Microsoft: Windows 11 “invites” coming to more Windows 10 Pro PCs

  • March 3, 2024
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  • 10:11 AM
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Windows 11 upgrade nag screen

Starting next month, Microsoft nag screens pushing Windows 11 will also show up on non-managed enterprise devices running Windows 10 Pro and Pro Workstation.

"Upgrade for free to the latest Windows 11. You can go to your desktop now and use your PC without interruptions while the upgrade downloads in the background (it's about 4 GB)," the "invitation messages" will say.

These Windows 11 upgrade "invites" will be displayed upon signing in, typically after a system reboot, starting with the April 2024 Patch Tuesday security updates.

After receiving the prompts, the users can upgrade to Windows 11 23H2 or keep using Windows 10. The users will also have the option to schedule a Windows 11 upgrade to keep using their PC uninterrupted during the transition.

"If your organization relies on Microsoft to manage Windows updates, you'll start seeing a new user interface on eligible Windows 10 devices soon," the company said this week.

"Starting with the April 2024 security update, a new message will appear after signing in and usually following a reboot."

Nag screens limited to non-managed endpoints

However, these nag screens will only show up on cloud-domain-joined and domain-joined enterprise PCs that meet Windows 11's eligibility criteria.

Devices managed by IT departments using tools like Microsoft Intune, Configuration Manager, Windows Autopatch, or other third-party management tools will not get the Windows 11 upgrade screens.

Windows 10 Pro will reach the end of support on October 14, 2025. The final version of Windows 10 is 22H2, which will keep receiving monthly security updates through that date.

Last week, Microsoft announced that it is now force installing Windows 11 23H2 on eligible systems that have reached or are close to their end-of-servicing date.

This forced rollout phase follows the automated update of systems running multiple editions of Windows 11 21H2 to Windows 11 22H2 before they reached the end of support on October 11, 2023.

Windows 11, version 23H2 (also known as the Windows 11 2023 Update) was released on October 31, one month after it rolled out to devices enrolled in the Release Preview Insider Channel.