Windows 10 has officially been out for ten years. It was released on July 29, 2025, and is currently supported for less than ten weeks. Of course, you can extend support by signing up for a Microsoft account and syncing settings to the cloud, using 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points, or paying $30. But if you want to use a local account and not pay, support will end on October 14, 2025.
It’s hard to believe I’ve been using Windows 10 for so long and it’s helped me transition from college to the workplace. Windows 10 ends the fragmented experience brought about by Windows 8 and restores some features, including a unified Start menu instead of the one beforeNot everyone likes itTile interface.
Every operating system, or rather software, has its life cycle, and Windows 10 is no exception. Microsoft launched Windows 11 in 2021 and has been working hard to convince users to move to the new operating system. But it's not as simple as moving from Windows 8.1 to 10, as it brings a lot of new hardware requirements that we've never seen before.
Before pointing out the pitfalls of this migration approach and the reasons why users still want Windows 10, let's take a look at what happens when the EOL date arrives:
Your computer will not receive any updates. That means there won't be any new features, upgrades, or security patches.
Apps will soon stop running on Windows 10. This doesn't mean everything will stop working, but some applications may conflict with this outdated version of Windows.
When you have a problem with your computer, you don't get help from technical support.
If you want to extend your EOL date, there is a silver lining. For $30, Microsoft is offering an extra year of security updates until October 13, 2026. You simply register your PC to the ESU program and pay a one-time fee.
Or you can sync settings to the cloud or use 1,000 Microsoft Rewards points to extend support.
Microsoft also has different expansion plans planned for business users, priced at $61 per PC. The ESU plan is valid for three years for enterprise users, but Microsoft has not announced the specific cost on the official page.
If your Windows PC uses Microsoft 356 or a virtualized operating system, you don't need to purchase an ESU. These benefits will take effect automatically.
Why move to Windows 11?
This operating system is an upgrade to Windows 10, and whether you like it or not, it's bound to be its successor. Windows 10 was supposed to be phased out like previous operating systems. Microsoft may consider it their best work, and even if you hold a diametrically opposed view, that decision is immutable.
We appreciate some operating system improvements, such as Snap layout, Phone Link upgrades, improvements to the Start menu and File Explorer, and system app feature add-ons. The problem lies in the transition path, because this time you not only need to upgrade the operating system, but also the PC itself.
Microsoft is taking this opportunity to launch Copilot+ PCs equipped with AI chips and more powerful features, which is a good time for both operating systems and PC manufacturers. This is also a first for the Windows operating system, which provides a different experience (exclusive applications, AI functions) for systems equipped with AI chips.
Windows 11 requirements are so strict that if you don't meet even one hardware requirement, you'll be disqualified. The most notorious of these are Secure Boot and TPM, the latter of which is a problem for many people. Secure Boot is less of an issue than TPM 2.0 because many devices cannot satisfy the operating system's requirements by just adding a physical TPM. Even a well-configured system cannot meet the requirements of Windows 11 without TPM 2.0.
Several security features of the new operating system rely on the TPM and Secure Boot, and if you bypass them, you are not using the operating system at all.
As a result, millions of Windows 10 users are stuck. They can either buy a new device and upgrade to Windows 11, or continue using Windows 10 until games and apps stop running. Alternatively, they can choose another operating system. Linux seems to be a popular choice to keep your PC going for a few more years.