Just a few days ago, security researchers warned hundreds of millions of Windows users they’re at risk from a “ dangerous security fiasco .” Microsoft has now confirmed the same, proclaiming 2025 “the year of the Windows 11 PC refresh.” And for 400 million users in particular, that means hitting the stores before it’s too late.

It’s 2025, and Microsoft is kicking off the year by reminding everyone that support for Windows 10 ends in October. While the company has been trying to entice Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 with full-screen prompts throughout 2024, it’s now calling 2025 “the year of the Windows 11 PC refresh.”

Windows Latest first spotted the situation, describing it as a “genius move to keep you from Google search.” It’s part of a larger pattern by Microsoft to get Google users to switch to Edge and Bing, taking advantage of their positions as the default browser and search engine in Windows.

Microsoft would really, really, really like you to use Bing, its self-branded search engine that competes against Google’s monopoly. Not only is it hardwired into much of Windows and other Microsoft products like the Edge browser,

You have to give Microsoft some credit for not giving up in search, but it does not seem Bing has ever quite been the success that it hoped. Google remains far and away the largest search engine in the world,