Microsoft's Free Windows 10 Assistive Technologies Upgrade Offer Is Still Alive

by Brandon Hill — Friday, January 05, 2018, 11:24 AM EDT

We could have seen thing one coming from a mile away. Earlier this year, Microsoft announced that it would no longer offer free upgrades to Windows 10 for customers that use assistive technologies. Microsoft gave a deadline of December 31^st for the program to end, meaning that all customers at that point would be required to purchase an upgrade to Windows 10.

Well, December 31^st has come and gone, and the free offer is still alive and kicking on Microsoft's website. Microsoft has also updated the language on its website to reflect a new termination date:

If you use assistive technologies, you can upgrade to Windows 10 at no cost as Microsoft continues our efforts to improve the Windows 10 experience for people who use these technologies. Please take advantage of this offer before it expires on January 16, 2018.

At this point, Microsoft's deadline for ending the free upgrades for assistive technology users seems to be a moving target. First it was December 31^st, 2017; now we're staring down the barrel of a January 16^th deadline. However, we wouldn't put it past Microsoft to then extend the offer to March 31^st and then push it further and further out.

If you still want to take advantage of free upgrade offer -- and you have a compatible Windows 7 or Windows 8.x system -- click the "Upgrade Now" button on Microsoft's website. Next, a file will download that will allow you to proceed with the installation of Windows 10.

Microsoft announced in November that Windows 10 is currently installed on over 600 million devices around the world. That tally not only includes PCs, but Windows 10 Mobile smartphones and Xbox One consoles as well.

Tags: Microsoft, Windows 10, (nasdaq:msft), assistive technologies

Brandon Hill

Brandon received his first PC, an IBM Aptiva 310, in 1994 and hasn’t looked back since. He cut his teeth on computer building/repair working at a mom and pop computer shop as a plucky teen in the mid 90s and went on to join AnandTech as the Senior News Editor in 1999. Brandon would later help to form DailyTech where he served as Editor-in-Chief from 2008 until 2014. Brandon is a tech geek at heart, and family members always know where to turn when they need free tech support. When he isn’t writing about the tech hardware or studying up on the latest in mobile gadgets, you’ll find him browsing forums that cater to his long-running passion: automobiles.

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