Windows 11 Might Not Be A Free Upgrade For Long As The Offer Could End Mid-2023

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Key notes

  • Still haven't managed to upgrade from Windows 10 to the new operating system?
  • You might want to hurry if you were planning to, as the free offer could end soon.
  • A recent Panos Panay statement suggests that all of this could be gone by mid-2022.
  • However,  Microsoft previously said Windows 11 will be free until October 5th, 2022.
windows 11 not free

Almost four months have now passed since the Redmond-based tech giant officially launched its brand new, state-of-the-art operating system.

Ever since the beginning, the latest OS has been offered to all users as a free upgrade, provided their rigs met the rigorous system requirements.

Months went by and Windows 11 went from being ultra-buggy to being more stable and having lots of integrations available, or in the works.

And although not that many users have actually upgraded from Windows 10, you might like to know that Windows 11’s adoption rate is twice that of his predecessor.

But it seems that Microsoft is planning to put a stop to the current free upgrade situation soon, leaving the users that haven’t already upgraded to purchase it.

Free upgrades to Windows 11 could end by mid 2022

Although this is not yet official information, the speculations that Microsoft may end the free upgrade offer come from something Panos Panay, chief product officer for Windows and devices, actually said.

He inadvertently suggested that this free upgrade offer could end before the summer of 2022, in a recent Microsoft blog post.

Today, we’re excited to share that the upgrade offer to Windows 11 is beginning to enter its final phase of availability putting us ahead of our initial plan of mid-2022.

This statement also included a footnote indicating that it applies to devices that have a Microsoft Account (an MSA for Home edition) and have eligible releases and compatibility.

Even though we can’t know for sure if that’s what he intended to announce, it could actually mean that Microsoft is considering ending the free upgrade offer for Windows 10 Home users.

However, there’s no reason to be alarmed, even if you were planning to upgrade from Windows 10 to Windows 11 later this year.

Even if the context suggests that the free availability for Windows 11 could end by mid-2022, information available on the official Microsoft upgrade page suggests otherwise.

Under the FAQ section at the bottom of the web page, there is an answer, provided by the tech giant, which sheds more light on this matter.

Redmond officials stated that the free upgrade offer does not have a specific end date for eligible systems, but, Microsoft reserves the right to eventually end support for the free offer.

It is also mentioned that this will not happen sooner than the 5th of October, which will mark a year since the operating system has been officially launched.

But, knowing Microsoft, anything can happen, so betting money on something they said could prove to be more of a risky gamble.

We’ll just have to wait and see what the tech company has planned for its latest OS, and how many users have managed to upgrade until the free offer expires, whenever that is.

And if it does, it will be interesting to see what price tag Microsoft will put on it. Have you already upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11?

Share your experience with us in the comments section below.

More about the topics: Windows 11 Software & Apps

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