[Software] Microsoft turns up the heat on Window 10 diehards, hinting that free upgrade to Windows 11 could be ditched later this year

[Mr.Ares]

In an interesting turn of events, perhaps in an effort to increase the pressure on Windows 10 users to upgrade, Microsoft has issued a vague suggestion that the free upgrade to Windows 11 might expire, possibly at the same time support runs out for the older OS.

Neowin noticed that Microsoft has penned a blog post which advises Windows 10 users that they need to carefully mull their options considering that support is discontinued on October 14, 2025. And naturally, one of those choices is to upgrade to Windows 11 (another is to pay for an extended program of updates for a year, an option that’s not been available to consumers in the past, just businesses).

At any rate, the key point is the title of the post, which is: “Free Upgrade to Windows 11 (For a Limited Time Only).”

Now, this is interesting, because as far as we’re aware, Microsoft has never specifically mentioned that the free upgrade to Windows 11 has a time limit on it.

One way you could read this title, then, is that there is indeed an expiry date for the offer, which would presumably be when Windows 10 support finishes – which is the hint imparted here, given the subject of the blog post.

Analysis: Would Microsoft really do this?

The question this throws up is: will Windows 11 no longer be free when Windows 10 hits End of Life? Well, we shouldn’t get carried away here, that’s for sure, as it’s notable that the only mentioned of ‘limited time’ is in the headline, and there’s no reference to this anywhere else in the article. You’d expect it to be clarified somewhere, after all, so perhaps it’s just a throwaway comment of sorts.

That said, this feels like some kind of a hint being dropped, and the official stance on the freebie offer, as outlined by Microsoft in the FAQ for the ‘How to get Windows 11’ portal is as follows: “The free upgrade offer does not have a specific end date for eligible systems. However, Microsoft reserves the right to eventually end support for the free offer.”

No one has ever taken that second sentence all that seriously, and it’s been regarded as just part of the usual clauses and embellishments that can be added by companies in a ‘just in case’ kind of fashion. However, perhaps Microsoft will actually exercise that right when Windows 10 shuffles off its mortal coil later this year. It’s far from unthinkable.

While we can envisage such a future, there remains a pressing concern for Microsoft – Windows 11 adoption has been painfully slow. And ultimately, the software giant still wants people to make the move to Windows 11, so ditching the free offer would work against that.

Or, perhaps more to the point, if the freebie upgrade is officially canned come October 2025, Microsoft might still leave loopholes open that allow folks to step up to Windows 11 free of charge. Just as happened with Windows 10 when Microsoft ended the free upgrade there, which was only supposed to be good for a year, but was left available for a long, long time after that period had expired.

It’s my feeling this is likely a move by Microsoft to help persuade fence-sitters to get on with it and upgrade to Windows 11, which, to be fair, at this point they should be doing anyway. Overall, I’m not convinced there’s any real teeth to the very vague threat aired here, but I could of course be wrong.

Link: https://www.techradar.com/computing/windows/microsoft-turns-up-the-heat-on-window-10-diehards-hinting-that-free-upgrade-to-windows-11-could-be-ditched-later-this-year