Microsoft's Free Upgrade Offer Hits New High—Check Your Windows PC Now
Windows 11 hits new high
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Microsoft is ramping up its warnings for the hundreds of millions of Windows users facing down a cyber nightmare as their PCs stop receiving security updates. The solution is a free upgrade to Windows 11, which the company says is a huge security boost. But as that free upgrade hits a new high, there remain at least 240 million users who will miss out and need to find an alternative solution before time runs out.
Microsoft wants that alternative solution to be a Copilot+ PC, with required security upgrades as well as Recall, its staccato screenshotting machine. While the Windows-maker would like all non-Copilot+ owners to make the move, the warning is aimed at those without a new enough PC to upgrade to Windows 11. This needs a TPM 2.0 security module to bridge hardware and software to better protect against attacks.
You should check if your Windows 10 PC can upgrade now.
The good news for Microsoft is that its free upgrade campaign is now making progress, and come the end of April had hit a new high. While in the U.S., Windows 11 already outranks Windows 10, the same is not true across the world. Windows 10 usage has remained stubbornly high and well ahead of its newer sibling. But now, per the best estimates at Statcounter, the shift from old to new has reached a new milestone.
While Windows 11 has not yet overtaken or even caught Windows 10 globally, it's within 10% for the first time. Just 12-months ago, that gap was more than 40%. There are still just over half (53%) of all Windows users still on Windows 10, but that's inching down month by month. Windows 11 is up to 44%, but at some point will hit a red line as the free upgrades stop. The question is what happens to the 240-million-plus users who can't upgrade and need to pay $30 for a year's extension or buy a new PC.
Unfortunately, the more likely alternative is they fall off support and 'wing it.' In the wonderful world of Windows, this is a bad plan — a very bad plan. Last year saw a record number of patched vulnerabilities, and no user should be prepared to risk leaving their PC and their data open to attack. Pick a different option.
And when you do pick, also make sure you delete passwords from your Microsoft account and run passkeys only — now the default for new accounts. That's the other Microsoft headline news this week, passwords finally coming to an end.
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