Microsoft’s Free Upgrade Offer For 500 Million Windows Users – Forbes

🔍 Summary:

Microsoft has issued a critical warning to the 750 million users of Windows 10, urging them to upgrade to Windows 11 before the older operating system’s support ends on October 14. After this date, Windows 10 will only receive security updates through costly extended support plans. This push comes as more than half of Windows 10 users have yet to switch to Windows 11, despite the free upgrade offer for compatible PCs. Users with incompatible hardware are advised against attempting an upgrade and should consider recycling their devices instead.

The urgency is underscored by recent security concerns, including a zero-day vulnerability identified in April’s Patch Tuesday updates, which has been added to the CISA’s list of exploited vulnerabilities. This vulnerability, along with others, highlights the risks of continuing to use an unsupported OS.

Additionally, Microsoft has introduced a controversial feature in Windows 11 called Recall, which captures and stores screenshots of user activity every three seconds. Despite added privacy protections, this feature has raised significant privacy concerns, particularly regarding its potential misuse in scenarios like intimate partner violence.

Microsoft has also been busy addressing other issues, such as a problem with audit logon events in Active Directory and a bug in the Windows Update Stack. Moreover, a recent update caused confusion by creating an “inetpub” folder linked to a security patch, which users were mistakenly deleting.

In terms of functionality, Microsoft’s focus on Windows 11 is evident as they begin testing the removal of minor features from Windows 10, such as displaying seconds in the clock on the Calendar app. This shift in focus suggests that Windows 10 will likely receive less attention moving forward.

Lastly, a problematic update for Office 2016 users on Windows 10, which caused crashes in Word, Excel, and Outlook, has been addressed with a new fix that requires manual installation. This situation underscores the ongoing challenges and complexities faced by Windows 10 users as Microsoft transitions its focus to Windows 11.

📌 Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/04/13/microsofts-free-upgrade-offer-for-500-million-windows-users/