October 14, 2025. The day Windows 10 retired.

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For better or worse, Microsoft is prompting the world to move on from Windows 10. After October 14, 2025, Microsoft stopped providing free security updates for Windows 10.

Ten years is a long time for an operating system, so it was not unexpected. Computers with Windows 10 will continue to function, but the operating system will be stagnant. There will no longer be guaranteed security vulnerability fixes, bug fixes, or feature improvements, and Microsoft will no longer offer technical support for Windows 10. Is that a big deal? Are you thinking that your Windows 10 system works fine, so why should it matter?

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Security is the first big reason. Hackers search for vulnerabilities in outdated operating systems that will not receive security patches. They hunt down computers running those outdated operating systems because they know they are more vulnerable to viruses, malware, and ransomware attacks. And if your business needs to comply with standards like HIPAA, SOC 2, or NIST Cybersecurity Framework, then using an unsupported operating system will put you out of compliance.

Reliability is the second reason. New applications and hardware will not be optimized for or written to support Windows 10. You will start seeing more crashes and performance issues, and over time, many of your apps will stop working. Eventually, you will need to update. So what can you do?

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Some PCs that are currently running Windows 10 can be upgraded to Windows 11. They must meet certain hardware requirements, with the CPU generation number being the most important feature. You can research the possibility of your particular PC running Windows 11 by researching your model on the manufacturer's website.

If you have a computer that cannot be upgraded, but you would like to keep using it for a little while longer, Microsoft is offering a service to provide security updates. This does not address the other issues down the road but does keep you safe from security vulnerabilities. Extended Security Updates (ESUs) allow you to receive security updates for Windows 10, giving you extra time to move to Windows 11. In the United States, Microsoft is offering most personal Microsoft account holders the ability to sign up for free updates through October 13, 2026 from the Windows Update page in the Settings app. You must be syncing your PC settings to a Microsoft account and your devices must be running the latest patch of Windows 10 (22H2). For others, ESUs for Windows 10 will cost $30 for one year. ESUs for organizations and businesses cost $60 per device for year one, and the price doubles every consecutive year, for a maximum of three years. In certain regions such as the European Union, Microsoft is providing ESUs for free to everyone.

Another option for businesses is to migrate their older PCs to the cloud with Windows 365 Business.

Anyone can consider repurposing their older computer by formatting it and installing ChromeOS Flex or Linux, so it can serve as a web browsing device for basic computing needs, such as email and Google apps.

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If your old Windows 10 PC is slowing you down or the options listed above will not work for you, you can purchase a new PC running Windows 11 with the latest security patches. Many tech stores, including Comprehensive Computing, can help you migrate your data from your old computer to your new.

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Windows 10 still has a little life left in it, but you must protect yourself from the risks using it brings.

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See this blog post as a column article in the Bennington Banner.