Microsoft might be spooked by Windows 10 user numbers - but will making upgrading to Windows 11 easier be the answer?

Fingertip pressing keyboard key with Windows logo on it
Är du ute efter bästa VPN för Windows 10 och Windwos 11? Här är våra favoriter just nu. (Image credit: Shutterstock)

If you’re a Windows 10 user, you may have been prompted to download Windows 11 22H2 to upgrade to Windows 11. You would then need to fully reboot your system to download the newer Windows 11 23H2. Thankfully, it seems like Microsoft has cut down this tedious process and will now let you upgrade straight to Windows 11 23H2 from Windows 10.  

As spotted by Mayank Parmar of Windows Latest, a new server-side change allows people to more easily upgrade their operating system, and noted that over the past few weeks, some PCs have started offering ‘Windows 11 23H2’ rather than the older 22H2 update. 

The old system of updating didn’t really make a lot of sense - why would you download an update just to reboot and download yet another one to get to Windows 11?

I’m glad that the process has become a bit more streamlined, and it seems like the option will be offered to more and more people in the coming weeks. If you are yet to update to Windows 10, I’d recommend holding off until you’re prompted to jump straight to Windows 11 23H2 - if only to save yourself the headache of a lengthy double-update.

Make it worth it, Microsoft 

If you’re planning to hold onto Windows 10 as long as possible, you’ve got about two years of Windows 10 support before Microsoft will start really pushing for you to upgrade (though the in-OS nagging has already begun). Windows 10 losing support won’t mean the end of the operating system entirely - you’ll still be able to use it as you normally would once the deadline for support has passed. 

However, you’ll no longer receive security updates, bug fixes, or any new features for Windows 10. That leaves you vulnerable to cyber-attacks and annoying system glitches, so you’ll have to weigh up whether staying with Windows 10 is worth it. Microsoft has made it quite clear in recent months: get on board with Windows 11 or get left behind.

Windows 11 is not without its flaws; the most recent update to the system has been riddled with bugs for a while, with a fix only recently being dropped for struggling users. In my view, if Microsoft is so keen to get users to upgrade, it ought to be 100% certain the alternative it’s offering is worth the changeover - and many users clearly don’t think that’s the case. It may be that the only real solution may be to just put everything into Windows 12 and make an operating system that everyone can finally get behind.

You might also like...

Muskaan Saxena
Computing Staff Writer

Muskaan is TechRadar’s UK-based Computing writer. She has always been a passionate writer and has had her creative work published in several literary journals and magazines. Her debut into the writing world was a poem published in The Times of Zambia, on the subject of sunflowers and the insignificance of human existence in comparison. Growing up in Zambia, Muskaan was fascinated with technology, especially computers, and she's joined TechRadar to write about the latest GPUs, laptops and recently anything AI related. If you've got questions, moral concerns or just an interest in anything ChatGPT or general AI, you're in the right place. Muskaan also somehow managed to install a game on her work MacBook's Touch Bar, without the IT department finding out (yet).

Read more
A finger touching a screen showing the Windows 11 logo
5 reasons why I’m finally upgrading to Windows 11 in January
A man sitting at his desk in the evening and using a desktop computer
It looks like Microsoft is forcing its controversial Windows 11 24H2 update on people and (plot twist!) it might be for the best
Windows 11 forced onto old hardware
Windows 11 is still my favorite OS, ads and all
Windows 11
Has the rush to upgrade to Windows 11 just begun? New stats show a marked uptick as Windows 10 End of Life looms later in 2025
Windows 10
Microsoft gets into the spam game by again emailing Windows 10 users to prod them to upgrade to Windows 11 – is the nagging going too far now?
Windows 11 forced onto old hardware
Microsoft quietly removed its instructions for installing Windows 11 on an unsupported PC – is this something to do with the 24H2 update?
Latest in Windows
A young woman is working on a laptop in a relaxed office space.
I’ll admit, Microsoft’s new Windows 11 update surprised me with its usefulness, providing accessibility fixes, a gamepad keyboard layout, and PC spec cards
Microsoft Surface Laptop and Surface Pro devices on a table.
Hate Windows 11’s search? Microsoft is fixing it with AI, and that almost makes me want to buy a Copilot+ PC
girl using laptop hoping for good luck with her fingers crossed
Windows 11 24H2 seems to be a massive fail – so Microsoft apparently working on 25H2 fills me with hope... and fear
A woman sitting in a chair looking at a Windows 11 laptop
It looks like Microsoft might have thought better about banishing Copilot AI shortcut from Windows 11
Using Zipped files and folders in Windows 11
Windows 11 should soon be faster at extracting files from compressed ZIPs – and it’s about time, frankly
Xbox Wireless Controller
Microsoft is adding a powerful new feature for using Xbox controllers with Windows 11
Latest in News
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin Rennovations
Disney’s giving a classic Buzz Lightyear ride a tech overhaul – here's everything you need to know
Hisense U8 series TV on wall in living room
Hisense announces 2025 mini-LED TV lineup, with screen sizes up to 100 inches – and a surprising smart TV switch
Nintendo Music teaser art
Nintendo Music expands its library with songs from Kirby and the Forgotten Land and Tetris
Opera AI Tabs
Opera's new AI feature brings order to your browser tab chaos
An image of Pro-Ject's Flatten it closed and opened
Pro-Ject’s new vinyl flattener will fix any warped LPs you inadvertently buy on Record Store Day
The iPhone 16 Pro on a grey background
iPhone 17 Pro tipped to get 8K video recording – but I want these 3 video features instead