- A blog post hinted that the free Windows 11 upgrade could be available for a limited time only
- Microsoft has removed that blog post.
- The software giant clarified in very clear terms that the free update does not have any time limit.
The free upgrade to Windows 11 will not be canceled when Windows 10 goes out of support, as a recent hint released by Microsoft seemed to indicate that could be a possibility.
This arose from a blog post written about the free upgrade to Windows 11, where in the headline, the author noted that this offer would run “for a limited time only.”
If you remember, I talked about this at length earlier this week and concluded that it seemed unlikely that Microsoft would close the door on those who wanted to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11. But at the same time, it certainly represented an indication that this could happen, backed by the fact that Microsoft has always had a caveat with the free update, that it “reserves the right to eventually end support for the free offering.”
Well, it seems that any concerns in this regard were misplaced, as Microsoft removed the blog post in question.
Windows Latest noticed that the article had been abandoned and also heard directly from Microsoft that it had been removed because it contained incorrect information. In fact, Microsoft clarified that the free upgrade to Windows 11 is “not a limited-time deal,” removing any doubt from the minds of Windows 10 users who aren’t ready to make the leap yet (but plan to eventually do so). ).
Additionally, this blog post also told us that Microsoft 365 apps would stop working on Windows 10 when their support expired in October 2025, which is not true, the software giant confirmed separately.
Analysis: a throwaway line in a now discarded position
So it looks like we can all rest easy on any vague possibility of Microsoft keeping the free update. Although I guess you never say never, especially since there is the caveat mentioned above, but if the offer is ever taken off the table, it probably won’t be for a while. long time yet.
Naturally, Microsoft still wants to drive adoption of Windows 11, as the number of Windows 10 users migrating to the new operating system has been far below what the software giant no doubt expected.
Compared to the pace of users moving from Windows 7 and 8 to Windows 10, the move from that operating system to Windows 11 has been woefully slow. (Though gamers have embraced Windows 11 more enthusiastically, 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 any time limit for the free Windows 11 upgrade anywhere in the body text of the article; it was only mentioned in the title, and that always seemed strange.
If you’re running Windows 10 and have been putting off upgrading, rather than being locked out of Windows 11 by the stricter hardware requirements, I suggest you start getting your house in order regarding 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 facing 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 (like enabling TPM 2.0 in your motherboard’s BIOS, which is one of the common roadblocks that prevent updates, but is easily overcome with a simple press of a button). switch in firmware).
