Can you run Windows 11 on a mobile phone? Yes, and you can even play AAA games on it

Have you ever wondered if you can install Windows 11 on a mobile phone? And no, we’re not talking about a Windows 11 phone, but the literal operating system running on a mobile phone.

This Reddit user, for instance, tried to install Windows 11 on a new mobile phone, and they managed to do so. Even more, the phone is perfectly capable of running AAA video games on medium to low settings.

How did they manage? By installing an ARM64 build of Windows 11. The user didn’t succeed at first, but then they managed to rewrite the firmware of the phone (hint: it’s a OnePlus phone), and Windows 11 was successfully installed. The best thing: it’s been running since November 2023, so it’s definitely a success.

Lemme explain myself. So a while ago I got a specific phone model, not too expensive and I tried installing the ARM64 build of windows 11 on it. First attempt was a failure and resulted in a bricked device. So after completely rewriting the stock firmware (thanks oneplus for making it so easy) i did the installation again. Its been working since last year’s november.

Reddit user

Windows ARM has been getting increasingly popular lately, and we even questioned if they indeed could be the future: seeing this example, now, they can indeed be the future.

This Windows version is all stripped and optimized for mobile and ultraportable devices, and there are signs Microsoft is thinking about investing more resources into it.

The Reddit user managed to set Windows 11 up with everything: Microsoft Office, Discord, and even some AAA games.

It does everything I need. Microsoft office, a server for my discord bot (I had issues with my hosting provider at the time) and occasional gaming. Windows runs absolutely fine and it can surprisingly play older AAA titles on low-medium settings. Although the gaming experience isnt as pleasant as on a bigger screen.

Reddit user

Some features naturally aren’t going to work, but the limitations are understandable. However, with the right knowledge, a mobile phone can be set up to run Windows 11 just fine.

Some of the drivers are missing for example: Fingerprint, cameras, speakers. Playing audio through a bluetooth speaker works fine. I also have gotten the 4G and mobile hotspot to work after fiddling around with the system registry.

Reddit user

The user concludes by saying that the experience has been challenging, but exciting. And the future seems promising: ARM is indeed the future of computing.

Overall the experience has been a bumpy ride. The phone is dualbooting between android and Windows 11. The x86_64 emulation is great though. ARM may just be the future of computing.

Reddit user

What do you think about this? Can you see yourself playing computer games on a mobile phone? Or transforming your phone into a computer?