Reports reaching the web lately claim that a number of Windows 7 and 8.1 computers are automatically upgraded to Windows 10, without actually allowing users to choose whether to start the install or not.



It all happened following this month’s Patch Tuesday rollout, as some users also received the necessarily files to initiate the upgrade to Windows 10 via Windows Update. And while that is not at all a surprise, given the fact that Microsoft made the Windows 10 upgrade a recommended update in early 2016, it appears that after the download, users can no longer prevent their PCs from starting the download.
Unexpectedly, this led to further criticism against Microsoft, which has been accused of upgrading PCs to Windows 10 in order to boost adoption of the new operating system.
“Customers are in full control” But in a statement sent to Softpedia this morning, a Microsoft spokesperson explains that this is not the case, and users are always allowed to choose whether they want to upgrade to Windows 10 or not. Customers are always in control, the statement reads, pointing to a post published by OS group head Terry Myerson in October.
“We shared in late October on the Windows Blog, we are committed to making it easy for our Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 customers to upgrade to Windows 10. As stated in that post, we have updated the upgrade experience to make it easier for customers to schedule a time for their upgrade to take place. Customers continue to be fully in control of their devices, and can choose to not install the Windows 10 upgrade or remove the upgrade from Windows Update (WU) by changing the WU settings,” the spokesperson told us.
So there you go, Windows 10 shouldn’t be installed on your PC automatically by any means. In case you’ve indeed upgraded to the new OS without you specifically wanting it, there’s always the option to downgrade in the first 30 days.