John,

At the end of 2025, Microsoft will end free security fixes and updates for Windows 10. As many as 400 million perfectly good computers that can't upgrade to Windows 11 might be thrown out.1,2

The company has agreed to offer some extended support for Windows 10 -- for a price.3 But the only way to truly stop this e-waste disaster in the making is for Windows 10 support to remain free of charge.

Tell Microsoft: Don't leave millions of computers behind.

The end of free Windows 10 support is a bad deal for both users and the planet.

About 40% of PCs currently in use can't upgrade to Windows 11, even if users want to. That means when Microsoft stops providing security updates for Windows 10, those computers will either be insecure and unsafe to keep using, or else turn into junk and get thrown out. Less than a quarter of electronic waste is recycled, so most of those computers will end up in landfills.4

Electronic waste is already the fastest growing part of the U.S. municipal waste stream.5 We shouldn't be forced to throw away perfectly usable computers just because a company withholds critical software support unless users pay for it.

Take action to stop millions of computers from becoming e-waste by signing our petition.

As a corporate sustainability leader, Microsoft has a responsibility to make their operating system last for as long as the computers that run it are supposed to. Offering a paid support plan for Windows 10 is a good first step, but the company needs to go farther. Automatically extending support would do even more to prevent e-waste.

We know we can convince Microsoft to go farther. We've won before.

At first, Microsoft planned to end support for Windows 10 completely, without even offering a paid extension. After PIRG delivered more than 20,000 petition signatures from people asking Microsoft not to leave millions of computers behind, the company announced the ability to pay for extended support.

Now, we need to convince Microsoft to take the next step and automatically extend support for Windows 10, free of charge. Add your name today.

Thank you,

Faye Park
President

1. Paul Kunert, "More than 4 in 10 PCs still can't upgrade to Windows 11," The Register, October 10, 2022.
2. "Windows 10: Powering the world with 1 billion monthly active devices," Windows Experience Blog, last accessed May 31, 2024.
3. "Extended Security Updates (ESU) program for Windows 10," Microsoft, December 5, 2023.
4. "Helping Communities Manage Electronic Waste," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, last accessed May 30, 2024.
5. "Helping Communities Manage Electronic Waste," U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, last accessed May 30, 2024.

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