Microsoft tries to 'scare' Windows 10 users into upgrading to Windows 11

With Windows 10 support ending in October 2025, Microsoft is getting increasingly desperate to get people to upgrade to Windows 11. Its latest tactic? A classic scare tactic, making people think they need to act fast or they'll be gone.

Microsoft uses scare tactics to force more people to upgrade

On Wednesday (January 15), Microsoft announced that the free upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 for those with compatible hardware was coming to an end. However, the company has now retracted the statement, clarified the situation, and deleted the offensive blog post.

The post appeared on the Tech Community website and is titled 'Free Upgrade to Windows 11 (Limited Time Only).' That clearly implies that the free upgrade to Windows 11 won't be free for long.

In the post, Microsoft states that Windows 10 users 'still have time to make the switch.' Again, it implies that time is a factor here and creates a sense of urgency for any Windows 10 users who read this message.

However, it turns out that the author of this post simply misspoke. A Microsoft spokesperson told PCWorld, "Apologies for the confusion from the Tech Community post. The free Windows 11 upgrade path remains unchanged. We are working to fix the error!".

The same blog post announced that "Microsoft 365 apps will no longer be supported after October 14, 2025 on Windows 10 devices," and any website that links to the post as a source now redirects users to the Tech Community homepage.

Windows 11 Upgrade is NOT for a limited time only

So to be clear, the Windows 11 upgrade is not currently available for a limited time. While people may want to consider upgrading before Microsoft stops supporting Windows 10, there has been no official change in policy when it comes to free upgrades after that time.

Elsewhere, however, Microsoft has stated that "The free upgrade offer does not have a specific end date for eligible systems. However, Microsoft reserves the right to end support for this free offer ." So things could still change as we get closer to October.

Kareem Winters

Update 16 January 2025

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