Microsoft has issued its latest “deadline warning” to the 800 million users yet to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11, either because they can’t or just won’t. We have seen a modest uptick in upgrades in recent weeks, but more than 60% of all Windows users are sticking with Windows 10 — at least for now.
Windows Latest reached out to let me know it had received a new warning, posting that this “end of support for Windows 10 is approaching” email includes “direct links to check the upgrade eligibility or purchase a new computer.” This is the latest confirmation of Microsoft’s decision to maintain its strict hurdles on Windows 11 upgrades, and not to drop these as its deadline approaches.
While the Windows-maker has said it will offer a 12-month extension for Windows 10 users, the latest warning fails to mention this. Absent that extension, when support ends Windows 10 PCs will be exposed to any new Windows vulnerabilities. A linked FAQ, “clarifies the things that’ll happen after October 14, 2025, which includes the end of all kinds of support from Microsoft. It clarifies that all the free support will halt from that day onwards but doesn’t offer any paid alternatives.”
Microsoft confirms PCs won’t stop working after the October deadline, but via Windows Latest, also says “with time it’ll support fewer apps and will become a hunting ground for malicious actors.” Hundreds of millions of PCs falling off support is unprecedented.
Of those PCs yet to be upgraded, it’s thought around 240 million do not meet the eligibility criteria for Windows 11 — essentially a secure hardware module that works in tandem with the new OS to better protect the machine. This is now sparking ever more warnings of a new landfill catastrophe and a nightmare for charities that might otherwise receive and be able to monetize the replaced machines.
Over the coming weeks we will see more detail on the $30 extended support option and may get some indicators on take-up. No one expected this to be universal, though, and so the support nightmare will suddely come true on October 14. Given the extended support option, Microsoft will have prepared Windows 10 fixes and so there remains a possibility that more critical “zero day” patches may be made freely available.
No guarantees though. And so, per this latest warning, it’s time to upgrade or consider a new PC. Certainly don’t risk hitting the deadline unprepared.
