If you'd like to help stop about 400,000,000 non-upgradeable Windows 10 pc's from going into landfills, please sign the nonprofit petition at:
https://pirg.org/take-action/tell-microsoft-to-extend-free-support-for-windows-10/
No donation is required.
Please share this petition far and wide.🙏
The petition has a fair cause but an unrealistic goal. Maintaining Windows 10 costs millions in engineering and certification and Microsoft has already shifted those resources to Windows 11. Extending free support no longer fits its business or security model as keeping obsolete systems active raises risks and slows progress.
The environmental concern is valid since millions of usable computers will be discarded for software rather than hardware reasons. The real issue is how to guarantee basic security updates, lighter systems, and open standards that extend device lifespan rather than expecting perpetual free support.
In short, the campaign makes a symbolic political point but remains technically and economically unfeasible for Microsoft or any major software company.
The petition has a fair cause but an unrealistic goal. Maintaining Windows 10 costs millions in engineering and certification and Microsoft has already shifted those resources to Windows 11. Extending free support no longer fits its business or security model as keeping obsolete systems active raises risks and slows progress.
The environmental concern is valid since millions of usable computers will be discarded for software rather than hardware reasons. The real issue is how to guarantee basic security updates, lighter systems, and open standards that extend device lifespan rather than expecting perpetual free support.
In short, the campaign makes a symbolic political point but remains technically and economically unfeasible for Microsoft or any major software company.
Thank you for contributing Microsoft's position to this blog. Many manufacturers take the same position because frankly, there is more money for them in their trash-and-replace business models.
The position of millions of Microsoft customers is that they simply cannot afford to scrap their non-upgradeable Windows 10 machines and buy new ones. This is the primary premise of the Right To Repair Movement--to shift the burden of disposable products back onto those who made them. Please note that Microsoft is not being singled out here. The Right To Repair Movement applies to all products, e.g., appliances, vehicles, farm equipment, etc.
Interestingly, Microsoft is already selling extended support plans that miraculously resurrect Windows 10 going beyond its alleged "end-of-life" date. Disgusting.
Just a quick update (pun intended)...
Following my signing of the above petition, I have received two Windows 10 updates on one of my pc's on:
The October 15th update could be chalked up to a delayed installation of the "last" free end-of-life Windows 10 update--as the official end-of-life date was October 14, 2025. However, the November 11th update is well beyond the end-of-life date.
Of course, the nonprofit hosting the petition forwards petition signatures to Microsoft for the purpose of influencing Microsoft to extend support. Therefore, I can only deduce that it is not only technically and economically feasible for Microsoft to extend support for Windows 10--they have actually done it.
If you have a Windows 10 pc, you're not receiving updates, and you haven't signed the petition, then you know what to do.
11/12/2025 Edit: As Microsoft new release states that the post-end-of-life updates were emergently pushed out so that Windows 10 users can buy a year of extended support. Exception: Users in EEA (European Economic Area) countries can enroll in one year of free updates but only if they allow online Windows login with a Microsoft account.
The EEA countries are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden.U.S. Windows 10 users appear to be eligible for the one year of free updates if they agree to sign into Windows 10 with a Microsoft account and agree to back up their pc's to the Microsoft cloud. I will not be doing this because I only install Windows with a security key, and I only log into Windows with a local password--for security reasons.
Interestingly, I received yet another Windows 10 update today without doing anything other than previously signing the petition.
