2018–2019 · 8th gen Intel
Can A Dell Latitude 7490
Run Windows 11?
Yes — it meets the processor requirement
The 7490 shipped with 8th generation Intel processors and clears the requirement.
Microsoft’s floor is Intel Core, 8th generation (Coffee Lake, late 2017) or newer, or AMD Ryzen 2000 series (Zen+) or newer. The Dell Latitude 7490 shipped with processors like Core i5-8250U, Core i5-8350U, Core i7-8650U — 8th generation, which is on the supported list.
The processor is usually the requirement that fails a machine of this age, so clearing it is most of the answer. You also need TPM 2.0 enabled and Secure Boot — business laptops of this generation almost always have the TPM, but it is sometimes switched off in the BIOS from the factory. If the upgrade is refused, that is the first thing to check.
Three things worth doing
In the order most people should consider them. Scrapping a working machine is the only genuinely wasteful option here.
1. Keep it
It takes the upgrade and it is a capable machine. Put an SSD and more memory in it before you replace it — that is usually the difference between "slow" and "fine".
2. Put Linux on it
A current Linux distribution supports this hardware fully and keeps receiving security updates. For a machine used for browsing, email and documents it is the option that costs nothing and solves the actual problem.
3. Pass it on
If you are replacing it anyway, a working Dell Latitude 7490 is worth more to someone without a computer than it is in a drawer. We wipe every drive, refurbish what works, and pass machines to schools, charities and community groups.
The Windows 11 answer above is worked out from Microsoft’s published processor requirement and the processors this model shipped with, not from testing every configuration. If yours has been modified, check it directly with the checker.