As recent leaks have confirmed, Microsoft is preparing to release a new version of Windows called Windows 11 that will feature major updates to the operating system’s user interface, Start menu, and other key components. A report from XDA Developers suggests that even users on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 will be able to update to Windows 11 for free. This is according to Windows 11’s product configuration keys, which include support for both of these legacy platforms. Microsoft ended mainstream support for Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 on January 13, 2015 and January 9, 2018, respectively.
This is only natural, since Microsoft has constantly been talking about how many devices are now running Windows 10. Just last month at Build, CEO Satya Nadella reiterated that the OS is now on 1.3 billion machines. It would make very little sense for Microsoft to split its userbase again.
Source: XDA Developers