- A blog post hinted that the free Windows 11 upgrade might only be available for a limited time
- Microsoft has taken down that blog post
- The software giant clarified in no uncertain terms that the free upgrade does not have any time limit attached
The free upgrade to Windows 11 won’t be canned when Windows 10 runs out of support, as a recent hint dropped by Microsoft seemed to indicate might be a possibility.
This stemmed from a blog post written about the free upgrade to Windows 11, where in the headline, the author had noted that this offer would run “for a limited time only.”
If you recall, I discussed this at length earlier this week, concluding that it seemed unlikely Microsoft would close the door on those who want to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11. But that at the same time, it certainly represented a hint that this could happen, backed up by the fact Microsoft has always had a caveat in place with the freebie upgrade, that it “reserves the right to eventually end support for the free offer.”
Well, it seems that any worries about this were misplaced, as Microsoft has removed the blog post in question.
Windows Latest picked up the ditching of the article, and also heard directly from Microsoft that it was taken down because it contained incorrect information. Indeed, 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 make the leap (but are planning to eventually).
Furthermore, this blog post also told us that Microsoft 365 apps would stop working on Windows 10 when its support expired in October 2025, which isn’t true, the software giant separately confirmed.
Analysis: A throwaway line in a now-thrown-away post
It seems we can all rest easy about any vague possibility of Microsoft canning the free upgrade, then. Although never say never, I guess, particularly as there is that caveat mentioned above, but if the offer is ever taken off the table, it probably won’t be for a long time yet.
Naturally, Microsoft still wants to push Windows 11 adoption, as the numbers of Windows 10 users migrating across to the newer operating system have been well below what the software giant doubtless expected.
Compared to the pace of Windows 7 and 8 users transferring over to Windows 10, the move from that OS to Windows 11 has been woefully sluggish. (Although gamers have embraced Windows 11 with more enthusiasm, to be fair, and it is actually more popular than Windows 10 now, at least on Steam).
So, what happened with the now-deleted blog post? It seems like a simple mistake, and a possible theory is that it was a throwaway line added at the last minute (maybe by an editor). I say that because there was no mention of any time limit for the Windows 11 free upgrade anywhere in the body text of the article – it was only referred to in the headline, and that always seemed odd.
If you’re running Windows 10, and have been putting off upgrading – as opposed to being ruled out of Windows 11 by the steeper hardware requirements – I’d 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 down October 2025 (when Windows 10 support ends) before you know it.
Start the planning now, in terms of finding out what you might have to do (such as enabling TPM 2.0 in the BIOS of your motherboard, which is one of the common hurdles preventing upgrades – but it’s easily overcome with the flick of a switch in the firmware).