Windows 11 is just a few months away from the public release. When released in the last quarter of 2021, Windows 11 is a free upgrade to eligible Windows 10 PCs.
A significant percent of Windows 10 users is eagerly waiting to upgrade to Windows 11. Many users whose PCs support Windows 11 want to know if their Windows 10 PCs will be automatically upgraded to Windows 11 when it becomes available later this year.
When will Microsoft start upgrading Windows 10 PCs to Windows 11 for free?
Windows 11 RTM will be released to the public in October or November 2021. According to Microsoft, upgrades to Windows 10 will begin to roll out late in 2021 and continue into 2022.
This means that the Windows 10 PCs eligible for the free upgrade will start receiving Windows 11 late in 2021. However, as seen during the Windows 10 free upgrade program, Microsoft might roll out Windows 11 over several months. So, you might not receive Windows 11 upgrade immediately after the launch.
And if you cannot wait to install and run Windows 11 on your computer, you can use the official Windows 11 Upgrade Assistant or download Windows 11 ISO and upgrade your Windows 10 installation to Windows 11. You can also retain your files and applications during the upgrade.
Do Windows 10 PCs automatically upgrade to Windows 11?
Windows 11 is a free upgrade to Windows 10 PCs that meet Windows 11’s minimum hardware requirements. PCs that support Windows 11 will receive a notification via Windows Update service when Windows 11 is available for your computer.
To be more specific, your Windows 10 installation will not be automatically upgraded to Windows 11 without your consent. Instead, you need to click on the Windows 11 upgrade notification and click on the upgrade button to begin downloading and installing Windows 11. As you might already know, most Windows 10 drivers will work on Windows 11 as well.
On your Windows 10 computer, after the launch of Windows 11, navigate to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update page and click on Check for updates button to check if Windows 11 is available for your computer.
Note that running the most current version of Windows 10 is one of the requirements to receive the free upgrade. So, make sure that you are running the most current version of Windows 10. Microsoft is expected to release 21H2 around October, and we advise you to upgrade your Windows 10 installation to 21H2 once released.
You can refer to our how-to check Windows 10 version number guide to know what version of Windows 10 you are currently running.
