Microsoft’s Windows 11 nagging is set to hit new heights - so Windows 10 Pro users prepare yourselves
Microsoft’s push for Windows 11 is about to get more relentless
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It looks likeMicrosoftis trying to unsubtly encourageWindows 10users into upgrading toWindows 11, again. This isn’t the first instance ofMicrosofttrying to goad users into usingWindows 11or another of its products - recently, Microsoft’s been getting called out both by users and competitors for trying to push people to use its browser, Edge. If you’re not a fan of this behavior, unfortunately it looks like Microsoft isn’t going to let up.
In what could strike some users as a rather tone deaf move, Microsoft recently put out aWindows IT Pro blog postproclaiming that it has “good news” for users who use devices runningWindows 10Pro or Pro Workstation.
In the post, Microsoft announced that what it calls ‘an invitation’ will appear after a user signs in (often following a restart) that will prompt these users to opt in to get Windows 11. If you have a suitable machine that’s eligible for the Windows 11 upgrade and it’s not managed by an IT department, it’s likely that this notification will appear for you. Microsoft doesn’t hide that it very much wants users to use Windows 11.
Windows 10 Pro users - brace yourselves
Here is an image of the notification that users can expect to see:
In the page that prompts users to upgrade theiroperating systemsto Windows 11, users can choose to install Windows 11 right away or to schedule the install for a later time. The option to continue using Windows 10 is also there, but you might not have noticed it in the image above - it’s pretty deliberately put at the bottom of the page and doesn’t look like a button.BetaNews goes as far as to arguethat this is possibly deceptive.
I don’t see this paying off for Microsoft, which is clearly eager to convert more of the Windows 10 user base, which happens to still be themost-used version of Windows. There are multiple reasons why Windows 10 is still so beloved, and why users are reluctant to use Windows 11, and with policies like this, Microsoft looks like it’s simply ignoring its customers’ preferences, and just trying to push users to do what it wants.
Users want to have choices, and while they do have some tolerance for what they perceive as annoying behavior from Microsoft, that will only last so long. Perhaps Microsoft feels a boosted confidence after it recently reached the status of being the most highly valued company in the world, but if it keeps burning through user goodwill, it could push away a substantial number of users.
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Kristina is a UK-based Computing Writer, and is interested in all things computing, software, tech, mathematics and science. Previously, she has written articles about popular culture, economics, and miscellaneous other topics.
She has a personal interest in the history of mathematics, science, and technology; in particular, she closely follows AI and philosophically-motivated discussions.
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