Microsoft Urges 500 Million Users to Upgrade to Windows 11 Before October Deadline
Microsoft is ramping up warnings to Windows 10 users as the operating system inches closer to its official end-of-life date on October 14, 2025. The tech giant has renewed its call for eligible users to take advantage of the free Windows 11 upgrade, while highlighting serious risks of continuing to use an unsupported OS.
Currently, over 50% of Windows users worldwide – roughly 750 million people – still rely on Windows 10. Of these, Microsoft estimates about 500 million devices are capable of upgrading to Windows 11, while the rest, lacking required hardware, are being encouraged to either recycle their PCs or seek alternative solutions.
Final Countdown to Windows 10 End-of-Life
With just six months left, Microsoft is urging users not to delay. “Don’t wait until the last minute,” the company warned this week, noting that support will end for all but those who pay for Extended Security Updates (ESU) – a program designed mainly for enterprise customers.
The company’s recent Patch Tuesday update further highlighted the risks, as a critical vulnerability (CVE-2025-29824) – already being actively exploited – was revealed. While patched for most versions of Windows 10, confusion over who received the fix has stirred concerns. Microsoft later clarified that only those running outdated versions, such as Windows 10 LTSB 2015, are left unpatched.
Controversial ‘Recall’ Feature Resurfaces in Windows 11
While pushing upgrades, Microsoft is also preparing to roll out a controversial new Windows 11 feature known as Recall, which periodically screenshots user activity to create a searchable log. Privacy advocates have raised alarms, warning that such functionality – even with opt-outs – could be misused in sensitive situations and violates core privacy expectations.
Recall is currently in Insider Preview and will require new AI-capable Copilot+ PCs, further emphasizing that only users with the right hardware will access newer features and security protections.
Glitches, Hotfixes, and a Taste of Windows 10’s Future
Beyond vulnerabilities, Windows 10 users are also contending with a series of post-update issues. This month, a seemingly unexplained “inetpub” folder appeared on many machines after installing security updates. Microsoft later confirmed it was intentionally created as part of a patch for another security flaw (CVE-2025-21204) and advised users not to delete it.
Meanwhile, Office 2016 users on Windows 10 were hit by issues that caused Word, Excel, and Outlook to crash after the KB5002700 update. Microsoft has since released a fix, but it must be manually installed alongside another update (KB5002623) from the Microsoft Download Center.
A smaller but telling change also arrived: Microsoft has begun testing the removal of the “clock with seconds” option from the Windows 10 calendar – an indication that minor features may continue to disappear as the OS loses active development focus.
What’s Next?
While Microsoft continues to support Windows 10 for a few more months, its attention has clearly shifted. Users sticking with the outgoing OS should expect reduced feature support, occasional confusion around critical patches, and growing security risks.
For those eligible, the free upgrade to Windows 11 remains the safest and most stable path forward, Microsoft says – provided your hardware can handle it. For others, the clock is ticking to find a new plan before October 14 arrives.
