No, of course you don’t have to update to Windows 11.

Microsoft thinks it is a threat to take away your support for Windows 10. Did anyone ever feel supported? Your life will only be better when Microsoft stops forcing buggy Windows updates on you. That is the totality of Microsoft support, btw, their Windows updates - the worst thing about Windows. Yes, take away our “support” Microsoft, and let us be.

Also, your interface with the internet are your browsers: Firefox, Chrome, (don’t use Microsoft Edge). If you are using Chrome or Firefox, those programs update their security completely independent of Windows Updates. So you will still be safe as long as those programs can update themselves, and that is usually continues 3-5 years past this point we are at now in Aug. 2025 with Windows 10.

So, as usual, ignore or do the opposite of what Microsoft tells you. You don’t need to do anything other than keep using your computer. Your goal is to be at the very tail end of any Microsoft changes, better if you can skip them altogether.

The last thing Microsoft would ever do is kick you out of their Windows platform. You will never find yourself unable to use a Microsoft operating system unless you wait a good 5-7 years past this point when they threaten you with the horrors of losing their support. Their whole existence hinges on keeping us tricked and locked into their ecosystem. People are still happily using Windows 7 with no problems once the updates stopped. Make sure you have an antivirus installed, as usual, a backup of your data, and you will be fine.