Consumer Reports urges Microsoft to continue supporting Windows 10

Yevgeny Demkivskyi - 17 September, 10:34 AM

Consumer Reports has written to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella asking him to extend free support for Windows 10 beyond October 14, 2025. The letter states that the suspension of security updates "would leave millions of users stranded."

According to the organization, as of August 2025, Windows 10 will be used by about 46.2% of users worldwide. At the same time, from 200 to 400 million computers cannot upgrade to Windows 11 due to the lack of TPM 2.0.

Consumer Reports is an independent, non-profit organization in the United States that advocates for consumer rights and publishes research, ratings, and reviews of products and services. Its positions often influence the decisions of large companies and government regulatory initiatives.

The letter calls Microsoft "hypocritical" for urging people to upgrade to Windows 11 for security reasons while leaving Windows 10 unprotected. It also criticizes the $30 annual support fee and limited free options that force users to stay in the Microsoft ecosystem.

Consumer Reports is calling for Windows 10 to be supported until most users can upgrade to the new OS. The initiative is joined by the Public Interest Research Group (PIRG), which warns that "up to 400 million fully functional computers will be thrown away" if Microsoft does not reconsider its decision.

Also, according to the analytical company StatCounter, just a month before the end of support, the share of Windows 10 users began to grow. As of the end of August, the share of Windows 11 decreased by 4%, while Windows 10 grew by 2.7% and reached 45.53%. The data from StatCounter and Consumer Reports may not coincide, as the companies collected statistics separately.