How to Ensure All Your Applications Run on Windows 11
Microsoft has consistently worked to ensure a high degree of application compatibility across Windows versions, allowing most applications that functioned on Windows 7 to continue working on Windows 8 and Windows 10. While this remains true for Windows 11, IT teams should anticipate a higher number of compatibility challenges during migration compared to previous recent upgrades. This is largely due to Windows 11 being the first desktop operating system to fully standardize on 64-bit architecture and enhanced security hardening measures, which may impact certain applications.
Although most applications will continue to function on Windows 11 without issue, organizations should plan for potential compatibility gaps and establish mitigation strategies. Addressing these challenges early in the migration process will help ensure a smoother transition.
Fortunately, solutions such as Cloudpaging application containers can help resolve compatibility issues, enabling seamless application delivery in Windows 11 environments.
How Cloudpaging Maximizes Application Compatibility
By packaging your applications into Cloudpaging application containers you get the benefits of a best-in-class container format that works for virtually any Windows application. Cloudpaging application containers have their own virtual file system with incredibly granular controls over the isolation of applications and their components, ensuring even your most complex and stubborn legacy applications can run on Windows 11 (and beyond).
When packaging applications into Cloudpaging containers, there are four Disposition Layers you can place application components into.
- Layer 4 (“Isolated Disposition”): Application components are fully isolated from anything running outside of Cloudpaging container. The assets paged into the “container” are only visible to the application itself. This is most akin to App-V’s isolation capabilities.
- Layer 3 (“Integrated Disposition”): Application components are visible to the system and other applications running on it. Assets are paged into a “container” and visible to the application itself, as well as the local system and other applications. This means the application is fully virtualized, but components behave as if natively installed.
- Layer 2 and Layer 1 (“Installed Dispositions”): These disposition layers deliver application components as though they are traditionally installed and run without isolation. The difference is Layer 2 cleanly removes all assets from the desktop when it is deprovisioned, while assets packaged into Layer 1 remain on the system.
Let’s talk about how this works in practice. You have a legacy application you want to isolate from other application on the system, which has an outdated Visual C++ Redistributable version and dependent application.
You could package the main application into Layer 3 (“Integrated Disposition), with the exception of the Visual C++ Redistributable version and dependent application – which you would put into Layer 4 (“Isolated Disposition”). This means the application is full virtualized and run as if natively installed on the end user desktop, while isolating the outdated runtime and dependent applications in Layer 3 from other applications and the underlying system. This drastically reduces the exposure of the unpatched unsupported runtime.
If you have an application with a certain subset of files that need to be available on the system, or need a deep level of integration, you could set just a directory or even a specific file to Layer 1 or Layer 2.
The packaging process for most applications is simple. Our packaging tool, Cloudpaging Studio, has the intelligence to automatically handle certain application components – such as print drivers – and handle these without any extra input required. The packaging process can be automated using our Non-Interactive Packager.
Cloudpaging Application Compatibility Use Cases on Windows 11
Applications Dependent on Obsolete OS Components
Some applications depend on system DLLs from older Windows versions which may fail when interacting with updated versions of these files in Windows 11. With Cloudpaging containers, you can package applications on a Windows 10 virtual machine and include the required DLLs from Windows 10, setting them to Layer 4. This ensures that the application sees only the required DLL while other applications and the OS continue using the updated system components, preventing compatibility conflicts.
Applications with Hardcoded Legacy Paths
While most enterprises have modernized their application stacks, some organizations still rely on applications with hardcoded legacy paths that have never functioned on Windows 7 or later. In some cases, these organizations have opted to maintain legacy Windows XP machines—an inherently high-risk approach, regardless of security measures. Although Microsoft’s App Assure program provides assistance with application compatibility, Cloudpaging containers offer an additional solution. By configuring the container to run in a specific compatibility mode (e.g., Windows XP), applications can operate as intended, eliminating the need to maintain outdated infrastructure and best of all the compatibility mode is limited to the application in the container reducing the resource overhead required by the mode.
Outdated Middleware and Runtimes
Application rationalization is a critical step in any Windows 11 migration. A truly thorough rationalization should help identify required middleware and runtime dependencies. Many organizations discover during this process that they are still using outdated Java Runtime Environments and Visual C++ Redistributables –some of which have not been updated or patched for security vulnerabilities in years. Addressing these issues at the eleventh hour, especially as Windows 10 support nears end of life this October (October 14, 2025 to be exact), can be a challenge.
Cloudpaging containers enable you to isolate these legacy runtime components within Layer 4, ensuring that only the dependent applications can access them. With Cloudpager, IT teams can precisely assign these applications to relevant users, reducing security exposure by preventing widespread deployment of outdated software across the network.
16-bit Applications
Many organizations still rely on legacy 16-bit applications, which are incompatible with the 64-bit architecture of Windows 11. Instead of installing emulators locally – which introduces security risks and complicates management – these applications can be packaged within Cloudpaging containers along with an emulator. When provisioned with our cloud-native container management platform, Cloudpager, you drastically simplify version management, enhance security, and streamline application updates.
Multi-Session Compatibility Challenges
Organizations adopting multi-session Windows 11 environments, such as those in Azure Virtual Desktop (AVD), may encounter applications that do not function correctly in multi-user scenarios. To work around this limitation, some organizations resort to provisioning 1:1 personal desktops, increasing costs and administrative complexity. By leveraging Cloudpaging containers, applications can be delivered per user in multi-session environments while maintaining a seamless, isolated user experience comparable to a 1:1 desktop deployment. Doing so is critical for maximizing cost-efficiency for your virtual desktop estate.
Lift and Shift Your Legacy Applications to Windows 11
Application compatibility remains a key consideration for IT teams migrating to Windows 11. While Microsoft has maintained strong backward compatibility, the transition to a fully 64-bit architecture and enhanced security measures necessitates proactive planning. Leveraging Cloudpaging application containers can help organizations overcome these challenges, ensuring legacy applications function smoothly in a modern Windows 11 environment and provides the agility to migrate to any modern Windows desktop including Azure Virtual Desktop and Windows 365.
This enables you to eliminate legacy technology debt, accelerate your Windows 11 modernization initiatives, reduce IT-related costs, and maximize uptime across your company.
To learn more about how our container technology can support your Windows 11 migration, contact us today.
