The big picture: Microsoft will end support for Windows 10 this October despite its rising popularity compared to its successor, Windows 11. With millions of PCs ineligible to upgrade, Microsoft and PC manufacturers hope users will buy new devices regardless of whether their old hardware is truly obsolete.

Bob Phony reports that Microsoft has begun sending emails to users still running Windows 10, informing them that support for the operating system ends later this year. Although the emails include a short, informative FAQ, the company merely implies that it wants customers to buy new PCs.

Microsoft has spent months pushing full-screen pop-ups to nudge users with Windows 11-compatible devices to upgrade, some of which cause crashes. Thus, the company might only be sending emails to customers with registered PCs that don’t meet the new operating system’s stringent requirements.

Microsoft is sending out emails to all Windows 10 users about the upcoming end of support for Windows 10. pic.twitter.com/i6jlY4RjMq

– BobPony.com (@TheBobPony) March 18, 2025

Windows 11 won’t officially support CPUs released before around 2018 or that don’t include TPM 2.0 security. Although the stipulation will leave roughly 240 million Windows 10 systems without security updates, Microsoft refuses to budge.

Almost 60 percent of Windows PCs still use Windows 10 while its successor stagnates below 40 percent. Furthermore, user share has continued tilting toward the older operating system since late last year, and it once again became Steam survey participants’ OS of choice last month.

Although the emails confirm that PCs running Windows 10 will still work after October, the company warns that they will be less secure and recommends that users trade or recycle them. Microsoft doesn’t mention that this means purchasing a new device.

PC market analysts hope the end of Windows 10 support will boost 2025’s hardware sales following 2023’s historic downturn, but whether that will happen remains unclear. Despite Microsoft’s deadline, many systems with ineligible processors, like 6th- and 7th-generation Intel chips, can still perform vital tasks.

Charities are deciding whether to recycle usable PCs, continue distributing potentially vulnerable Windows 10 systems, or convert them to Linux distros that are unfamiliar to many users. Options for those who can’t upgrade are slim.

After October, businesses can pay $61 per device for critical security updates, but the price will double annually thereafter. Personal systems can receive just one more year of updates for $30.

Although unofficial methods of installing Windows 11 on ineligible hardware exist, Microsoft is trying to close those loopholes. Additionally, 0patch has pledged to deliver third-party security updates for Windows 10 until 2030.

Users who are only worried about paying for a Windows 11 license can buy one for just $15 for a limited time.