Windows 11: Do We Really Need to Upgrade to Windows 10? What is there to know.

The days of Windows 10 are numbered. With the arrival of Windows 11 this fall, Microsoft has announced that it will stop supporting Windows 10 in 2025. When you have time before Microsoft security and feature updates are complete, you need to understand what’s moving to Windows 11 if your computer is compatible, and if you need to upgrade.

We will also explain when and how to download Windows 11 and who can benefit for free. Here is everything you need to know about the results of Windows 10 support and getting ready for Windows 11.

When will Microsoft end support for Windows 10, and why?

Support for Windows 10 expires on October 14, 2025. This means that Microsoft will not provide security attachments or feature enhancements for Home, Pro, Enterprise, and Pro educational versions at that time. It affects almost all Windows 10 users. The only few Windows 10 Enterprise long-term support channel users that will be there until 2029).

This is not surprising: Microsoft has a lifetime policy for many of its products. For each version of its OS, the company offers a minimum of 10 years of support (at least five years of general support, such as security updates and free incidental support, followed by five years of extended support, such as tariff adjustment). Windows 10 was released on July 2015, so its 10-year life cycle will end in October 2025.

Do I need to upgrade to Windows 11? Will my Windows 10 system stop working after support is complete?

No. Even though Microsoft has stopped supporting them in recent years, you can still use your Windows 10 system in the same way as many others use Windows 7 or Windows 8. However, once support is complete, you will no longer receive vulnerable security updates to your computer. Many types of malware target Windows devices.

If you do not want to stop using your Windows 10 engine after the end of support in 2025, you need to take some steps to make it more secure.

Can my computer run Windows 11?

It depends. If you buy a new computer at the time of the release of the public version, that Windows can run Windows 11. To find out if your current Windows 10 PC is eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 11, check out our dedicated article.

First, Microsoft instructed people to download the PC Health Check processor and test whether their machines are compatible. However, many users reported that the app did not provide enough details about why a device is not compatible. On June 28, a Microsoft blog post said that the company “temporarily deletes the app” to fix this issue and that the tool will return before Windows 11 is released in the fall. In the meantime, you can use another open source application called WhyNotWin11 to check if your device is compatible.

How to switch from Windows 10 to Windows 11? How much does it cost me?

If you already have a Windows 10 user and PC compatible, Windows 11 will generally be available as a free upgrade to your machine, probably for newer PCs in October, after a few weeks. You can download the beta now if you want to try it soon, but we only recommend it if you have a second test device because it will be an error.

Once Windows 11 is released, you will be downloading just like any other new version of Windows. Most users go to Settings> Update & Security> Windows Update and click “Check for Updates”. If you get the update, you will see the update feature appear for Windows 11.

By article CNET.com CNET adapts to France