Will upgrade to Windows 11 be free?

When Microsoft released Windows 10, it decided to make it available free upgrades for devices running Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, provided they have been enabled with a genuine license.

A key reason for the free upgrades was 1 billion devices with Windows 10 targeted by Microsoft, which failed to catch on time. Even today, however, it is possible to upgrade to Windows 10 for free from Windows 7 or Windows 8.1.

Windows 11, Microsoft's next operating system, is supposed to bring a lot of important elements. One question many have is whether the upgrade will be free.

Microsoft has not said whether upgrades to Windows 11 from older Windows systems will be free or not.

What we already know (has been confirmed) is that upgrades will be supported not only from Windows 10, but also from devices running Windows 7 or 8.1.
It should be noted that it makes perfect sense to have free upgrades from older versions of Windows and not just Windows 10, as it is in Microsoft's interest. This way the company can ensure that most users of its operating systems will upgrade to the latest version it supports.

Support for Windows 7 ESU will stop in less than 2 years, support for Windows 8.1 expires in January 2023 and support for Windows 10 expires in 2025.

So it is very likely that Windows 11 will be released as a free upgrade for all consumer devices. Microsoft needs to move the majority of its customers from Windows 10 to Windows 11 quickly. The last thing the company would want is to have users with Windows 10 after support ends in 2025. It already happened when they stopped supporting Windows XP but also with the end of Windows 7 support.

Microsoft will probably offer free upgrades to all home customers using devices running Windows 7, Windows 8.1 or Windows 10.

The offer will attract many to upgrade their devices directly to Windows 11, giving the new operating system a solid user base from scratch.

If Microsoft does not offer free upgrades, Windows 11 will have a slower increase in the number of users, as there are many who choose stability over ongoing upgrades.

Why change a system, especially if you have to pay for the upgrade. The main reason for the upgrades is the ongoing support, but even that does not seem to be a convincing enough argument for some Windows users. In fact, there are still many who still run unsupported versions of Windows on their devices.

Microsoft will reveal more information about Windows 11 next week. After all this marketing and the advertising of the upcoming operating system we expect the company to proudly announce the free availability. Not to forget the goal: At least one computer with Windows in every home.