- Microsoft was invited to offer more free support for Windows 10 devices
- 400 million cannot update due to material limitations, generating electronic waste
- European customers have already obtained support from the additional year
It is not a secret for anyone that Microsoft had trouble keeping people from Windows 10 and on Windows 11, but even with an important warning, many are always reluctant or unable to upgrade.
With Windows 10 reaching the end of life on October 14, 2025, millions of PCs will be left without free security updates. We cannot switch to two PCs out of five on Windows 11 due to material problems, which makes the upgrade much more expensive than many had planned.
In this spirit, nearly 400 repair companies and other public representatives have signed an exhorting letter Microsoft to extend its free Windows 10 updates.
Windows 10 upgrade is always disturbing consumers and businesses
The letter was signed by 382 repair companies and non -profit organizations in the world, as well as 19 libraries and school officials, 83 elected officials and premises and 49 environmental and consumption defense organizations.
Organized by the America’s Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), the main director of the campaign for the right to repair Nathan Proctor also noted the petition of the organization, signed by more than 16,000 consumers, and a similar French petition signed by 43,000 citizens.
“People are tired of short -term electronics which forces us to upgrade, to take a software support or to create unexpected payment walls on basic features,” said Pirg SVP and COO ANDRE DULATTRE.
The PIRG has also noted the sustainability problems linked to upgrades to the forced operating system – with “up to 400 million computers … at the end of the loss” and unable to go to Windows 11, electronic waste is defined in the coming months.
“Less than a quarter of electronic waste is recycled, so most of these computers will find themselves in discharges,” said the letter.
Proctor criticized Microsoft for having offered European customers an additional year of calm support to comply with the laws of the EEA, but not by reflecting this on other markets, including the United States.
With the end of the Windows 10 support for less than two weeks, the market share of the operating system continues to decrease. In September 2025, Windows 10 had a 40.5% tranche of the Windows market, compared to 48.9% for Windows 11 (via Statcounter).
Microsoft reminded us of its long -standing commitment to sustainability, and although it designs repair, reuse and recovery devices, there is a time when the hardware and software have evolved so much that inherited devices are no longer suitable.
Redmond claims that he saw a 62% drop in security incidents and a 3X reduction in firmware attacks in Windows 11 compared to Windows 10.
Users who are unable to update themselves to Windows 11 for material reasons can always obtain extensive security updates (ESU) of one year – companies can obtain up to three years of ESU.
