Microsoft sued over plan to end Windows 10 support, plaintiff alleges push for new hardware

Microsoft’s decision to end support for Windows 10 in October this year has sparked legal action, with a California resident accusing the company of forcing consumers toward costly upgrades and newer devices.

The lawsuit, filed by Lawrence Klein in Southern California under ID 25CU041477C, claims that Microsoft’s move is part of a broader strategy to strengthen its dominance in the generative AI market. Klein, who owns two laptops running Windows 10 that cannot be upgraded to Windows 11, argues that the end of support will render his devices “effectively unusable.”

According to the complaint, Microsoft is encouraging users to switch to Windows 11 machines, which feature its AI assistant, Copilot, optimised for devices with a neural processing unit (NPU) — hardware absent from older models.

Klein’s filing warns, “With only three months until support ends for Windows 10, it is likely that many millions of users will not buy new devices or pay for extended support. These users — some of whom are businesses storing sensitive consumer data — will be at a heightened risk of a cyberattack or other data security incident, a reality of which Microsoft is well aware.”

The lawsuit further claims, “Microsoft's long-term business strategy to secure market dominance will have the effect of jeopardising data security not only of Microsoft's customers but also of persons who may not use Microsoft's products at all.”

Klein is seeking a court order requiring Microsoft to provide free Windows 10 support until the number of devices running the operating system falls to a “reasonable threshold,” as well as coverage for legal fees.

Microsoft has previously announced that support for Windows 10 will officially end on October 14, 2025. Users with unsupported devices have been advised to either enrol in the Windows 10 Consumer Extended Security Updates (ESU) programme or replace their hardware with Windows 11-compatible machines.