Microsoft is up to its old tricks yet again -- Windows 10 users harassed with full-screen Windows 11 upgrade warnings
Microsoft, it seems, never learns. Despite having repeatedly riled users by pestering them with ads for its products the company seems intent on continuing to use Windows to badger people.
The latest example of this is a full screen message displayed to Windows 10 users inviting them on a "new journey with Windows". The nag screen serves as a reminder that support for Windows 10 comes to an end in 18 months, but it is also being used to promote Windows 11 -- even on computers that are not able to run the latest version of the operating system.
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While it is fair to say that Microsoft is no stranger to badgering users into upgrading their software, this time around things feel particularly irritating. Not only are Windows 10 users being hit with full-screen ads for a product they are unable to use without investing in new hardware, the prompts are popping up at inopportune times.
Over on Reddit, one user complained:
I just got this FULL SCREEN popup while in the middle of working.
The message, which you can see in the screenshot at the top of this story, reads:
A new journey with Windows
We want to thank you for your loyalty as a Windows 10 customer. As end of support for Windows 10 approaches, we're here to support you on your PC journey.
Your PC is not eligible to upgrade to Windows 11, but it will continue to receive Windows 10 fixes and security updates until support ends on October 14, 2025.
Learn more about how you can prepare for the transition to Windows 11.
The brazen nature of the message is compounded by the fact that it cannot simply be dismissed. Users are presented with four options: click the Learn about end of support link to find out about the demise of Windows 10; click the Why Windows 11? link to read Microsoft waxing lyrical about the latest version of Windows; click the Remind me later button to set the timer on hiding the nag-screen for an unknown period; click the Learn more button to access more self-promotion from Microsoft.
The comments in response to the post on Reddit by user Woopinah9 mock and criticize Microsoft for pushing software that the audience cannot directly upgrade to, as well as complaining about the irritation the company is causing by interrupting people with full-screen ads.
The nag-screen seems ill-advised and badly thought through to say the least, but it seems Microsoft is unlikely to pay attention to the annoyance tactics like this cause.