Guest OS Upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 fail with error "The PC must support TPM 2.0"

Products

• VMware vSphere ESXi 8.0
• VMware vSphere ESXi 7.0

Issue/Introduction

Guest OS Upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 fails with the error "The PC must support TPM 2.0".

Cause

The Guest OS, in this example, Microsoft Windows 11, requires TPM 2.0 for installation.

In a virtual environment, this requirement can be met using vTPM.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, follow these steps to configure vSphere Native Key Provider on vSphere.

• Configure a vSphere Native Key Provider:
  1. Log in to the vSphere Client.
  2. Navigate to the vCenter Server object within inventory.
  3. Go to "Configure" > "Security" > "Key Providers".
  4. Click "Add" and select "Add Native Key Provider".
  5. Enter a name for the key provider and click "Add".
  6. Once created, click "Back up Key Provider" and securely store the backup file.
  7. For further details, see Configure a vSphere Native Key Provider
     
     
• Enable vTPM on the VM:
  1. Right-click the VM and select "Edit Settings".
  2. Click "Add New Device" and choose "Trusted Platform Module".
  3. Click "OK" to save the changes.

Note: ESXi host encryption should be enabled. Refer to Activate Host Encryption Mode Explicitly

After configuring the vSphere Native Key Provider on vSphere and adding vTPM on VM continue the Guest OS upgrade.