iMac (2017): Windows 11 partition & macOS updates

KiltedTim wrote:

No. No Intel Mac supports or is supported by Windows 11.

There is no way to legitimately install it either using boot camp or virtualization.

Parallels claims that you can use Parallels Desktop to install Windows 11 in a virtual machine on an Intel-based Mac.

Parallels – Knowledge Base – Frequently asked questions about Windows 11

However, the pricing may not make this attractive. The cheapest version of Parallels Desktop (Standard Edition) now costs $219.99 USD as a one-time purchase, or $54.99 per year (on sale) as a subscription (rental). That is not including what you have to pay Microsoft for Windows 11.

I believe that Broadcom may now offer VMware Fusion Pro free for personal use, with registration, but Broadcom has not made their site particularly easy to navigate when it comes to finding it.

Broadcom – Downloading Free Software from the Broadcom Support Portal

Broadcom – VMware Fusion Pro 13 – Release Notes

Broadcom – VMware Fusion Pro 13 – Install Windows 11 as the Guest Operating System

Broadcom – VMware Fusion Pro – System Requirements for Fusion Pro

From the last page, it appears that VMware Fusion Pro 13.0,0 and later will run on any Mac that officially supports macOS 12 Monterey or later, and that has 8 GB of memory. The Fusion Pro download is just the VM application – you must obtain Windows from Microsoft separately.

Note that even if the OP can use a virtual machine application to install a separately-purchased copy of Windows, they're still going to be limited by the mechanical hard drive or Fusion Drive in that old Mac, and also by the 16 GB of RAM. That Mac can take more RAM, but the RAM is sealed in and it would be expensive to upgrade it. With the startup drive, an external SSD would be an option.

I could be mistaken, but I do not believe that Boot Camp supports Windows 11.

Your iMac appears to be new enough to have a version of Boot Camp that supports Windows 10.

Install Windows 10 on your Mac with Boot Camp Assistant – Apple Support

Unfortunately, Window 10 went end-of-life last year.

Windows 10 support has ended on October 14, 2025 – Microsoft Support

My understanding is that for Windows 11, Microsoft added a requirement for a "Trusted Program Module", and that this is a roadblock to installing Windows 11 as a dual-boot OS on an Intel-based Mac.

No. No Intel Mac supports or is supported by Windows 11.

There is no way to legitimately install it either using boot camp or virtualization.

tomt54 wrote:

I have an Imac 2017 build. Intel Quad Core 3ghz. I5 Radeon Pro 555

That would peg it as an iMac (Retina 4K, 21.5-inch, 2017). Apple also released an iMac (21.5-inch, 2017) which didn't have a Retina display or a discrete GPU, and whose CPU only had 2 cores.

16gb. Ram

16 GB of RAM is decent. I used a Late 2009 iMac with 8 GB of RAM for many years, and the only time that it ever seemed to struggle for lack of RAM was when running other OSes (e.g., Windows) inside of virtual machines.

1 TB storage.

If that's 1 TB that came from the factory, we're looking at either a slow 2.5" 5400 rpm mechanical hard drive, or a slow Fusion Drive that combines said mechanical drive with a woefully small amount of SSD storage.

That Mac has USB-A (USB 3.0) and USB-C (USB 3.1 Gen 2, Thunderbolt 3) ports that you could use to attach an external SSD. Getting an external SSD, cloning your system onto it, and making it your startup drive could make starting up the iMac and launching applications a lot more snappy. However, you'd have to weigh that speedup against whether you want to put more money into the system.

Its still pretty decent Computer???

It is, if you have the applications that you need, or can find applications whose developers still support Ventura. However, a current M4- or M5-series Mac will run rings around it. Those have processors and GPUs which are several times as fast as the one in your iMac. Perhaps even more important, their startup drives are fast SSDs. Plus, they are compatible with the current version of macOS.

there is something called rufus to bypass the tpm stuff it seems

How to bypass/activate TPM 2.0 on bootcam… - Apple Community

may take some reading up and guts to try though

Doing that amounts to a violation of Microsoft's license and TOU.