes across multiple users and computers, especially in managed environments, thanks to its automation capabilities

📌 Prerequisites:

• Administrator privileges are required to run PowerShell.
• This method only applies to Windows 11 devices that show the message.
• PowerShell must be run as the same user profile where the watermark appears.

Here’s how to use PowerShell to turn off the “System Requirements Not Met” watermark.

1. Open PowerShell (Administrator).
2. Copy and paste the following commands together and press Enter to run them sequentially:

New-Item -Path "HKCU:\Control Panel\UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache" -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKCU:\Control Panel\UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache" -Name SV2 -Value 0 -Type DWord

3. Close PowerShell and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

💡 Note: This command works like the Registry and Command Prompt methods, but is a better fit for automation or scripting environments.

Method 4: Configure Group Policy settings to remove “System Requirements Not Met” watermark

If your Windows 11 version supports Group Policy, you can suppress the message by making a few configurations.

📌 Use Cases:

• Best for enterprise and school environments.
• Ideal for domain-joined devices managed by IT.

📌 Prerequisites:

• You need administrator privileges to access Group Policy and change its settings.
• This is only available in Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education.

Here are the steps:

1. Open the Group Policy Editor by pressing Win + R to open the Run dialog.
2. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter.
3. In the left pane, head to:
   Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > System
4. Next, double-click “Hide messages when Windows system requirements are not met” on the right-hand pane.
5. In the policy window that appears, select Enabled.
6. Click Apply, then OK.
7. Close the Group Policy Editor and restart your computer to finalize the change.

⚠️ Things to look out for

Additional considerations when removing the “System Requirements Not Met” watermark

These methods will only remove the visual message

Using the methods above will only cause the message to disappear from the desktop. Your device will still be flagged as unsupported since these tweaks will not fix why Windows 11 is displaying the message in the first place.

Future Windows updates may reintroduce the watermark

Microsoft may restore the watermark after introducing updates. When this happens, you will have to implement these methods again.

Make sure any changes comply with organizational policies

Ensure these changes align with internal IT policies and user needs in organizations and managed environments. Some teams may require unsupported configurations to be clearly labeled.

Troubleshooting issues related to the removal of the “System Requirements Not Met” watermark

The message continues to persist after making changes in the registry

Double-check that you have followed the correct registry key path and that the SV2 value (0) is correct. Also, note that a system restart is needed for the changes to take effect.

The watermark still appears even after making changes via Group Policy

You can run the gpupdate /force command on the Command Prompt. It will force the system to apply Group Policy settings right away.

The registry key or value is missing

If UnsupportedHardwareNotificationCache and SV2 do not appear in the Registry Editor, you must create them, as detailed in Method 1.

Remove “System Requirements Not Met” to improve the Windows 11 visual experience

You can turn off the compatibility watermark in Windows 11 through a variety of methods. These include the Registry Editor, Command Prompt, PowerShell, and Group Policy Editor.

These are relatively straightforward, easy to implement, and excellent whether you’re using a lone computer and or making changes to managed environments. Getting rid of the message will streamline the user experience, especially on systems that run the OS without meeting compatibility requirements.

Related topics:

• How to View Your PC’s System Information in Windows 10 and Windows 11
• How to Find & Install the Windows 11 Version 22H2
• How to Upgrade from Windows 10 to 11
• How to enable detailed status messages at restart, shut down, and more for users in Windows