Microsoft Reopens Windows 10 Beta Channel for Windows Insiders

Despite working to migrate people from Windows 10 to 11, Microsoft has reopened the the Windows 10 Beta Channel for Windows Insiders.

Microsoft made the announcement in a blog post:

At the end of last year, we announced a change in approach for Windows 10 to make sure everyone can get the maximum value from their current Windows PC. To bring new features and more improvements to Windows 10 as needed, we need a place to do active feature development with Windows Insiders. So today, we are opening the Beta Channel for Windows Insiders who are currently on Windows 10. This will allow us to try out new features for Windows 10, version 22H2, with Insiders before releasing them to all Windows 10 customers.

If you are an Insider on Windows 10 today and want to try out new features for Windows 10 when we have them, we recommend that you join or switch to the Beta Channel. You can do this by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program, clicking on the current Insider Channel selection to expand and see the full list of Insider Channels, and choosing Beta Channel.

There’s no denying that Microsoft has a Windows 11 problem. As recently as April, Windows 10 was taking market share away from 11, coming in at 70.01%. Windows 11, meanwhile, dropped to 25.69%. When looking at the change from the previous month, it’s clear that Windows 10’s increase directly corresponded to a decrease in Windows 11 users.

Users’ reluctance to migrate to Windows 11 comes from a combination of factors:

• Windows 11 has steep system requirements—seemingly arbitrary at that—that will send hundreds of millions of computers to the landfill prematurely.
• Windows 11 sends a massive amount of data to advertising companies.
• Windows 11 performance has been slammed as “comically bad” by a former Microsoft engineer.
• Microsoft increasingly requires users to sign up with a Microsoft account to use Windows 11, rather than using a local account like previous versions.
• Microsoft’s insistence on incorporating AI throughout the operating system is a turnoff for many users.
• Microsoft is rumored to be transitioning to a subscription model in upcoming releases of Windows.

Because of these factors, Windows 10 has been growing in popularity despite its impending EOL next year. In fact, the older OS is so popular that Microsoft recently announced a paid extended support option, giving users the (expensive) ability to safely use Windows 10 past its official EOL.

Microsoft’s decision to reopen the Windows 10 Beta Channel seems like further acknowledgment by Microsoft that Windows 11 is not where it needs to be to move on from Windows 10.

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