What to do now that Windows 10 support has ended
Windows 10 lost security updates on October 14, 2025. Check if your PC can upgrade to Windows 11 free, weigh ESU, or stay safer on Windows 10.
Windows 10 reached end of support on October 14, 2025. That does not mean your PC stopped working — it still turns on, and your files and programs are all still there. What changed is that Microsoft no longer ships security updates for it, so the machine grows slowly more exposed as time passes. You have a handful of clear options, none of them urgent enough to panic over, and this guide lays them out so you can pick the one that fits your PC and your budget.
What “end of support” actually means
End of support is a policy change, not a shutdown. After October 14, 2025, Windows 10 no longer receives security updates, bug fixes, feature updates, or technical help from Microsoft. The operating system keeps running exactly as it did the day before.
The risk is cumulative rather than immediate. Every new security flaw found from now on stays unpatched on a standard Windows 10 install, so a machine that is safe enough today becomes a softer target as the months pass. That makes this a decision to make deliberately over the coming weeks, not an emergency to solve tonight.
Can your PC upgrade to Windows 11 for free?
If your PC is eligible, the upgrade to Windows 11 is free for Windows 10 machines running version 22H2 that meet the hardware requirements. The quickest way to check is Microsoft’s free PC Health Check app: install it, click Check now, and it tells you whether your specific PC qualifies and, if not, which requirement it fails.
The requirement that trips up most otherwise-capable PCs is the processor. Windows 11 needs a chip on Microsoft’s supported-CPU list, which broadly means roughly Intel 8th-generation and newer or AMD Ryzen 2000-series and newer; plenty of fast older PCs are excluded on that basis alone. TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot are the other common sticking points, though both are often already present and merely switched off in the firmware.
| Requirement | Windows 11 minimum |
|---|---|
| Processor | 1 GHz or faster, 2+ cores, on Microsoft’s supported 64-bit CPU list |
| RAM | 4 GB |
| Storage | 64 GB or larger |
| System firmware | UEFI, Secure Boot capable |
| Security chip | TPM version 2.0 |
| Graphics | DirectX 12 compatible, with a WDDM 2.0 driver |
| Display | 720p, larger than 9 inches diagonally |
Your four options, side by side
Most people land on one of four paths. Here they are at a glance before we walk through each.
| Option | Best if | Cost | Keeps security updates coming? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upgrade to Windows 11 | Your PC passes PC Health Check | Free | Yes, ongoing |
| Enroll in consumer ESU | You need more time on Windows 10 | Free, 1,000 Rewards points, or $30 | Yes, through Oct 12, 2027 (security only) |
| Buy a new PC | Your PC is older and fails the checks | New-PC price | Yes, ongoing |
| Switch to a lighter OS | You want to reuse the old hardware | Free | Yes, from that OS’s maker |
If you upgrade to Windows 11
Back up your files first. An upgrade rarely goes wrong, but it is the one moment worth being cautious about, and a current backup costs you nothing; our guide on how to back up your files properly covers the simple version. Then open Settings > Windows Update and look for the Windows 11 offer, or start the upgrade from the PC Health Check result.
The upgrade keeps your files and most apps in place, so for eligible machines this is the cleanest answer and the question simply goes away. If the PC feels sluggish afterward, that is usually fixable rather than fatal; it is worth understanding why a Windows PC feels slow before assuming the hardware is done.
If you want more time: consumer ESU
Microsoft offers consumers a bridge called Extended Security Updates, or ESU. It delivers security updates only — the critical and important patches — and nothing else: no feature updates, no bug fixes, no technical support. Coverage runs through October 12, 2027, and one license can cover up to 10 devices tied to the same Microsoft account. There are three ways to enroll, and one of them is free.
| Enrollment path | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Sign in with a Microsoft account and turn on Windows Backup to sync your settings | Free |
| Redeem Microsoft Rewards points | 1,000 points |
| One-time purchase | $30 USD, plus applicable tax |
The enrollment option appears under Settings > Windows Update once the PC is on version 22H2 and fully updated. Terms can vary by region — in the European Economic Area, for instance, Microsoft offers a free path with different conditions. Treat ESU as breathing room rather than a destination: it stops in 2027, and it never restores feature updates or support.
If you’d rather replace or repurpose the PC
If your PC fails the Windows 11 checks and you would rather not run an unsupported system, a new Windows 11 PC is the clean answer, and it will receive updates for years. Before you buy, though, confirm the old machine is genuinely the problem and not just short on memory or clogged with startup programs — a cheap stick of RAM sometimes buys a slow PC another couple of years, so it is worth learning to tell if your PC needs more RAM first.
If the hardware is sound but Windows 11 will not take it, you can give the machine a second life with a lighter operating system. A mainstream Linux distribution or Google’s ChromeOS Flex both install for free, run comfortably on hardware Windows 11 rejects, and keep receiving security updates from their makers. The trade-offs are a learning curve and the fact that some Windows-only programs will not run, so this suits a spare or secondary machine better than your main one on the first day.
Staying safer if you keep Windows 10 for now
Plenty of people will run Windows 10 a while longer, and you can do that far more safely with a few habits. None of them replace real security updates, but together they cut your practical risk while you decide.
- Back up regularly. This is the highest-value habit, because it turns a ransomware or hardware failure into an inconvenience instead of a loss. Keep at least one copy off the machine, on an external drive or in the cloud.
- Keep your browser current. Your web browser is where most everyday threats actually arrive, and the major browsers keep updating on Windows 10 for now, so an up-to-date Chrome, Edge, or Firefox matters more than ever.
- Leave antivirus on. Microsoft Defender is built in; keep its real-time protection enabled and let it update.
- Be deliberate with email. Supported or not, most attacks still begin with a message that wants you to click. Slow down on unexpected links and attachments — here is how to spot a phishing email.
- Use a standard account day to day. Running as a standard user rather than an administrator limits what a bad download can do on its own.
Where to start
The calm way through this is to run PC Health Check first: if your machine qualifies, the free Windows 11 upgrade ends the question. If it does not qualify, weigh a stretch of ESU breathing room against a new PC or a lighter operating system — and whichever way you lean, get a backup in place today so the decision stays yours to make on your own schedule.