Google Chrome to Verify Windows 11 Compatibility on Your PC as Windows 10 Reaches End of Life

In a significant development, Microsoft has announced an extension of support for Windows 10, albeit with some conditions. Concurrently, Google Chrome is taking proactive measures in light of this shift. As detailed in a Chromium post, Google is now assessing whether devices are eligible for an upgrade to Windows 11. This initiative is part of Chrome’s efforts to analyze data for future decisions regarding browser support.

Windows Latest uncovered evidence of changes in Chromium focusing on Windows 11 eligibility. This strategic move indicates that Google is implementing a new metric to gauge which users can transition to Windows 11 through Chrome.

It’s important to clarify that this does not mean Chrome will issue warnings or restrict usage for those continuing with Windows 10 following its end of support. However, this initiative reveals that Google is likely collecting critical data to assess the number of devices that would still be running unsupported versions of Windows 10 at the time of transition, thereby influencing their support strategy for the operating system.

The new Chromium feature introduces a check that activates each time Chrome launches on a Windows 10 machine. This check evaluates key hardware specifications—such as the CPU model, RAM, storage capacity, and the presence of TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot—to ascertain whether the device meets the Windows 11 criteria. The result is recorded as a simple true/false value within its anonymous usage statistics.

Our analysis reveals that Google has established a flag named “IsWin11UpgradeEligible, ” located in the base/win/hardware_check section. When Chrome is initiated on a Windows 10 system, this flag executes a verification process that:

Identifies the CPU vendor, model, and stepping.
Ensures the system has a minimum of 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of available disk space.
Checks the registry to confirm UEFI Secure Boot is enabled.
Utilizes the TPM Base Services API (tbs.dll) to verify the presence of TPM 2.0.

These criteria align with Microsoft’s requirements for Windows 11 eligibility. Currently, the data gathered from this process is intended solely for Google’s analysis, allowing them to project how many Windows 10 users might be eligible for an upgrade as the support deadline approaches.

As part of its forward-looking strategy, Google appears to be laying the groundwork for the eventual cessation of support for Chrome on Windows 10, which could still be several years down the line. It is conceivable that Chrome will continue functioning on Windows 10 beyond the operating system’s formal end of support next year.

Understanding Windows 10’s End of Support

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Technically, the support for Windows 10 is slated to conclude on October 14, 2025. However, Microsoft aims to urge users towards upgrading to Windows 11 or opting for continued use of Windows 10 by offering choices such as linking to a Microsoft account, accumulating Microsoft Rewards points, or making a nominal payment of $30 for local account usage.

This offer grants an additional year of security updates. Nonetheless, by October 13, 2026, when the extended security updates for Windows 10 conclude, users will face a critical decision, while Google Chrome endeavors to brace for that momentous shift.

Based on historical trends, it’s anticipated that Microsoft may not extend Windows support beyond the current parameters of the extended security updates, solidifying the need for users to consider their future operating system options.

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