Upgrading to Windows 11 - Is it Worth it?
By: Colton Redtfeldt - 10/29/2021

Windows recently [released Windows 11 as a free upgrade][1] to people running a compatible version of Windows 10. We've had a number of customers reach out to us recently asking if they should upgrade their point-of-sale computers to the newest updates. **The short answer is no — at least not yet.**

There are a few reasons business owners should hold off. The biggest reason is that it's not clear yet on which point of sale software applications will work on the new upgrade and many companies are suggesting that they will not provide support to Windows 11 users if they run into issues. Companies like restaurant software developer Aldelo [released a statement stating this][2].

Outside of software compatibility, there's also the issue of hardware. Point of Sale hardware — things like printers, barcode scanners, and scales, rely on things called "drivers" to communicate with your computer. They essentially work as a middle-man between the hardware and your point of sale software. The industry does not have clarity yet on if the drivers the hardware use to communicate will work the same and it might take a while for hardware companies to update their drivers to work with Windows 11. For this reason, you'll run into trouble getting hardware manufacture's to support you if you're using the newest version of Windows. You'll probably be in the clear if you're only using USB-connected barcode scanners, but if you're using receipt printers, pole displays, or scales, you might run into trouble there.

**To recap: we recommend that you wait to upgrade to Windows 11 until the industry has updated their hardware and software to the new version.**

**If you have already upgraded to Windows 11 and are having trouble getting back to Windows 10, [follow these instructions to revert back][3]. These instructions will require you to edit Windows Registry files, which can cause issues if not done correctly. We are not responsible for any issues arising from these instructions.**

<center> ![Windows 11 logo][4][][] </center>

[1]: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/windows-11
  [2]: https://www.aldelo.com/news/windows-11-assessing-pos-terminal-updates
  [3]: https://www.howtogeek.com/765377/how-to-block-the-windows-11-update-from-installing-on-windows-10/
  [4]: https://posguys.blob.core.windows.net/content/images/blog/79004/windows-11-mock-logo-wc.png

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Upgrading to Windows 11 - Is it Worth it? By: Colton Redtfeldt - 10/29/2021

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Upgrading to Windows 11 - Is it Worth it?
By: Colton Redtfeldt - 10/29/2021