Microsoft is facing a growing concern over its ability to manage the impending deadline for 850 million Windows users to update their PCs. The company’s warnings and feature promises have been met with skepticism, particularly among those who refuse to upgrade from Windows 10.
In the last month alone, around 40 million users have upgraded to Windows 11, reversing a recent trend that had stalled progress on the transition. However, this uptick is tempered by concerns over Microsoft’s messaging, which some claim has led to confusion and misinformation.
According to Statcounter, the January upgrade trend has now reversed itself, with 2.5% of the overall Windows install base swapping Windows 10 for Windows 11. This good news is offset by a looming math problem: if 40 million users continue to upgrade per month over the next nine months, around 500 million users will still be exposed.
Microsoft has acknowledged this issue and is pushing for a PC refresh in 2025, which may drive some upgrades but won’t solve the problem. The company’s efforts include the push for Copilot AI-enabled PCs, but experts warn that radical options, such as forced upgrades or “upgrade lights” for incompatible PCs, may be necessary to mitigate this security nightmare.
As the October deadline draws near, it remains to be seen whether Microsoft will adopt more drastic measures to address the issue. One thing is certain: with the threat landscape at an all-time high, the company cannot afford to leave users unmanaged.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zakdoffman/2025/02/01/microsofts-free-offer-deadline-millions-of-windows-users-suddenly-upgrade