Microsoft is upping its game to encourage Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11, nudging them to do so with full-screen upgrade promotion notices across its operating system, reminding them that support for the operating system will end in October 2025.
Microsoft issued a message prompting its Windows 10 users to take a chance at upgrading to the latest version. The effort comes at a time when the software giant is forcing the pace on adoption of Windows 11, amid plans to sunset support for Windows 10 on October 14, 2025.
The past weekend saw many Windows 10 users be bombarded with full-screen notifications. According to the text on these prompts, the only thing Windows can tell its users is that they can do more with a new Windows 11 PC or level up to the new Copilot Plus PCs for the ultimate Windows 11 experience, yet these messages forward to promotional pages that feature links to purchase new Windows 11 PCs.
Significantly, these prompts make no mention of the fact that Windows 10 users will be able to safely continue using the operating system after the cutoff date if they buy Extended Security Updates (ESU). For the first time, Microsoft is offering ESUs to consumers in exchange for an additional year of updates at $30. Commercial customers can buy additional commercial quality updates for up to three years.
This is a kind of strategy that Microsoft followed previously, when it promoted upgrades from Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 to Windows 10 aggressively. The uptake for Windows 11 is much slower, partly because the system only supports CPUs from 2018 onwards.
Despite the push for Windows 11, Microsoft continues to introduce new features to Windows 10, creating mixed messaging about the operating system’s future. Earlier this year, Microsoft reopened its beta program for Windows 10 users to test new features, even as it plans to phase out the OS.
The coming end of support for Windows 10 therefore calls for consideration towards either an upgrade to Windows 11, a purchase of a new PC, or obtaining extended security updates in order to keep their computing environment secure.
