Skip to main content

Microsoft backs off on pressuring Windows 10 users to upgrade

Microsoft has announced that it will ease up the aggressive add tactic to get Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 after receiving negative backlash from users, as Windows Latest reports. There is no official word on whether stopping the full-screen multipage popups is permanent, but a plan to “share a new timeline in the coming months” was mentioned.

Windows 10 Home users saw these ads, but some Pro and Business users also saw them after rebooting their computers. Regardless of who saw them, the ads’ pause comes as the Windows 10 end-of-life date, October 14, 2025, approaches.

Recommended Videos

The good news is that Microsoft is listening to users, saying, “To honor our user’s feedback, these invitations will no longer begin with the April 2024 monthly security update. We will share a new timeline in the coming months.”

Windows announcement that it'll stop putting ads on Windows 10.
Windows Latest

The affected devices are:

  • Cloud-domain joined, and domain joined
  • Windows 10 Pro and Pro Workstation
  • Devices not managed by IT departments using tools

To ensure everyone understood the difference between non-managed and managed Windows 10 devices, Microsoft said, “Managed devices are those that you manage via Microsoft Intune, Configuration Manager, Windows Autopatch, Windows Update for Business, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), or select other third-party management tools. Other devices are considered non-managed.”

Windows 10 is not dead yet since Microsoft promised one last big update. But we’ll see how long it takes Microsoft to continue to “encourage” Windows 10 users to upgrade. Amid Windows 10 users resisting the upgrade to Windows 11, Micropatch provider 0Patch has thrown a lifeline to users by providing support past the October 2025 end-of-life date.

Judy Sanhz
Judy Sanhz is a Digital Trends computing writer covering all computing news. Loves all operating systems and devices.
How to install and upgrade GPU drivers in Windows 10
Dell Special Edition XPS Desktop RTX graphics card.

If you want to ensure your graphics card runs as fast as possible with all the latest features, it's important to install the latest GPU drivers. Graphics drivers optimize new games and fix bugs, and staying up to date with them can squeeze extra performance out of your card. In this guide, we have a simple two-step process for how to install and upgrade your GPU drivers in Windows 10.

We have steps below for the best graphics cards from Nvidia and AMD.
Before getting started: Identify your GPU

Read more
Windows 11 can now use AI to respond to your text messages
The Phone Link app being used on a phone and laptop screen.

Microsoft has started rolling out a helpful Suggested Replies feature in the Phone Link app that gives users AI-powered text suggestions for quick replies to their messages, the software giant stated in a Support blog post.

The new feature uses Microsoft's Cloud AI models to create short replies to specific messages, resulting in faster response times. It is rolling out in Phone Link version 1.24082.137.0 for Windows 11 24H2 and 23H2. You don't need to be in the Windows Insider Program to try out the feature, but you won't see the Suggest Replies feature on all messages. You'll only see the suggestions when the Phone Link's AI can understand the message.

Read more
It’s official — Microsoft WordPad is dead after 29 years
A screenshot of Microsoft WordPad running on Windows 11.

The Windows 11 2024 Update, otherwise known as version 24H2, started rolling out yesterday, but if you've already updated, you might notice something is missing. WordPad's deprecation has become a reality, as it has been completely removed from the new version of Windows 11.

This might not be a big deal to most users -- the lack of people using the app is part of the reason it was deprecated, after all. If you don't know, WordPad has been around since Windows 95, and in terms of features and functionality, it offers more than Notepad, but less than Microsoft Word.

Read more