While upgrading from Windows 10 to Windows 11 remains free on eligible PCs, a new leak suggests that Microsoft’s next major operating system, Windows 12, won’t be a free upgrade.

Windows 12 May Not Be a Free Upgrade, Reveals A New Leak

The probability was backed up by Deskmodder, a German site, which spotted certain mentions in the INI configuration file of the Canary channel build that suggests Microsoft’s next-generation operating system could be a subscription-based operating system (via Neowin).

When the *.ini from the Canary channel build was compared with the Windows 11 23H2 Release Preview build and the Dev Insider, the change could only be seen in the Canary.

The subscription-related entries on the Canary channel build (translated from German) are as follows:

• Subscription Edition – (L_MsgSubscriptionEdition)
• Subscription Type – L_MsgSubscriptionType (as “Device-Based Subscription” or “User-Based Subscription”)
• And the subscription status – L_MsgSubscriptionStatus (Active, Inactive, Deactivated, Expired

If the reports are accurate, Windows 11 users would be required to pay a subscription fee to upgrade their PC operating system to Windows 12.

On the other hand, Microsoft has yet to confirm the existence of Windows 12. So stay tuned for more updates, as this is a developing story.

Meanwhile, the Redmond giant recently rolled out a new Windows 11 update featuring the AI-powered assistant, Copilot, which offers enhanced features like AI for drawing and digital creation in Paint, upgraded AI-enabled features in the Photos app, and AI features in Snipping Tool.