- A blog post suggested that the free Windows 11 upgrade may only be available for a limited time
- Microsoft has removed that blog post
- The software giant did not clarify in any way that the free upgrade has no time limit attached
The free upgrade to Windows 11 won’t be preserved when Windows 10 runs out of support, as a recent hint from Microsoft seemed to indicate could be a possibility.
This stemmed from a blog post written about the free upgrade to Windows 11, where the author had noted in the headline that this offer would run “for a limited time only.”
If you recall, I discussed this at length earlier this week and concluded that it seemed unlikely that Microsoft would close the door on those looking to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11. But at the same time, it certainly represented a hint of, that this could happen is supported by the fact that Microsoft has always had a warning in place with the freebie upgrade that it “reserves the right to eventually end support for the free offering.”
Well, it seems any concerns about this were misplaced as Microsoft has removed the blog post in question.
Windows Latest picked up on the rejection of the article and also heard directly from Microsoft that it was removed because it contained incorrect information. In fact, Microsoft clarified that the free upgrade to Windows 11 is “not a limited-time deal,” putting any doubt out of the minds of Windows 10 users who aren’t yet ready to take the plunge (but plan to eventually ).
Furthermore, this blog post also told us that Microsoft 365 apps would stop working on Windows 10 when its support ends in October 2025, which is not true, the software giant confirmed separately.
Analysis: A throwaway line in a now-thrown-away post
It seems we can all relax with any vague possibility that Microsoft might use the free upgrade. While you should never say never, I guess, especially since there’s that caveat mentioned above, if the offer is ever taken off the table, it probably won’t be for a long time yet.
Of course, Microsoft still wants to push Windows 11 adoption, as the number of Windows 10 users migrating to the newer operating system has been well below what the software giant no doubt expected.
Compared to the pace of Windows 7 and 8 users migrating to Windows 10, the transition from that operating system to Windows 11 has been woefully slow. (Though gamers have embraced Windows 11 with more enthusiasm, to be fair, and it’s actually more popular than Windows 10 now, at least on Steam).
So what happened to the now deleted blog post? It seems like a simple mistake, and one possible theory is that it was a throwaway line added at the last minute (perhaps by an editor). I say this because there was no mention of a time limit for the free Windows 11 upgrade anywhere in the body of the article – it was only mentioned in the headline, and that always seemed odd.
If you’re running Windows 10 and have been putting off upgrading – as opposed to being barred from Windows 11 by the steeper hardware requirements – I’d suggest you start getting your house in order for the move now. Before you know it, January will be over, and then February, and then… let’s put it this way, you’ll be down October 2025 (when Windows 10 support ends) before you know it.
Start planning now in terms of figuring out what you might need to do (such as enabling TPM 2.0 in your motherboard’s BIOS, which is one of the common obstacles preventing upgrades – but easily overcome with a push of a switch in the firmware).
