Windows 10 support ended: here is what to do now

What actually stopped on that date

Three things ended together: security updates for newly discovered vulnerabilities, feature and quality updates, and technical support from Microsoft. Nothing switched off. Applications still launch, files still open. The difference is that from October 15, 2025 onward, every new vulnerability affecting Windows 10 stays unpatched on that machine unless it is enrolled in Extended Security Updates. For why that matters beyond the inconvenience, see the real risks of running end-of-life equipment.

Extended Security Updates, consumer vs business

ESU is a paid bridge that keeps critical and important security updates flowing after end of support. It works differently for individuals and for organisations.

ESU delivers security fixes only. It does not include new features, bug fixes or general technical support, and it is deliberately priced to make migration the cheaper long-term path. Windows 10 running on Windows 365 or Azure Virtual Desktop gets ESU at no extra cost.

Your options, honestly compared

• Upgrade eligible PCs to Windows 11. Free for machines that meet the requirements. Check each device rather than assuming, because the CPU and TPM rules rule out a surprising number of otherwise healthy PCs.
• Enrol in ESU as a bridge. Sensible for devices that genuinely cannot move yet. Treat it as a meter running, not a destination, especially on the commercial side where the price doubles annually.
• Replace the hardware. For PCs that fail the Windows 11 check, this is the real answer, and it is a budget line, not a config change. Plan it as a refresh wave rather than a scramble.
• Move to a cloud PC. Windows 365 or Azure Virtual Desktop can carry older endpoints and include ESU, which is worth modelling when the hardware underneath is also aging.

The catch nobody budgeted for: hardware

Windows 11 requires TPM 2.0, Secure Boot and a supported CPU. Plenty of Windows 10 machines that run perfectly well simply do not qualify, so the software deadline quietly becomes a hardware one. A fleet that was a free in-place upgrade on paper turns into a procurement project in practice. This is exactly where a software end-of-life date and a hardware refresh collide, and why treating both as one lifecycle management problem beats handling them as two separate fire drills. If you are sizing the spend, the refresh budget calculator turns a device count into an annual number.

A plan that fits the time you have

• Now: inventory every Windows 10 device and run the Windows 11 eligibility check on each. Split the fleet into upgrade, replace and bridge.
• This month: enrol any at-risk machine in ESU so nothing is unprotected while you plan. For consumers that is the free sync option or $30; for business it is the volume-licensing route.
• Next quarter: upgrade the eligible PCs and get budget approved for the replacements. Order hardware early, supply is never faster near a deadline.
• Ongoing: retire the machines you replaced properly, and record the end-of-support date of the new fleet on day one so this never sneaks up again.

Related deadlines worth noting

Windows Server 2016 leaves extended support on January 12, 2027, and SQL Server 2016 ended on July 14, 2026, so many of the same organisations are juggling several expiries at once. The full, continuously updated picture sits on the IT end-of-support calendar. Note too that Windows 10 LTSC and IoT LTSC editions have their own, longer support dates, so a locked-down kiosk or medical device may be fine well past 2025.