When will Windows 10 users be able to upgrade to Windows 11 for free? Microsoft confuses again

Windows 10 users will be able to upgrade their devices to Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system, according to Microsoft.

Microsoft unveiled its upcoming operating system last week and things started to get confusing right from the get-go. The company released a program, the PC Health Check tool, that reveals if a device is compatible with Windows 11. Many devices that users tested were not compatible because if stricter processor and TPM requirements.

The first iteration of the tool returned an unhelpful message if a device was not compatible, simply stating that the device could not run Windows 11. Third-party tools were created quickly that provided the missing explanation. Microsoft did upgrade its own tool eventually to highlight why Windows 11 is not an option for the tested device.

Windows 11 will be released later this year according to Microsoft, a leak suggests in October 2021.  One user asked Microsoft on Twitter about the release date, and Microsoft responded in the following way:

Windows 11 is due out later in 2021 and will be delivered over several months. The rollout of the upgrade to Windows 10 devices already in use today will begin in 2022 through the first half of that year.

The first sentences reiterates that Windows 11 will be out later in 2021. The second sentence on the other hand may cause confusion, as Microsoft reveals in it that the upgrade from Windows 10 devices to Windows 11 devices will begin in the first half of 2022.

Does that mean that Windows 10 users will have to wait half a year after the release of Windows 11 before they get the chance to upgrade to the new operating system? It is unlikely for a number of reasons, but one plausible interpretation of the sentence nevertheless.

Here is what I think Microsoft meant. Windows 11 will come out later this year. The operating system can be purchased and users may also upgrade to Windows 11 from their Windows 10 devices, provided that these are compatible. The upgrade will be offered to "seekers" only, administrators who click on the check for updates button in Windows Updates.

All compatible Windows 10 devices will receive the upgrade offer to Windows 11 then in the first half of 2022. Whether that upgrade will be enforced at one point in time, similarly to how Microsoft pushed Windows 10 on Windows 7 and 8.1 devices after the first year of release, remains to be seen.

Microsoft has a vested interest in upgrading as many devices running Windows 10 as possible, as much of Windows 11's early success depends on these updates and a positive momentum.

Now You: what is your take on all of this? (via Dr. Windows)

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☞ El artículo completo original de Martin Brinkmann lo puedes ver aquí