How To Get Windows 11 For Free Before Windows 10 Support Ends – Forbes
How to upgrade to Windows 11 for free.Update, Jan. 27, 2025: This story, originally published Jan. 26, has been updated to expand upon the security dangers ahead for Windows 10 users who don’t take the free upgrade to Windows 11 on offer from Microsoft.As Windows continues to come under attack from all quarters, be it Russian hackers, the exploitation of zero-day vulnerabilities in Windows itself, or newly reported FastHTTP high-speed password hacking threats, keeping your operating system secure has never been more vital. Yet for hundreds of millions of Windows 10 users, security support will come to a crashing halt sooner rather than later as Microsoft stops providing it on Oct. 14. If you are quick, however, there’s a way of upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 entirely legally and free of charge. Here’s what you need to know.There are, truth be told, many ways to get hold of a copy of Windows 11 free of charge, but not free from cost. Let me explain. These methods all involve illegality in some shape or form, mostly cracked copies of the operating system. If your moral code is OK with that, then you might wonder where the cost comes from. Well, quite apart from the risk of prosecution, however small, there’s the security angle, which is much more significant: such copies of Windows often come with an unwelcome malware surprise. Do you really want to be using Microsoft’s most secure operating system with added rootkits and malware to spy on you and steal the credentials to your valuable accounts? Nope, didn’t think so. But as the end of support date for Windows 11 fast approaches, with less than nine months left, making the upgrade is becoming a pressing issue for many who might be tempted by money not changing hands.Which is where Microsoft comes to the rescue, albeit rather quietly and without fanfare. A Jan. 21 posting to Microsoft’s Windows release health support pages, yeah, who knew, revealed that there is a way to get a legal upgrade to Windows 11 free of charge.Windows 11 free upgrade announcement.“Starting this week,” Microsoft said, “we are expanding this latest Windows version’s phased rollout.” That version being Windows 11 24H2. “We are gradually offering this update also to eligible devices running Windows 10, version 22H2,” Microsoft confirmed.What are the primary issues that spring to mind when you consider the attack surface in 2025 as it applies to your threat profile? Obviously, these issues will vary according to that profile and your specific circumstances, but I can say with some confidence that hack attacks, data loss, espionage and ransomware are going to be high on the list for many people. According to one recent report, the most secure operating system yet, Windows 11, is actually losing market share to Windows 10, which is, by definition, a less secure operating system. What’s more, it will soon become a very insecure operating system indeed as Microsoft has already announced that end of support date of Oct. 14.What this means is that there will be no more free software updates from Windows Update, no more technical assistance either and, most importantly of all in the context of this article and beyond, no more security fixes for Windows 10 users. “It’s five minutes to twelve to avoid a security fiasco for 2025,” Thorsten Urbanski, a director of marketing and communication at security vendor ESET, said, “we strongly advise all users not to wait until October, but to switch to Windows 11 immediately…”I’ve been taking a cursory glance back at the articles I’ve published over the last few weeks and months concerning Windows 10 security issues, and the breadth of threats is quite staggering. Everything from BitLocker encryption vulnerabilities, email hack attacks, high-speed password hacking, zero-day vulnerabilities, 2FA bypass, Windows backdoors, you name it and the threat exists. Do nothing and those threats will amplify for you once Windows 10 hits that end of support status.Microsoft advised that to check if your Windows 10 device is eligible for the free Windows 11 operating system upgrade then you must head for Settings|Windows Update and then select the check for updates option.“If your device is ready for the update,” Microsoft said, “you’ll see the option to download and install Windows 11, version 24H2.”Why is this such a critical upgrade from the security perspective? As I’ve already mentioned, from Oct. 14, Windows 10 will have reached what’s known as end-of-support, and millions of users will no longer get security updates unless they pay for extended security support or upgrade to Windows 11. Unless that is, you check for that free upgrade opportunity now. Keep an eye on that stealthy support page as well, as Microsoft has said that it will “regularly share more information on the Windows 11 2024 Update rollout.”One Community. Many Voices. Create a free account to share your thoughts. Our community is about connecting people through open and thoughtful conversations. We want our readers to share their views and exchange ideas and facts in a safe space.In order to do so, please follow the posting rules in our site’s Terms of Service. We’ve summarized some of those key rules below. Simply put, keep it civil.Your post will be rejected if we notice that it seems to contain:User accounts will be blocked if we notice or believe that users are engaged in:So, how can you be a power user?Thanks for reading our community guidelines. Please read the full list of posting rules found in our site’s Terms of Service.
