Sunday, November 24, 2024

Microsoft tries to convince Windows 10 users to buy a new PC with full-screen prompts

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Microsoft has been trying to convince Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 for months now, ahead of the end of support date for Windows 10 in October, 2025. Earlier this year, Microsoft started using fullscreen prompts to warn Windows 10 users about the support cutoff, and now it’s using similar prompts to try and tempt people to buy a new Windows 11 PC instead.

Over the weekend some Windows 10 users have noticed these new fullscreen prompts, and Microsoft is using them to suggest you can “do more with a new Windows 11 PC” or “level up to the new Copilot Plus PCs” to get “the ultimate Windows 11 experience.” Like the prompts earlier this year, the read more link goes to a promotional site that includes links to new Windows 11 PCs.

Microsoft’s latest fullscreen prompt for Windows 10 users.
Image: Microsoft

Microsoft’s fullscreen prompt still doesn’t mention that Windows 10 users can continue to securely use the operating system beyond October 14th, 2025. Microsoft is offering Extended Security Updates to consumers for the first time ever, but Windows 10 users will have to pay $30 for a year of extra updates. Commercial customers will be able to purchase up to three years of additional updates.

Microsoft has used similar prompts like this in the past, with the company aggressively pushing Windows 10 upgrades for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users. Windows 11 is only supported on CPUs released from 2018 onwards, so these latest prompts likely only mention upgrading your PC instead of trying to upgrade to Windows 11 because millions of existing devices simply can’t officially upgrade.

Windows 11 adoption is still lagging behind Windows 10, although it briefly became the most popular OS for PC gaming on Steam earlier this summer. Microsoft has also complicated its messaging around Windows 10 end of support by continuing to add new features to the OS. After originally saying it was done with major Windows 10 updates in 2023, Microsoft then took the unusual step of reopening its beta program for Windows 10 users in June to test new features for an OS that Microsoft wants people to stop using next year.

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